AvMed - Time for some answers!
But claimable on Tax. 
Unless there is something obviously wrong with your heart, the need for a Stress Test normally only comes up when you hit the magic >14 points on the Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factor Prediction Chart.
As you get older, you've got to figure a way to get minus points to stay under 14.
Unless there is something obviously wrong with your heart, the need for a Stress Test normally only comes up when you hit the magic >14 points on the Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factor Prediction Chart.
As you get older, you've got to figure a way to get minus points to stay under 14.
Two Dogs...
That's FIFTH anniversary. Every Anniversary is a year. Five years. Fifth Anniversary.
That's FIFTH anniversary. Every Anniversary is a year. Five years. Fifth Anniversary.
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Gee Horatio, did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?
Have held a Class 1 medical around 20 years now. That would make it my twentieth anniversary, not my fifth. This one however was a five year anniversary. You know, every five years the specials come round. A five year anniversary would occur on the 5, 10, 15, 20 year anniversaries according to your birth date?
Regardless of my grasp of the English language and Grammar, I'm still not enthused at the CASA requirements that a cardiologist explained are outside of normal medical standards.
Have held a Class 1 medical around 20 years now. That would make it my twentieth anniversary, not my fifth. This one however was a five year anniversary. You know, every five years the specials come round. A five year anniversary would occur on the 5, 10, 15, 20 year anniversaries according to your birth date?
Regardless of my grasp of the English language and Grammar, I'm still not enthused at the CASA requirements that a cardiologist explained are outside of normal medical standards.
You DON'T have a problem. There is NOTHING wrong with your heart, there is NOTHING wrong with your cholesterol level, there is NOTHING wrong with your diet.
Two Dogs, your stress test ECG is claimable under your insurance and under Medicare according to my GP. The argument is that CASA has determined that for medical reasons you need further investigation. It is all about the medical issues perceived by CASA, the fact that you receive your avmed after this investigation is not relevant to the question of why you underwent the checks.
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Received an email from AvMed recently, reminding me to fill out MRS, pay them, take spare specs, "check the progress of your medical via the email from CASA" -and allow 28 days for processing.
I would have thought that the bright & shiny new MRS system would be smart enough to figure out when an applicant has completed their preconditions -as I have some weeks ago- and not send such a nonsense notification. The only thing of interest to me there was their admission of 28 days processing time. Significantly lower than the times I'm seeing reported here.
Med a few days ago. We'll see how this goes.
I would have thought that the bright & shiny new MRS system would be smart enough to figure out when an applicant has completed their preconditions -as I have some weeks ago- and not send such a nonsense notification. The only thing of interest to me there was their admission of 28 days processing time. Significantly lower than the times I'm seeing reported here.
Med a few days ago. We'll see how this goes.
Why do CASA not trust the DAME to issue a 12 month certificate? Every other place I have flown in the world will just print you a new certificate on the spot, only goes to the Authority if there is a problem. Seems to be a stupid waste of resource to tie up time with straight forward renewals.
Did my Class 1 last December. Usual stuff, urine sample, Ishihara plates, eye chart, and an ECG (my age requires one). $100 & 20mins later walked out with the Class 1 medical in my wallet and good to go. Of course, that was in the US...
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 6th Jun 2016 at 21:50.
Why do CASA not trust the DAME to issue a 12 month certificate?
Questions and answers
The big question is whether aviation specific medicals are needed at all. In the US and UK they are moving to a car driver standard for virtually all PPLs. Here in Australia we've had a GP exam for the low weight category for more than 20 years, no problem. Why is this? Very simply because there is no safety case whatever. Surveys show this. Every year 4 or 5 airline pilots in the US suffer an incapacitating event indicating that medical science cannot predict such occurrences, hence a major reason for two pilots. It could be argued that car drivers pose a greater risk but I don't see anyone coming away from a problem CASA inspired medical worrying about driving home. I think the truth is we've all put up with the nonsense because we are special and must have above normal treatment, besides when younger it's not much problem to stay whithin AVMED requirements. There's a petition on Change.Org you might like to support:-
https://www.change.org/p/the-parliament-of-australia-save-australia-s-general-aviation-from-bureaucratic-disaster?recruiter=119349475&utm_source=petitions_show_compo nents_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylink
https://www.change.org/p/the-parliament-of-australia-save-australia-s-general-aviation-from-bureaucratic-disaster?recruiter=119349475&utm_source=petitions_show_compo nents_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylink
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Just had the 5 year special on my Class 1. So, lets see....
CASA fee - $75 plus hours to tackle on line questions prior to medical
Audiogram - $60 plus time off work
Optometrist (my call) to check eyes prior to medical. Find they've slipped a bit and need new lenses in glasses + spare set - $1,000
Blood Tests - $nil but time off work
ECG at Dr prior to medical - $75
Medical proper - $180
Time with DAME to complete medical - 3 hours + travel. The online questions are onerous to say the least. The vision testing now takes twice as long as they test BOTH sets of glasses.
So, nearly $400 later (+ lost time + $1,000 glasses which was my call)
Result..?
Class 1 extended by 2 months. Hopefully no further tests required and receive full medical from CASA prior to expiry of 2 months.
Its just getting harder & harder. And more expensive.
