Losing Your Medical

[multime]

Dear Guys

What are the chances.?
Never think it,ll happen.
Think again. Our lifestyle will do it.
I now have a family, mortgage, insurance, responsibility.
No i didn,t have loss of licience insurance (couldn,t afford it).
So did i have a backup plan after investing 12 years and spending my life with a bunch of very angry single guys.?
NO.
My fault but i will fight it. Untill the day i die.

Any thoughts - SERIOUSLY.

For someone who has.?
M:sad:

Ps great time of of year.?

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

Scheissen! Check your PMs.

FRQ CB

[greybeard]

Have you "lost" your medical or just had it "not renewed"?. There can be a great difference.

Mine was "delayed" recently, went through an embarrasing process with a lady urologist and a theatre full of pretty young nurses and all is sorted.
Old man's problems which visit from time to time.

Many yrs ago , (38), I had a glitch with heat exaustion, fainted after a flight, also with the then DCA Medical lot, only had assistance and all was sorted in good time to be unretrenched.

Do not give up until ALL avenues have been explored, medical science can do many things of which we are not normally aware

:ok::ok:

[the wizard of auz]

Certainly dont give up until all avenues are exhausted. I know people that have overcome heart surgery, diabetes and all sorts of problems to have their medicals reinstated. One bloke I know suffered a very bad car accident in which he lost his face and his head was caved in to the extent that he has a metal plated skull. he suffered some pretty serious head trauma, but recently had his medical reinstated. Sure he has some limitations on it, but he got it back. I know another chappy that crashed an airplane and suffered some horrific burns to the majority of his body. he is flying again. Another guy I know stalled a super cub into the ground and broke his back. He learned to walk again and is now flying. There is hope mate, Don't give up.
Good luck with it. :ok:

[The Bunglerat]

Yeah, it's certainly something that plays on my mind a lot these days. At my last Class-1 renewal, the doc gave me a good serve on my blood cholesterol and sugar levels. Obviously they were within acceptable limits, as I'm still okay to fly, but given that my family has a history of diabetes (Type-2), it sure was a wake-up call to me that I'm obviously not the young, bronzed, bulletproof God I used to be. And from my limited understanding (or ignorance) of the subject, whilst there's not much out there that would kill a pilot's career these days, I'm pretty sure diabetes is one of them. Maybe I'll get it in a few years, maybe not, but I don't know how I'd cope if I had to come home one day and tell the family that all the years of busting my arse to make it in this industry have just gone down the toilet - because of medical reasons.

[Chimbu chuckles]

What is the medical issue?

[Hugh Jarse]

Multime,

The chances are easier than you think!

I was out for almost 2 years with an initial prognosis of it being permanent. I was (am) with the AFAP MBF, and they were fantastic. Nothing was a hassle.

The key is NEVER undervalue a second opinion. Without knowing the nature of your condition - if you haven't had a second (specialist) opinion yet - GET ONE.

Never chuck in the towel!

Generally, from past experience I've found CASA Medical to be like a sheltered workshop, and I did not involve them at all until it came time to take a crack at the medical at the end of my recovery. I had an excellent DAME who followed my progress until he knew I would be ready.

Even then CASA Medical screwed up by withholding the medical for another reason, and telling me a story that was "less than truthful", primarily because there appears to be little communication between staff there...:ugh:

I hope all goes well, multime. Contact me by PM if you want any further info.

P.S. When you get your medical back, look into the insurance side of things ;)

[The Green Goblin]

LOL insurance is required as per the award :}

Perhaps you should seek legal advice in regards to why the company you were working for had not payed your LOL insurance landing you in your current predicament.

[Metro man]

From memory the onus is on the pilot to pay the premium and reclaim the money from the employer, GA award.

I do know some operators didn't look to favourably at being asked to cough up.:hmm:

[The Green Goblin]

The company I work for pays the money annually along with an upfront Jepp allowance!

[multime]

Dear guys
Prob is heart related.
Left antierior hypertrophy, left bundle blockage,.
Have contacted the heart foundation and am awaiting replies from 3 dames, and gp,s.
Heres hoping.
Thanks to AUS, GREY,@ HUGH.
Happy NEW YEAR.
M:ok:

[the wizard of auz]

I know an FOI that suffered a heart attack and is flying again. if you want his details, PM me. He should know what steps to take.
HNY back at ya. :ok:
Cheers, Wiz.

