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you will always test a bit better in the eye doctors office with the lighted box, compared to looking 20’ down the hall at the Snelling chart. I see this in all my pilots and I see it in myself, as I recently had cataract surgery for my right eye and am using a contact in my left eye. I test a dozen or more pilots a day, and I know I’m seeing 20/20-20/25 standing next to them and then the eye doctor says I’m testing 20/15-20/20 in his office. Part of me thinks he’s BSing me so I’m happy with my surgery, IDK. The other problem is when you test 20/20-1 or 20/20-2, the eye doctor just calls it 20/20, the FAA calls it 20/25. So you have to read between tje lines. I have a 75watt LED flood light shining directly on the chart, and over head fluorescent tubes . Occasionally if a pilot is having trouble I’ll flip the over head lights off, leaving just the flood light shining on the chart, and most pilots feel that helps (even though that will cause your pupils to dilate a little and could negatively affect distant acuity). if you’re worried, go ahead and see your optometrist and have him fill out the 8500-7. Make sure he knows you need clean 20/20 DV both eyes individually. Bring that 8500-7 to your AME appointment, most AMEs will factor the optometrist’s measurements into the exam if your “borderline” in their office.

In case anyone is still looking at this thread, how much in advance of the expiration date do you get your renewal offers? My guy always says he’ll get me the quotes 30 days before, but often it’s less than 30 days. I emailed him today and he said 30 days means “30-60 days” - right. When I get it there is never time to research it / shop around, not that you can “shop around.” I’ve never wanted my insurance to lapse in the middle of hurricane season. What happens when / if an owner calls a different company or broker while he has a policy in effect with the old company. Can you get quotes from more than 1 broker? I always assumed a company will only quote you thru 1 broker? Do all brokers ping the same insurance companies?

Thanks. USAIG is who I’ve been with for 6-7 years. This is the first time I’ve seen the letter.

Sounds good, I’ve been insuring at least one airplane every year in SW Florida x 35 years, never saw this before (paper or electronic). And I’m meticulous about records. Maybe I’ve slipped thru the cracks until now. Everything I get from the Agent is electronic, I’ve haven’t gotten any paperwork from the actual insurance company. Probably just sensitive with all the trouble re homeowners and business product insurance over the years. Appreciate the reply’s. Thank you 🙏

2 of my pilots passed the Rabin after failing the Waggoner multiple times. Good luck

Here’s the 8065-2 https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Form/8065-2.pdf The last one we sent in took 7 weeks to get the file from OKC Pre-MedXpress all of the paper application forms had serial numbers so it was hard to “lose” one, but not impossible. If you had been officially denied you would have got a registered denial letter, plus a copy by regular mail, from AMCD As stated, you would be a candidate for Fast Track if it’s been more than 4 years, so an FAA Medical should be a slam dunk (barring other medical issues)

If the ophthalmologist starts talking about “monovision” do your research before going in that direction.

Here is the Pilots Information Sheet for an initial cert Insulin Treated https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/ITDM_CGM_pilot_info_initial.pdf 1. You will need to be established with an BC endocrinologist who will generate many of the reports that are required. 2. You need (at a minimum) 6 months cgm data 3. Bloodwork 4. Eye exam by a BC ophthalmologist 5. Cardiac risk evaluation (this is not the standard CVE (Cardiovascular Evaluation) that would be required of pilots with CAD. You didn’t mention age but if >40 you will need a standard Bruce Stress Test (not nuclear) This Certification Aid goes into detail for each of the items I mentioned above https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/ITDM_CGM_certification_aid.pdf As already suggested, working with an AME that understands the process is a good idea. He / she will help you get the reports you need, review those reports before they go to OKC and assist getting them sent to the right place. He’ll obviously also do your exam later on. So, typically it goes like this…. Pilot reviews the requirements I’ve listed above >>> pilot does MedXpress and sends me the page with their medical history >>> pilot comes in for a F2F and we go over their medical history and the reports they are going to need ( we are not doing their FAA exam at this point, nor are we downloading their MedXpress application ). Then, if they wish to proceed, the pilot starts making their appointments and we start requesting records. Once we have pretty much everything, they will probably need to do a new Medxpress since the original one is only good for 60 days, then we do their exam and forward all of these reports to AMCD. If you don’t have intentions of being a professional pilot and just want to fly for your own pleasure, then all of the above can be paused at anytime and you can go in the Light Sport direction and make a decision about an FAA Medical later. I only have a couple students going thru the process now, they are both Class 1, and their applications are, hopefully, in final review. The longest one out is 9 months from his exam but his original AME developed health issues and wasn’t able to guide him thru, so he’s a couple months behind due to that. Good luck 👍