And just to really top it off, my ASIC expires in a couple of months as well..!! Grrrrr!!
CASA fee - $75 plus hours to tackle on line questions prior to medical
Audiogram - $60 plus time off work
Optometrist (my call) to check eyes prior to medical. Find they've slipped a bit and need new lenses in glasses + spare set - $1,000
Blood Tests - $nil but time off work
ECG at Dr prior to medical - $75
Medical proper - $180
Time with DAME to complete medical - 3 hours + travel. The online questions are onerous to say the least. The vision testing now takes twice as long as they test BOTH sets of glasses.
So, nearly $400 later (+ lost time + $1,000 glasses which was my call)
Result..?
Class 1 extended by 2 months. Hopefully no further tests required and receive full medical from CASA prior to expiry of 2 months.
Its just getting harder & harder. And more expensive.
And just to really top it off, my ASIC expires in a couple of months as well..!! Grrrrr!!
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Did my medical today.
Registered on the avmed site, took a little while (no biggy) but did it on an o'nite with a Tsing Tao for company, so no wasted time at home.
Paid the $75, (we all gotta do that anyway).
Booked with my DAME, didn't have to get there 30 min before to do paperwork.
Did the medical, got the re-val & came home to continue building my boat.
Whole thing seems quite easy, to me.
Registered on the avmed site, took a little while (no biggy) but did it on an o'nite with a Tsing Tao for company, so no wasted time at home.
Paid the $75, (we all gotta do that anyway).
Booked with my DAME, didn't have to get there 30 min before to do paperwork.
Did the medical, got the re-val & came home to continue building my boat.
Whole thing seems quite easy, to me.
Last edited by caneworm; 16th Jun 2016 at 09:33.
Join Date: May 2016
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Let us know when you actually recieve the medical.
As your having a "Tsing Tao", it doesn't sound like your livelihood is reliant on an Australian Medical bring issued in a timely manner like the rest of us. A 2 month re-val issued by the DAME isn't cutting it for the internal system mess.
Ask your DAME as well as to how he/she is enjoying the new system. They only do it out of interest these days anyway as its not fiscally beneficial. The net result is they'll bail - medicals will become a whole lot more logistically and pragmatically compromised then.
As your having a "Tsing Tao", it doesn't sound like your livelihood is reliant on an Australian Medical bring issued in a timely manner like the rest of us. A 2 month re-val issued by the DAME isn't cutting it for the internal system mess.
Ask your DAME as well as to how he/she is enjoying the new system. They only do it out of interest these days anyway as its not fiscally beneficial. The net result is they'll bail - medicals will become a whole lot more logistically and pragmatically compromised then.
You should all take considerable comfort from the fact that the medical certification system is keeping many bureaucrats in jobs. These bureaucrats were allowed to build the system that requires all these tests and fees and enables them to second guess the opinions of mere private medical practitioners and specialists, so they must know what they're doing. Musn't they?
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Binglebailey,
You're not wrong about the DAME's. I'm surprised any of them can be bothered doing it anymore. I actually felt sorry for mine the other day. He would have made a loss on mine for sure.
Caneworm,
You must be one of the lucky ones. Young and absolutely no current or previous medical issues perhaps..?? Whilst it all seemed easy to you, my experience and for plenty of others as well, was quite the opposite. Painful in the extreme!
Leadsled,
Correct. Bureaucratic nonsense at its best (or should that be worst?). Poorly conceived and put together. So many of the questions are totally irrelevant and meaningless. Not just 'have you been/done/seen whatever in the last 12 months, but EVER..?? Really..??
Now lets see how long it takes to process...28 days..? We live in hope.
You're not wrong about the DAME's. I'm surprised any of them can be bothered doing it anymore. I actually felt sorry for mine the other day. He would have made a loss on mine for sure.
Caneworm,
You must be one of the lucky ones. Young and absolutely no current or previous medical issues perhaps..?? Whilst it all seemed easy to you, my experience and for plenty of others as well, was quite the opposite. Painful in the extreme!
Leadsled,
Correct. Bureaucratic nonsense at its best (or should that be worst?). Poorly conceived and put together. So many of the questions are totally irrelevant and meaningless. Not just 'have you been/done/seen whatever in the last 12 months, but EVER..?? Really..??
Now lets see how long it takes to process...28 days..? We live in hope.
Its a mess, CASA came back to my DAME for more information which makes me think they want further tests to be carried out. Five weeks later and still nothing, I can see them asking for further tests 5 days before my two month extension is up!! Looks like I might be having some time off work
Join Date: Sep 2003
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Did my class1 recently, the DAME at the end (my DAME for the last 10yrs) said congratulations, you are the last one we are ever doing, It's now ridiculous and not worth doing. The nurse did most of it and told him they will need to double the time allocated for a medical. One less top DAME.
The good news is it only took 4 weeks to come through.
The good news is it only took 4 weeks to come through.
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Then you can get the other side of the coin whereby the DAME can't make any decision by themself without "running it by CASA" first, resulting in lots of time off work, add to the lining of various pockets and then get released to work for a minor issue. I suppose CASA might wonder why pilot's generally don't use their DAME as there GP???
The system is a joke!
SN
The system is a joke!
SN
