How do I become an AME?

[QDMQDMQDM]

Any AMEs out there like to give me some advice?

I have heard that you can send off to the CAA and they will put you on a waiting list for 10 years or more if they deem you suitable. If you're not dead by then you may take the courses and become an AME. Is this so? Is it worth me bothering, given that I have quite a high level of interest in the field, although am not ex-military? Do I need to have connections to stand a chance?

Thanks,

QDM

P.S. By all means PM me if you prefer.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Hi Q,

I have (somewhere) the address for the course you have to do. After taht you approach the CAA and depending on the need in your area you will be appointed or go on the waiting list.

I will do the course sometime next year I hope.

Did the FAA course last year and have since been designated and been doing medicals since December.

Email me if you want to know more.

FD

[gingernut]

do you need a deputy ........?

I know a very igood nurse practitioner, thinking of moving to the South West. (He's good, but not cheap!)

[Thomas coupling]

My AME told me there was a huge shortage of AME's across the Uk.
Problem being that to set yourself up, you have to buy a load of equipment to satisfy the CAA medical dept. He reckons it was in the region of £50,000+

He works every evening and all day saturday (outside his normal job as a general surgeon) to pay the money back!
He's also single!!!

[PPRuNe Pop]

I have long thought that the CAA should provide interest free loans to get the kind of AME's they want. Especially as the need for highly skilled practitioners is important.

They won't listen I fear!

[Evo]

A GP friend of mine looked into becoming an AME a few years ago and didn't get very far; he isn't ex-military, didn't have connections, and is now very cynical about the whole subject...

[mad_jock]

We can't get a new AME in our area.

The current one is pretty well known for finding things which after some very expensive tests turns out to be false.

The CAA medical will always back him up. So we now have the situation that most pilots (90%) in the area drive 90 miles to Aberdeen or fly to Stornaway to use another one.

Because of this the CAA says there isn't enough demand in the area to warrant 2 AME's. We do actually have a doctor ( who is also a FI ) who has done the course and has all the kit. But the CAA says not enough demand and they have protect the current local AME.

MJ

[wbryce]

Mad Jock, theres a great AME in Edinburgh BUPA hospital called DR Thores.... very friendly, and is a pilot himself, since im a student he was telling me his past experiances, and also knocked a tener off the price :)

[slim_slag]

The current one is pretty well known for finding things which after some very expensive tests turns out to be false.

Conversely, I have an AME friend (Stateside) who is well known amongst the airline and GA community for not being tough on the medical (but he is honest)

He works near a major airline hub. He is always busy but if working will see you the same day. He works three days a week only doing medicals, only deals with healthy people, no social problems or sore throats, his nurse does all the work.

He clears a rather large amount of money and has a choice of very nice planes to play with during his four days off.