I’ve had 2 pilots with spontaneous pneumo’s since I started doing exams, both young (20’s), both more than 10 yrs ago and both in the same year. I’d have to go back and see how long they were out but they both have unrestricted Class 1’s now and are flying Part 121.

assuming you’re in the US? what was your score on the Ishihara plates? that will give me an idea how you’d do on one of the new computerized tests. Ishihara is no longer accepted by the FAA, since December 2024. You will need to pass the Waggoner (what most AMEs use), the Rabin Come Test or the CAD (I’ve only heard of the CAD being available to military applicants). FWIW, you don’t “pass” a SODA, you pass a medical flight test and then the FAA gives you a piece of paper called a SODA. But…..the FAA won’t even consider allowing you to take a MFT until you’ve tried and failed the 3 approved tests. And even if you find, and fail, permission to take a MFT is decided on a case by case basis, and as of rn I haven’t heard of one being given. This is the procedure since Dec 2024. Some AMEs will let you take the Waggoner without doing an actual FAA examination, many optometrists can do it for you also, and the RCT is available although you may need to travel to find an office test does. If you haven’t already, search this subreddit as this topic is discussed several times a month and there is a wealth of information and advice right here at you fingertips.

It’s called an “administrative hold” and prevents an applicant from getting deferred at one AME office and walking down the street and trying to get it at a different office the next day or whatever. In your case, what the AME should have done was call AMCD and explain you were upgrading to a Class 1, the hold would have been released (after review) and the FAA would send you your Class 1 certificate in the mail, usually they will email / fax a copy as well if you need it expedited. You can’t “delete” an application, once he downloads it from the cloud and does the exam, the AME will need to transmit as a deferral after calling AMCD and then they will help you get your Medical issued.

It’s a housekeeping change, pretty much everyone gets the “denial” now,, but they give you the path to follow if you want to pursue. Just send the requested reports and you’ll be good. This is your first application with the need for a Special Issuance? IIRC they found that 30-45 % of applicants never furnished the reports and subsequently ignored repeated requests for information. This could go on for months / years, now they can deny you right away, but all it takes is a phone call or you sending in the reports and your application is reactivated.

If you previously reported the high blood pressure, then you’re on the CACI protocol for HTN. The FAA assumes you snd your doc are monitoring your readings and adjusting the medication and that it is under control. If, by your next renewal, the blood pressure is back to excellent, then there is nothing to report except that you’re taking medication for blood pressure and it’s under good control. You do not need to report every time there is a spike because you switched doctors and were without the medication for a short period of time.

You’ll check “yes” to question 18H, in section 17 you’ll report loasartan and in section 19 you’ll list the last visit to the doctor that treats your blood pressure. Under explanations you’ll put hypertension, controlled with loasartan, no side effects, PR. Hypertension is a condition handled under the CACI program, if your blood pressure is under really good control, technically the AME doesn’t need any reports from your doc. The only caveat is if you’re using a BP medication that contains a diuretic, the FAA will want to see a current potassium level (K+ blood test). Losartan / HCT is losaratan combined with a small amount of diuretic so,if that’s the form you take then you’ll need a simple potassium blood test.

age? Was your Class 1 EKG due at the time or did doc just notice the extra beats on exam? Other medical issues or Rxs? OTC stuff? Caffeine? Ventricular beats are usually benign. The FAA. will prob want to see a Holter, ECHO and a regular stress test.