[185skywagon]

Multime,
Ask your question on the Medical forum here on PPRUNE.
I found it to be frequented by fairly knowledgeable people.
Your cardiologist will be the best bet, of course.

Good luck with it.

185.

[cirrus driver]

check your pm's

[Capt Fathom]

My ECG changed over a short period of time.

The problem is a common one, but a bit inconvenient if you fly for a living.

CASA renewed my medical for an interim 3 months, and asked for a Cardiologist report. This all took about 3 months! Funny that.

A stress ECG and Echo was all that was needed to confirm all was fine.
I had to repeat the process 4 years later. I'm sure that won't be the end of it!

I was more concerned with my heart than my license.

Being constantly subjected to proding and poking, these things come up occasionally.

[puff]

After a class 1 my DAME told me that he effectively had ended the careers of 4 airline pilots for things that he found in their annual medical, he also believes that in the cases of 3 of them that he saved their lives by the early detection of their problems that wouldn't have been picked up had it not been for the annual medical we go through.

As horrible as the though of losing your medical is, look at the good point that a potentially life threating issue has been detected, and you now might have the chance to fix it, and perhaps get the medical back rather than being another statistic of heart disease.

Good luck and it's nice to see people on Pprune helping each other out rather than bitching

[Plazbot]

I walked in to the Older Brother on Racecourse Rd in Bris 10 years ago and he told me that if I came in at 35 and was still smoking he would fail me on the spot:sad: Well, he does not do medicals anymore but I quite that year.:ok:

[Howard Hughes]

Hi Multime,

Everything you need to know is in the DAME handbook (http://www.casa.gov.au/manuals/regulate/dame/080r0202.pdf)

Most Cardiac problems can be overcome and your medical re-issued, if you don't get the answer you want initially, ask someone else! I recently spent six months on the sidelines but am now back flying!

Cheers,
HH.:ok:

[multime]

Thanks Howard.

[PT92]

My sincere apologies for bringing up, what is now an incredibly old thread, but I too have currently lost my medical due to two reasons.

The thing I don’t understand is that you send things to the regulator which they requested, and then they come back and say ‘that’s good but we now need this and this..’ or, ‘yeh that’s fine but it’s not exactly what we need’. Well… why didn’t you say that in the first place?

I’m now requesting a secondary review/appeal into my medical.

Just wish the process was somewhat ‘straight forward’. Does the regulator understand and appreciate that this is people’s lives and careers here?

[PiperCameron]

Just wish the process was somewhat ‘straight forward’. Does the regulator understand and appreciate that this is people’s lives and careers here?

Sure they do.. it's their lives and careers in jeopardy if Class 5 becomes so popular that they're no longer required! :}

[Clinton McKenzie]

My sincere apologies for bringing up, what is now an incredibly old thread, but I too have currently lost my medical due to two reasons.

The thing I don’t understand is that you send things to the regulator which they requested, and then they come back and say ‘that’s good but we now need this and this..’ or, ‘yeh that’s fine but it’s not exactly what we need’. Well… why didn’t you say that in the first place?

I’m now requesting a secondary review/appeal into my medical.

Just wish the process was somewhat ‘straight forward’. Does the regulator understand and appreciate that this is people’s lives and careers here?How long have you been a medical certificate holder and who issued those medical certificates over that period?

[PT92]

How long have you been a medical certificate holder and who issued those medical certificates over that period?

Quite a long time. Class 1? Probably 13 years?
Regarding your second question, it would be the AME I would’ve seen.

[Clinton McKenzie]

An "AME" in Australia? The location in your profile says "UK".

The reason I ask these questions is that none of what you're now experiencing should strike you with the force of novelty, if you've substantial aeronautical experience and medical certification in Australia.

[PT92]

An "AME" in Australia? The location in your profile says "UK".

The reason I ask these questions is that none of what you're now experiencing should strike you with the force of novelty, if you've substantial aeronautical experience and medical certification in Australia.

Ah right, my apologies. I’m from the U.K. and born here and have lived here all my life.

[Clinton McKenzie]

That makes sense. Hopefully you will get your medical certificate back, soon. Evidently yours is an unusual experience in the UK. It’s OPS NML downunda, so there are a lot of us who can empathise with you.