Peter wrote:
But otherwise there is the (e.g.) 2m spacing in the UK, for “unconnected” persons.
Is that a law or a recommendation?
I had a dig around and all I can find is that right now 2m is guidance in England, unlike in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But I didn’t dig out the actual law. The 2m is listed in this current section but it says Guidance at the top.
Buckerfan wrote:
I used Nomy Ahmed for the first time last year
I did too at their Leicester location – professional, efficient, and for once an AME who is younger than me so won’t snuff it before I stop flying!
Has my flight medical this morning with Dr Nomy Ahmed and passed with flying colours! All the fitness work I have been doing over the last year is slowly paying off.
A couple of tips on this topic.
His understanding is that the CAA have indeed “banned” class 2 medical renewals until the end of lockdown. CAA’s rationale – GA pilots are not allowed to fly, so why do they need their medical’s renewed". Nomy’s pragmatic approach to this is that pilots who operate their own aircraft need to fly them for engine health, so they need their medicals, as perhaps does someone who has an “urgent business need”.
Also, as he pointed out, the FAA and EASA are allowing, and in fact requiring, medicals to be renewed.
I cannot recommend this AME highly enough for any pilots living around London or the midlands of the UK. I found him last year when my prior AME withdrew from doing medicals. I think someone on this forum recommended him. He is available for bookings at very short notice, he works crazy hard: weekdays, evenings and Saturdays, does clinics in Watford London and Leicester, he will do his best to squeeze you in in an emergency (just call), his online booking tool works well https://www.flyingmedicine.uk/ and is all round professional and nice person. He can provide CAA, FAA and EASA medicals.
Silvaire wrote:
There was never any FAA medical extension except in very limited circumstances. The reason is that there was no reason to have one.
Totally wrong, There was and it was extended twice till end of Feb 21. Check the FAA website.
I was confusing BFRs and medicals, having had zero issues obtaining either, and not expecting to ever have issues. Waiting in my hangar now for clouds to clear, so I can get airborne.
Stating the obvious, extending deadlines for either of the above is ridiculous, as are restrictions on flying in relation to a virus. The latter would be my motivation to permanently emigrate (again)
What exactly is the UK CAA regulated pilot supposed to do if he wants to fly somewhere outside of the UK where the society, including aviation, hasn’t succumbed to totalitarian overreach?
Thanks for your update @Buckerfan. I merged the thread with the earlier one on the crude attempt by the CAA to ban Class 2 medicals (1st post onwards).
His understanding is that the CAA have indeed “banned” class 2 medical renewals until the end of lockdown. CAA’s rationale – GA pilots are not allowed to fly, so why do they need their medical’s renewed".
That is a bollocks statement from the CAA. There is no law which says you can’t fly. There is the law saying you can’t leave your house without a reasonable excuse, and then goes on to list a non exhaustive list of permitted excuses. An infinite number of other excuses exists… And since some knob asked the CAA for “guidance” (on which way round to pull his underpants on) the DfT has issued guidance saying you can fly for stuff like engine health, etc. So the CAA is completely mad telling AMEs they can’t do medicals. There must be factions within the CAA fighting each other because only somebody who is completely out of touch with reality could issue such an instruction, in the face of the DfT “guidance”.
I would ask the AME to show you the actual CAA instructions. I appreciate you just want to get your medical and get out of the door ASAP; we all do that 
Nomy’s pragmatic approach to this is that pilots who operate their own aircraft need to fly them for engine health, so they need their medicals, as perhaps does someone who has an “urgent business need”.
Exactly. There are loads of good reasons.
Stating the obvious, extending deadlines for either of the above is ridiculous, as are restrictions on flying in relation to a virus
The problem is that in Europe we have far fewer AMEs. And the number familiar with the finer points of the FAA system i.e. Special Issuance, is close to zero. All of them will tell you they know it but most don’t have a clue. So few AME in fact that most pilots return to the same AME even if they have to do an airline trip, and they will keep doing it until the AME is decomposing 6ft under
Peter wrote:
most pilots return to the same AME even if they have to do an airline trip, and they will keep doing it until the AME is decomposing 6ft under
Pilots the world over do the same. I went to a new guy recently because (apparently, so I’m told) the old guy lost his AME status because he thought the whole thing was silly, and IME for 3rd class his process
was a short discussion and writing a check. The new guy is similar, although slightly more rigorous (he didn’t skip the pee check). Twenty minutes maybe. People now have real health care and take it seriously and I think the time has passed when AMEs see their 2nd and 3rd class procedure as anything similarly serious. He can do more by simply asking how your last real physical with blood work went than by his examination.
Just an update: Peter Orton / Aviation Medica has packed up.
Peter wrote:
Just an update: Peter Orton / Aviation Medica has packed up.
Wow, what shame, he’s a great guy. Still open till March1, 22, though.