The CACI form ^^^^ needs to be filled out by your treating physician. And you’ll need a current A1C

in the US you can take any of the 3 CCVT tests as many times as you like, the Ishihara plates are no longer an option. I’m guessing you live somewhere else.

good, I’ve had several young applicants fail the Waggoner multiple times, only to go elsewhere and pass the Rabin. If you do end up failing all 3 of the CCVTs, you can send in this form and let them know you still want to pursue removal of that limitation https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/Color_Vision_Limitation_Review.pdf The AME Guide states that this review is considered on a case by case basis Good luck

Have you tried all 3 of the new CV tests?

What are all the meds you take? And the conditions you’re taking them for? Feel free to PM me if you’d like.

I’m a Senior AME in SW Florida, email cmdoc84AT YAHOOdotCOM, email me your deets and I’ll try to help. I had a hip replaced today so hurry before my spinal wears off 😬 I can discuss here in the thread as well, your choice

99.9% of the time, AMCD / RFS will not give a verbal on a new pilot (1st exam). For established pilots, yes, verbals happen everyday, especially where the FAA doc has a comfort level with the AME making the request and all the necessary reports are “in hand” and ready to be sent.

at the least your AME should have got a copy of your VA letter and uploaded it to your exam when he transmitted. usually that’s all they need to see, unless the applicant has bigger problems…drugs, alcohol, adhd, depression, etc. if it’s the typical ptsd rating I’ll have the applicant write up a personal letter explaining what was going on back then and how things are now, send that in with the rating letter, usually that’s all it takes. AMCD has cut the wait time for these cases by more than 50% in the last 18 months, I’d expect you’d hear something very shortly. Keep checking your MedXpress acct, ams if nothing in the next 7-10 days call AMCD again

AMEs can’t “mail in” the 8500-8 application, doing it electronically is the only way. If your MedXpress says “Transmitted” then the AME got it to OKC. Were there supporting documents / reports that were uploaded to your exam ?

👍 good job

Most pilots that need and wear hearing aids in “regular life” find they don’t need them in the airplane when using amplified headsets https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/app_process/exam_tech/item49/amd See #3 and last paragraph

OP has a medical condition that requires a SI but didn’t have a SI? And OP has an ex that reported him on the hotline regarding that condition? What was the condition? Over the last 20 years I’ve had 2 pilots have to take drug tests because an ex called, or had someone else call, the hotline and claim drug use, cocaine in both instances. Both pilots were going thru custody battles with their ex’s, both of the ex’s were FAs who knew the system, and both pilots were quickly cleared and told not to sweat it.

Section 2, A and B https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/app_process/exam_tech/item26/amd

https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/app_process/exam_tech/item43/amd/collagen very little in the AME Guide. decided on a case by case basis. your success would depend on what disabilities you have, your functional capacity, how often you flare, what your flare ups are like, what meds you take for maintenance and what you take for exacerbations. also what other organ systems, if any, are affected. they will def want to see your medical history.

Eye Care Center of Leesburg 352-787-1956

Eye Care Center of Leesburg 352-787-1956

Most people your age with extra heartbeats do NOT have AF. A resting ekg and possible 24 hour a Holter monitor may be all you need. To add, I read thru a couple times and don’t see where the “AF” diagnosis came in, sry

https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/DUIDWI_Alcohol_Incidents_Disposition_Table.pdf If an applicant has had only 1 incident more than 5 yrs ago and the BA was <0.15, the AME is supposed to review the arrest records, court docs and any treatment programs , along with the Airman’s Personal Statement. https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/FAACertificationAid-HIMSDrugandAlcohol-Initial.pdf (go to page 4, paragraph re Pers Statement) If he’s pretty confident that there is no abuse or dependency problem, he should go ahead and issue, attaching the above reports and BA level if available. The FAA will send you a letter warning that further incidents will be bad mojo for your Medical Certification and to behave yourself from now on. In regards to the application, once he downloads your MedXpress you and him only have 14 days to complete the exam (thus most AMEs don’t download it until you’re in their office ). But I do tell my new pilots (first FAA exam) that if they answer yes to any of the questions on the Medxpress medical or legal section to LMK asap. Then we can discuss and if we need reports from their doc or paperwork from an old DUI, or whatever, we can get that all together so when it’s time for the exam they’re good to go. It takes a lot of time to review records, especially legal records, and then scan and upload to the exam, and then whatever is uploaded needs to be commented on in the AMEs narrative section of the Medxpress. I’d say most DUI issues take a couple extra hours by the time I get the history, discuss what we need, review those reports, put everything in chronological order and scan and upload. I typically don’t charge extra if I don’t need to babysit the Airman every step of the way. But I do sometimes and I can see why other AMEs might also. I think that’s preferable to the AME auto deferring and sending your exam in without any supporting documentation As for the psych consult with his associate, I’d pass. Unless there’s more to the story. But not needed for an isolated remote DUI.

