A friend called me yesterday - a retired GP who flies gliders and drives - that he has been grounded from both for a year, having been diagnosed as having a mild form of epilepsy, apparently due to a congenital condition which has only manifested itself with age. It is now controlled with a drug (dunno what) which he says he prescribed in his GP days similarly.
I know that controlled epileptics can drive again, and at least one was cleared for flying gliders as P1. This chap won't even fly P2 in a tandem 2-seater, in case P1 can't tell if he has dozed off or whatever.
He should know, but I wonder if he is being over cautious.
I would certainly have doubts about letting such an ageing pilot back as P1 after a year total loss of currency - the physical skills might come back, but all that I have read and seen suggests that mental skills - judgement, anticipation, etc., fade fast and come back only slowly if at all.
Any informed views on such matters - the not even P2 currency thing, not the epilepsy/12 months issue (I have looked at the CAA guidance -
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/49/SRG_Med-NPPL_epilepsy.pdf - and seen the time issue there - though not always 12 months, it seems)?
Chris N.