IAA Issue

[WexCan]

I had my Class 1 initial in Dublin on the 29th June and had problems which are documented in the stereoscopic thread.

I emailed the AMS at IAA HQ the same day with a question on one area of the medical. I never received a response.

A few days ago, I emailed them again asking for an update as I had gone three weeks without a cert or denial. The response was a quite sharp "I need more than just your name - send me your date of birth. Name only does not suffice, how do you expect me to find your file."

OK, so this is reasonable, though not very polite. I sent back all of my details - name, address, DOB etc to make sure she wouldn't have any problems.

Two days later and I get no update. I send another email saying that I didn't really think it was acceptable, after spending €604, to not have any communication from them regarding delays.

The reply:

Since you insist on an answer today (never said that) I will not be able to certify you. An explanatory letter will follow.

Now from what I'm led to believe, she was waiting for further information, possibly from my eye surgeon, but decided that I was impatient and made her decision there and then. I was simply looking for a reason for the delay and would have been happy to wait. If I'm completely wrong and she had made her decision already, it was still not the most polite email.

I've requested all the reports from the medical to be sent to me and will send them to the CAA in Gatwick to see what they say, particularly about the strabismus. I know it seems a bit like I'm whinging here but surely the IAA would have some consideration for customer service? Long unexplained delays, and when you get a response to an email you send them it's two lines long.

Rant over, I'm sure I'm being a bit too sensitive about it but still :ugh:

[Loose rivets]

Well, this is perhaps one of the many tests you will have in making judgement calls. Do you stay calm and use diplomacy, or do you demand her name and ask questions like. "Do I understand you correctly...are you saying that you are (doing whatever) just because I asked for a quicker response?....are you sure you are acting within the law? " etc etc

My son hit a similar problem here today. (Very rare here) but he was armed with his legal rights to the documents that he wanted. He was forewarned by data from the net, and demolished the woman's argument with polite but firm statements.

It is such a shame that people have to be like that, especially when someone is having a problem.

[WexCan]

I have her name - she seems to be the only person who actually works in the Irish AMS.

I received my denial letter today. They have my date of birth wrong, my medical history wrong, and while they list my exact refractive error (well within limits) they don't give me any indication of my angle of strabismus, one of the failure points. They just say that I cannot be certified according to JAR FCL 3.220 (c).

I'm going to write back requesting my records under Data Protection and see where to go from there.

[Irishwingz]

Wexcan

You're story about the AMS really wound me up. :mad: :mad:

Short answer - Forget it. I got the same unhelpful attitude and absolutely no help. Unresponded emails, phone calls not returned. Yes, she is the only one there I admit but there are certain courtesies surely.

Solution: Get a cheap Ryanair flight to the CAA aeromedical centre in Gatwick and see the fantastic staff there. In particular I have alot of experience with the eye doctor there (muscle imbalance issue) and they tried everything possible to get me a class 1 but unfortunately I am outside the prescription limits. Their help did allow me get a South African Class 2 (which allowed me get a PPL) and I also got a class 1 in New Zealand.

Any questions just PM me. Keep the head up.

Good luck:ok:

[Jimmy The Big Greek]

Well, I can understand that they did not write the Strabismus angle (manifest strabismus) since it requires a specialist unless its a phoria wich is easily measured with maddox rod and etc.

[WexCan]

Irishwingz - I've complained about her (and about my experience on the day, which wasn't too pleasant with Drs Natin and Foley-Nolan). Ridiculous that the AMS only seems to have one person working there and that three week delays without any reason given are considered acceptable.

Coincidentally, I'm actually moving to Horley to work for U2 as LGW based cabin crew, so might make an appointment and see how that goes. I think I'll get my records back and send them off to Gatwick and see what they say. If they don't know the angle of the strabismus how can they fail me on that point anyway? As it stands, I have been failed under JAR-FCL 3.220 (c) - siginificat defect of binocular vision. News to me!

[Flying Lawyer]

WexCan

FWIW, in my experience it's usually best to get your ammunition together before contacting the CAA Medical people at Gatwick.

The AME who has an excellent reputation in the industry for being able to resolve aviation medical issues (provided they are capable of being resolved) is Dr Ian Perry.

My professional experience of him is that his good reputation is well-founded. He's been helping pilots with medical issues deal with aviation authorities for decades.

He's in central London.
Contact details here: http://www.ianperry.com



Tudor Owen

[MACH/ALT*]

This person is getting quite a reputation, and she hasn't even been in the job that long!
I have yet to find a positive comment concerning her (except from herself!), with regards to serious medical issues, it would be great to hear some.
Her attitude is not what you would call conducive to someone in such a professional position, often when faced with a question she instantly goes on the defensive to the point of generally being just rude. 9 times out of 10 this is probably due to a lack of understanding of the situation, which could generally be resolved by her talking less, and listening more.
I think everybody understands the job she has to do,and the important decisions she has to make, with safety being the obvious priority, however the way she goes about this leaves a lot to be desired.
The situation is not aided by the fact she is out of the country four days a week.
At the end of the day, my advice would be if you can avoid any contact with her then do so, and if you can't, and are not happy with the way she is dealing with your case, then let her superiors know about it.

[WexCan]

I sent a mail to the corporate communications manager and she emailked me back very quickly and said she'd look into it and get back to me next week. Hopefully a sign that Dr R isn't typical of IAA staff.