If you look at the article linked above under Investigation (2nd para) if says the FO underwent an “eye test” following the accident and had “difficulty” distinguishing between red - white - green, which would have made it “difficult to see and interpret the PAPI” or something to that effect. If that’s correct then the FO was probably granted his SODA in error.

The FAA is more interested in why and when, as opposed to a precise location or providers name. If the “why” is a safety of flight concern, then yes, more deets will be needed. For example, screening colonoscopy vs heart cath, in the case of heart problems, you’ll be providing records anyway that are marked with the doctors name, etc. so it’s a moot point.

I assumed OP was asking about a SODA for colorvision, the FAA still does SODAs for things like monocular vision and amputations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Express_Flight_1478 The copilot (PF) had a well known history of red green deficiency, going back to his military days, and IIRC at the time of the FedEx accident it was reported he had been issued a SODA for defective colorvision, the captain (PM) had normal color vision. The flight departed MEM at 4 AM landing TLH. Both pilots said in interviews they didn’t see the PAPI, they didn’t realize how low they were, something to that effect. So in reality the FAA CV “screening” had worked well, the problem was the MFT / SODA process. But, it makes you wonder if although fatigue might have played a bigger role than color vision in the accident, it was easier to blame a medical deficiency as a cause. Here’s the CV Review Request form, but the FAA won’t consider a review unless you’ve failed all 3 of the computerized tests. But I haven’t heard of anyone getting a review / flight test / waiver since the new rules came into effect. Since December 2024, I’ve had 4-5 student pilots fail the Waggoner test. 2 of those went on to pass the Rabin Cone Test and got the Day Vfr limitation removed and upgraded to Class 1. The others either gave up training or accepted the Class 3 limited certificate. Maybe the FAA wants to get rid of the MFT all together https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/Color_Vision_Limitation_Review.pdf

The illness may not be one where you would normally ground yourself, but if it requires higher doses of pred your AME / the FAA would want to know about it. Years ago I had a young school teacher who came in with a bad cold / bronchitis. I gave her a week of pred because her chest was really tight. 2-3 days later, at the close of the day, I noticed her standing by my front doors (no appointment) smoking a cigarette (she had never smoked). When I went outside she was talking to herself, then to me, in the strangest British accent and she was 100 miles out in left field (no previous psych history) with one of the strangest affects I had ever seen. It was scary. She ended up in the hospital for a couple days and was eventually fine after stopping the pred. No further events like that one. I still see her occasionally and we joke about it (20 years later) but I swear it was the weirdest reaction to a medication i ever saw.

your Authorization Letter / Special Issuance is for depression, in order to keep your certificate valid the FAA requires you to see your therapist at least quarterly, and the therapist needs to make out a report annually which you need to mail to the FAA a couple months before June 2026 when the certificate you have expires. Without knowing what Class medical you were issued or your age I can’t tell you when your next exam is due, but if it’s not June 2026 then all you need to submit is your paperwork. You also have some other conditions, hernia, shoulder, marijuana use and they caution you that if anything changes in regard to those, your Medical may be in jeopardy. They warn you again that using marijuana is dysqualifying which you obviously know by now. If your therapists report this summer is good, the FAA will mail you an updated Medical that says “not valid after June 30 2027”. That’s why you want to get the report submitted well before your current Medical expires, to prevent a lapse in your Certification. Good luck 👍

She is pretty “tenacious” Her son wants to be an airplane pilot and she wasn’t going to let something like color vision testing get in the way. YMMV 🤣

No, I use the Waggoner. I looked into the Rabin when I had 3 students in 2 weeks that failed the Waggoner. Couldn’t find the Rabin or the CAD anywhere. It was one of the kids mom who thought to call the company, never crossed my mind. I think there’s 2 of mine scheduled to go up there in the next couple weeks for the RCT, I suspect one will pass and the other probably not ( based on how they did in the Waggoner ).

