One other point, AFAIK, is that if you ever fail a US aviation medical, the Sports Pilot route is closed to you.
Whereas here in Europe, if you fail an EASA Class 1 or 2, the NPPL (UK) or the LAPL (EASA) route remains open. I know a number of pilots who got some heart condition, lost their Class 2 (usually this means pending a load of tests, which you need to get done privately i.e. £xxxx) so they just chucked in the Class 2 and went on the NPPL. You “just” lose the IMC Rating…
I wonder if the German situation has changed, post-Germanwings?
Peter wrote:
I wonder if the German situation has changed, post-Germanwings?
Not really only that I presume the use of discretion in edge cases will be less lenient. There wasn’t much wrong with the medical situation in the Germanwings case. The pilot had a previous condition and after extensive treatment a decision to grant his medical back was made. The subsequent treatment he lied about.
achimha wrote:
The pilot had a previous condition and after extensive treatment a decision to grant his medical back was made. The subsequent treatment he lied about.
Just a side note. The Germanwing accident would not be possible in Norway (according to health experts in the media). Norway has a system where health personnel is by law required to release information to the CAA or another relevant authority regarding possible health risk connected to a pilot license or driver license. It’s very anti privacy, but it probably started due to similar accidents some time in the past I guess.
Norway has a system where health personnel is by law required to release information to the CAA or another relevant authority regarding possible health risk connected to a pilot license or driver license
I think that is effectively true in a lot of places. The only thing which stops a UK GP (doctor) telling the CAA that you have just come to see him with chest pains is that you (if you are smart) have never told him that you are a pilot.
Same with eye tests and glasses. Here in the UK, you can walk into any optician and get your eyes measured and get glasses made, no questions asked and nobody asking who your doctor is. Most however will not make glasses to a “half prescription” i.e. the distance figure is not quite fully made, allowing you to still read the speedo in the car (very useful for people whose distance is say -0.50 to -0.75). If you want such glasses made, you have to go mail order (where only some outlets will make glasses to figures you supply, rather than to an official looking prescription) or use a shop operated by a person from certain “minority groups”. But you must not tell anybody you are a pilot. The moment you say that, everything gets very “official”. However, I do know one very useful such shop which will happily make flying glasses where the dominant eye is for distance, the other one is for the instrument panel, and it has bifocal inserts for reading the kneeboard (an absolutely brilliant solution for some).
Finally, your UK AME has no duty of confidentiality. I have been told that by two AMEs. Everything you say can go straight to the CAA.
Peter wrote:
Norway has a system where health personnel is by law required to release information to the CAA or another relevant authority regarding possible health risk connected to a pilot license or driver license
Yes so would a German doctor if he is aware of a major risk. I personally never disclose to a doctor that I hold a pilot certificate. That’s none of his business and what could I gain from it?
Peter wrote:
Finally, your UK AME has no duty of confidentiality. I have been told that by two AMEs. Everything you say can go straight to the CAA.
Exactly, which is why I would never consider an AME to be a trusted doctor. He fulfils a government obligation and my attitude towards him is a sceptic one. I only trust my non AME doctors and they are bound to privacy laws with very few exceptions. If I tell my psychologist that I am going to kill 100 people tomorrow, he is obliged to take action and breach confidentiality but he is always at risk of being convicted for breach of confidentiality so it’s a difficult situation and he will have to be careful.
The strict data privacy laws are one of Germany’s greatest achievements and they have to be defended against every EU/NSA/etc attack. Not many rights I can get more excited about than data privacy… If somebody asks me something I think he is not entitled to know, I either tell “it’s none of your business” or I lie. It starts at the supermarket with “what’s your ZIP code” and ends at “where you’re driving to” during a police check. My damn business only.
achimha wrote:
I personally never disclose to a doctor that I hold a pilot certificate. That’s none of his business and what could I gain from it?
I have no trust issues with any of my doctors. My aviation doctor (AME?) is also a (non-current now) private pilot, which help a lot regarding trust I guess 
My regular doctor has no clue that I am a pilot, but I have to go to her for my drivers licenses. I could also use her for LAPL and microlight btw, but I see no reason when my aviation doctor fixes this together with my PPL (which she cannot do).
The problem with the attitude the regulators have towards mental health problems is that pilots will avoid seeking medical advice for fear of losing their medicals, resulting in perfectly treatable problems going untreated, leading to far worse problems (and potentially a lot more aviation danger). I have to imagine there are quite a few airline pilots hiding and battling with untreated depression because they fear their entire career being over if they try to get treatment. This has to be less safe than them being treated.
Depression is very common. It wouldn’t surprise me if 10-20% of the pilot population has either a current or old diagnosis.
We haven’t heard again from the OP. Hoping you’re OK? I wouldn’t be too disheartened. If your current mental health is reasonably good, I’d be quite optimistic about your chances of getting a medical – though I have no specialist AME knowledge on the matter.
There are a couple of issues going on in this thread. The diagnosis of mental illness, and the trustworthiness of doctors/AME. Mental health is a massively stigmatised condition, and one where the UK, like other Western countries, falls way behind in the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of sufferers. From mild bouts of depression, to full blown psychosis, you really had better watch who you open up to.
Generalisation coming up, but I would trust very few AME’s. My own is a cracker, who relishes the chance to pick up the phone to Gatwick, ever since his own department screwed up an ECG they did on me. Sadly, he is my own Doctor, complicating issues somewhat. We have become so risk averse, so PC in our society, that anything out of the norm is blown into major issue. Particularly if the word pilot, is brought up..I try and support this as much as I can…http://www.mindandsoul.info
I think a degree of paranoia (sorry bad terminology in this context) seems to creep in with pilots and medicals. Every AME I have ever dealt with tries their upmost to keep pilots well and flying. I know a number of pilots who would be dead if it wasn’t for their flying medical (heart conditions mainly) and a good number of people who wouldn’t be dead if they had pilot medicals. I think open and honest engagement is the way ahead, I know several people who have hidden stuff and then been all surprised when it all comes to a head and comes out – they’ve had a massive battle on their hands, whereas dialogue and tests could have kept them going even if ona restricted basis temporarily.
