By JAMAIL LARKINS
In a previous post, I looked into the #1 reason people quit flight training.
In no surprise to anyone, that reason is money. (You can read the full post here).
But the #2 reason may surprise you: Health, specifically mental health.
When I was in high school and college, the concept of a health complication affecting my ability to pass a medical wasn’t even on my radar.
Outside of “Must Wear Corrective Lenses,” I never had anything that made me think twice about my ability to obtain a medical.
Recently, I discovered that passing a medical is a much bigger issue than I ever realized for Millennials and Gen Z pilots. In fact, it’s the #2 reason why people quit flight training.
But not for the reason I thought.
The world has changed since the early 2000s, and I really had a hard time understanding why 16 to 40 year olds were so worried about obtaining an FAA medical. How in the world could obtaining a medical be a major concern for people in my age group and younger?
Yes, obesity, hypertension, asthma, and a whole host of physical issues are on the rise among Millennials and the Gen Z pilot population.
But after doing a little bit of research, there is almost an equally important issue: Mental health.
One thing that I didn’t realize until recently is that if a child has ever been diagnosed with ADHD and taken medication for it, even if the child grew out of it, the possibility of becoming a pilot was not possible. No third class, second class, and definitely no first class medical was possible.
According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, almost 10% of all children in the United States have been prescribed some form of ADHD medication. If you are still on this medication, there is zero chance of passing an FAA medical.
But if it’s been at least 90 days since the last time you took that medication, it’s now possible thanks to a 2023 rule change by the FAA that allows aspiring pilots who were formerly ADHD medicated to earn any class medical they desire.
Another big myth is that if you have ever seen a psychiatrist, you are automatically excluded from obtaining an FAA medical. In fact, according to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, you don’t even have to report a visit to a mental health facility, unless you are clinically diagnosed.
Yes, you still need to stay generally physically fit, have 20/20 uncorrected or correctable vision, and not have any major mental situations, but the FAA is actively working on further improving all pilot-related health situations. The goal is to maintain safety, but modernize the way the FAA looks at pilot health. In that effort, the FAA has started a rulemaking committee to address these issues.
That said, if you believe you have any potential problems obtaining a medical, take steps before you ever meet with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
I highly recommend you talk to a pilot advocacy group. For example, AOPA’s Pilot Information Center can help pilots avoid mistakes on their medical application that can cause months — if not years — of delay.
Please, please, please contact one of these pilot groups that specialize in this area before you go for your FAA medical exam.
You will still have to be truthful on your medical application, but sometimes there are nuances to the way you present information that could affect your ability to fly.
These groups are worth their small annual membership dues, compared to the cost of medical tests and the time you will waste if you make a mistake while obtaining your FAA medical.
I would love to hear from more pilots on their flight training journeys, so if you are willing to share, please let me know. You can search Jamail Larkins on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Or feel free to share your feedback at JamailLarkinsAviation.com.
See the first part of the series here. The next part in the series “Clash of the personalities” will is available here.
I had a T.I.A. stroke nearly ten years ago. The folks at the hospital told me at the time that I had 20 times as much chance of getting another of these episodes, now that I’d had one. Another factor was that my father died of a series of these mini-strokes when he was in his mid- 80s. I didn’t think it would be a very good idea, with this background, to be the only person in the airplane who could find a runway and make a safe landing, if there should be a repetition, so I gave up my medical. If the FAA somehow lost their ever-lovin’ minds and gave me a medical, I don’t think I’d be likely to use the thing. I’ve been on statins and blood thinners ever since, and have had no further problems, but to me, it is definitely not worth the risk. Sixty years and just short of nineteen thousand hours of flying time is enough for one lifetime.
As a retired psychiatrist, I did evaluations on two pilots trying to get third class medical. One had serious alcohol addiction the previous two years. He was totally sober and very active AA member for two years. He on no meds. I approved him and he got medical. Another pilot had been in hospital for bipolar disorder and was well controlled on lithium. I thought he prob be ok if stayed on meds. He did not get a medical. Never ran across an ADHD adult on meds but think if on meds prob not a good idea to seek medical and if it a childhood diagnosis, prob not worth mentioning years later.
How about a battery of tests to screen for general stupidity — the kind that leads to fatalities resulting from fuel starvation derived by cheeping-out on filling the tanks; failing to flip the switch between tanks; flying VFR into storms and icing; failure to announce on the common frequency or have the radio on at all when approaching a busy airstrip; flying sleepy or substance impaired; looking to commit suicide by airplane; and numerous other human flaws giving rise to GA tragedies. Smart psychiatrists can tease-out those tendencies and would make the GA hobby safer for people in the air and innocents on the ground.
/J
Yes, every CFI should carefully counsel young people on the correct way to approach their medical. For years, the medical profession was prescribing ADHD medications like it was candy. Putting that on a medical application will lead to a long road of tests and letters to the FAA “dead letter office” (medical division).
How would the cases quoted above be treated in Basic Med?
Basic Med is not available unless you already have an FAA medical certificate. It is therefore of no use for new pilots. Yet your medical can be 19 years old and you are good to go with Basic Med. It is absurd that an up to 19 year old medical is somehow validating your state of health for Basic Med but that Basic Med is not available to new pilots.