Yes, my AME practice is in Sarasota Fl. IIRC the Rabin was like 12K to buy the equipment / license. You’d need to do a lot of CV work to justify that expense.

One of my student pilot’s Mom called the company that puts out the Rabin, they gave her a list of facilities in FL that had purchased the RCT. 2 hour drive north, and $250 later he passed and brought me the results, and I uploaded them to his recent exam. AMCD mailed him a new certificate without the Day Vfr limitation. That eye clinic is in Leesburg FL, just NE of Tampa. I can add contact info if anyone needs it. Good luck.

If you have specific questions on what you need to renew, post a pic of the Airman / AME instructions, regardless it’s been a year since the last exam so you’ll need a new MedXpress application and AME exam, plus whatever is mentioned in the instructions, prob a report from the doctor that treats your mood disorder.

OP doesn’t really need a lawyer, he just needs to send the information that the FAA is asking for, an office note and a CBC, same info that his AME should have obtained

No one tests for testosterone (FAA anyway) but if you’re taking replacement testosterone for low T the FAA requires your doctor to provide some information to make sure there are no safety of flight concerns. The only blood test they require would be a Hb (hemoglobin or CBC), since higher doses of testosterone can raise the Hb (red blood cell count) which is called polycythemia. Polycythemia can lead to “”thickening” of the blood and predispose to clotting and thrombotic issues (blood clots, pulmonary embolism, stoke, heart attack, etc). But the FAA doesn’t want to know what your testosterone level was / is, they leave that up to you and your doc. LowT is handled thru the CACI program, so with pilots over 40 we’d ask for the report and CBC at every renewal, so Class 3 would be every 2 years. For Class 1 and 2 we ask for an annual report. Most applicants under 40 aren’t taking Testosterone.

if the AME defers, AMCD will now “deny” but give the applicant a pathway to get certified. In the past AMCD basically kept the application in limbo, gave a list of what they required with a deadline to provide. The automatic denial now lets them get the application “closed.” This is a change that happened last year and is really a housekeeping thing for them. In the past there were a lot of deferred exams where the applicant never responded, but those incomplete exams had to be kept open / active which clogged up the system and kept staff from reviewing newer applications. All OP needs to do is get the LoT report and blood test to the FAA and he will get his Certificate mailed from OKC.

The caci guideline sheet I linked technically isn’t supposed to be “filled out,” that’s just a checklist the AME uses to make sure you meet all the criteria. The letter / report / office note your doc provides needs to mention those points. If you can get your treating doctor to give you that report and order a CBC (if you’ve had a CBC in the last 90 days that is good enough) you can either 1. take those reports to the AME and have him upload to your exam or 2. mail them to amcd yourself - address should be listed at the bottom of the FAA letter (I’d recommend usps Priority - 2-3 days and lowest cost with a tracking number). Then watch you MedXpress acct to see when they get the reports. If the AME uploads the report you should have your Medical within couple weeks, if you mail it will easily take twice as long.

Did the AME defer you or did he issue the medical? Did the FAA “deny” you or say they need more info to decide? The AME should have reviewed a report from your doc addressing the following concerns as well as a CBC (blood test) https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/C_CACI-Low_T_Hypogonadism.pdf and then, if all good, issued your Medical. Without seeing the FAA letter we don’t know what happened but it’s atypical for amcd to defer because of TRT, they almost always ask for the reports first. If you don’t send the reports, then yes, they will eventually deny your Certificate

Can you splice and then run a new conductor external to the molding ? I left my CA in the airplane accidentally yesterday or I’d go grab it now. A repair might look “ghetto” but might restore function?