Medical on LAPL refused

[jbu]

Started glider flying at 15 years
Intensive flying up to 30 years
After becoming 30, school, work, family etc. No more flying
At 55 diagnosed inherited bi-polar. Intensive treatment by psychiatrist.
Now stable 14 years ago. Treatment finished 5 years ago. From then on, for the rest of my life maintance medication of Lithium and Quitiapine
Since then full in life, working, driving etc.
Now at 65 to AME for LAPL medical.
All is ok, but maintance medication of Lithium and Quitiapine is disqualifying. Reason ? I do not know. May special tests be acceptable ? Testflights ?
Is there some way I can overcome this unsurmoutable hurdle ? I miss flying in a glider a lot..............

John

[421dog]

From an FAA standpoint, Bipolar Disorder is one of the "Big Fifteen" and is absolutely disqualifying, full stop. I'm sorry, it sounds like you're doing well, but there's not any way around it on this side of the pond.

[LTCTerry]

Started glider flying at 15 years...
I miss flying in a glider a lot..............

John
Flying dual is always available.

Personally I think it's silly to require a medical for glider flying. A car wreck is more dangerous than a glider accident.

I read some interesting comments from a group in Germany trying to get rid of a medical requirement for gliders. The basic premise was that the medical requirement was not put in place to ensure safety but to "not waste time/money" training people who could not go on to become Luftwaffe pilots...

I read somewhere that the accident fraction attributable to pilot health was 0.3 percent. That's insignificant. Putting enough fuel in the tank(s) would have a better safety improvement.

Basic Med in FAA land requires a physical, but not a flight physical and is good for four years at any age. Light Sport pilots fly with a "drivers license medical." The FAA wants to substantially raise the weight limits to permit light sport pilots to fly more aircraft. No physical is required for glider flying, even high end TMGs. And the accident/safety statistics remain good.

My son is 27 and has bipolar disease. He occasionally comments that he'd like to learn to fly. He won't be able to get a medical. As his dad and a flight instructor it makes me sad. I haven't told him that he can't get a medical; don't want to make him sad about something that's probably not ever going to happen anyway.

People shouldn't fly when they know they are ill. I wouldn't want an untreated person with bipolar disease flying. I see the difference in my son before and after diagnosis and treatment and would be perfectly willing for him to fly. It's safer than him driving in Atlanta traffic!

Putting the soap box away.

[421dog]

Flying dual is always available.

Personally I think it's silly to require a medical for glider flying. A car wreck is more dangerous than a glider accident.

I read some interesting comments from a group in Germany trying to get rid of a medical requirement for gliders. The basic premise was that the medical requirement was not put in place to ensure safety but to "not waste time/money" training people who could not go on to become Luftwaffe pilots...

I read somewhere that the accident fraction attributable to pilot health was 0.3 percent. That's insignificant. Putting enough fuel in the tank(s) would have a better safety improvement.

Basic Med in FAA land requires a physical, but not a flight physical and is good for four years at any age. Light Sport pilots fly with a "drivers license medical." The FAA wants to substantially raise the weight limits to permit light sport pilots to fly more aircraft. No physical is required for glider flying, even high end TMGs. And the accident/safety statistics remain good.

My son is 27 and has bipolar disease. He occasionally comments that he'd like to learn to fly. He won't be able to get a medical. As his dad and a flight instructor it makes me sad. I haven't told him that he can't get a medical; don't want to make him sad about something that's probably not ever going to happen anyway.

People shouldn't fly when they know they are ill. I wouldn't want an untreated person with bipolar disease flying. I see the difference in my son before and after diagnosis and treatment and would be perfectly willing for him to fly. It's safer than him driving in Atlanta traffic!

Putting the soap box away.

Unfortunately, to avail oneself of BasicMed, one needs to have had an FAA medical certificate (even a special issuance is ok) within the past 6 years.

Flying light sport, however, only requires a drivers license.

[MarcK]

Unfortunately, to avail oneself of BasicMed, one needs to have had an FAA medical certificate (even a special issuance is ok) within the past 6 years.
Flying light sport, however, only requires a drivers license.
Less restrictive than that; You only need to have had an FAA medical after 2006:

What do I need to do to fly under BasicMed?

Comply with the general BasicMed requirements (possess a U.S. driver's license, have held a medical after July 14, 2006).
Get a physical exam with a state-licensed physician, using the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
Complete a BasicMed medical education course;
Go fly!

[421dog]

I apologize for not being clear, but if one has developed a disqualifying condition since 2006, one still requires “at least one special issuance” in order to use Basic Med. So, if you skated on your 2004 third class and had “the big one” (or were diagnosed as being bipolar, for example) in 2016, you still need an FAA medical at least once after said diagnosis/event (if you neglect to report it, the FAA will pull your pilot certificate if they find out because you don’t have a medical certificate to revoke) in order to do Basic Med.
Its very different than flying Light Sport on your drivers license.

[MarcK]

I apologize for not being clear, but if one has developed a disqualifying condition since 2006, one still requires “at least one special issuance” in order to use Basic Med.
Yes. A bipolar disorder requires at least one Special Issuance of a medical before you can fly Basic Med. The SI must have been valid after July 14, 2006.

[421dog]

Yes. A bipolar disorder requires at least one Special Issuance of a medical before you can fly Basic Med. The SI must have been valid after July 14, 2006.

Not to belabor the point, but to be clear, flying with bipolar disorder under basic med would require a special issuance FOR the bipolar disorder (which will not happen, as it is an exclusively disqualifying condition under 14 CFR 67, and all of the meds used for mainline treatment are “unacceptable” to the FAA). Really, the only way that a pilot with “Bipolar disorder” is going to have a medical is if he is off meds and can prove to the FAA that he was misdiagnosed initially...

[LTCTerry]

... flying with bipolar disorder under basic med would require a special issuance FOR the bipolar disorder (which will not happen, as it is an exclusively disqualifying condition under 14 CFR 67...

Concur.

I was not clear/complete above. Sorry. The use of Basic Med does indeed require having previously had a valid Medical.

And none of the applies to the OP's issue of Bipolar Disorder and looking for a medical for his LAPL. Or even gliders in EU.