Roost Air Lounge > General Discussion

Medicals & DWI's don't mix

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Plthijnx:
well yes and no. I do have two dwi's per the state of texas but per the FAA, i have 3 even though the first arrest resulted in a lesser charge of reckless driving, the faa still sees the fact that i refused to blow a dwi admission so in their eyes, when i got the dwi in 2011, that was strike 2 (and in their case you're out). medical was revoked. almost 2 years later i managed to get another dwi after my med was yanked so i never bothered to report it and neither did i suspect that i would ever quit drinking either, but i finally had had enough of the BS and threw the towel in on it and to be honest, it's the best thing i've done in a VERY long time. (I need to change my user back to plt, fly just isn't cutting it  ::))

here is what happened today:

FAA update, here is what I know so far from today's visit with my primary ame/ims/hims doctor:
1. Applying for a 1st class medical (as mentioned above, i think, go for the highest class so i don't have to repeat the process to upgrade from a 2nd to a 1st or 3rd to second, what have you, any upgrade in class is subject to total re-evaluation process even AFTER you've been cleared to fly without restrictions)
2. Comprehensive sponsoring through this doctor who is faa approved for people in my situation ($1500 due at next appt then subsequent appointments 285/hr)
3. Faa approved psychiatrist initial and periodic visits with re-evals yearly for 2 to 5 years after ($1500 due at next appt then yearly re-examinations @750 a pop)
4. Outpatient aftercare treatment (group meetings) for the next 2 to 5 years ($25 per meeting)
5. Continue the meetings i already go to now
6. Random alcholol testing monthly for the next 2 to 5 years @95 a pop.

so my appointments will be both on the same day in the same office next month sometime. i have all the $ but it seems that as soon as i save up to get my type and get all the cash, something else comes up that i have to shell out more $ for. two steps forward, one step back it seems). the psychiatrist will do a head examination and write a report and my ame will give me my 1st class examination as well as go over my blue ribbon file and collect data for the above #'ed items. that's where the 1500 comes in. it's an up front fee for his and his assistants time in collecting, organizing and writing reports for the faa. all this data will be then shipped off to Washington instead of OK city because apparently that's where the faa head docs are located. anyway, as promised, i'm keeping a running tally of this here. hope someone learns from my mistakes because quite frankly, this sucks.

Plthijnx:

--- Quote from: Baradium on March 06, 2016, 03:00:03 PM ---Something else to keep in mind once you have your medical back is that you will also need approval if you want to fly into Canada.  Driving in Canada is a lifetime prohibition, but you can get approval to fly there again.   Plan on it needing to be a few years after you start flying again before you can apply (I think it's actually a timeframe since the DUI, but I don't know specifics), but I'd hold onto any paperwork you use for the FAA in case you ever decide to do that application.

A friend of mine has been going through the process to get Canada approval for a couple years now due to a DUI before he started flying (15+ years ago now), although part of the timeframe might be due to him not putting all that high of a priority on it.

--- End quote ---

i've got a couple felonies that are not drug or alcohol related for crimes i didn't commit, but nevertheless, they are there and i did time over them. Canada has crossed my mind but is a bridge i will worry about when/if i ever get there.

Plthijnx:

--- Quote from: Mike on March 09, 2016, 05:16:30 AM ---Am I tracking this right? It's the medical you can't get after a DUI?
Is there something else involved other than just drinking?

So you have the license but you can't get the medical....
Neuropsychological evaluation??

--- End quote ---

to answer this one specifically - yes. when you get 1 dui (per their definition, not the states), they slap you on the hand and say don't do it again. if you get #2 they revoke your medical. your license you possess is yours unless they ask for that too but the only catch is that it's not valid without a current medical (cfr 61.23(a)) so that's where they get you.

every pilot that has had their medical revoked for dui's and wants to get their medical back must go through this. it's not as involved for a private/3rd class medical but when 2nd or 1st is involved it gets more in depth and costly. I go to a meeting next week for the first time that's outpatient to meet the aftercare requirement. some people have had to go to rehab, in my case i was fortunate enough to just put it down and not go back to it. in those cases all medical history files related to rehab must be made available to the ame/ims/hims physician.

the neurophych eval sucked balls. that cost $1995 and was an all day brain mashing marathon. they're basically checking to make sure you didn't pickle your brain or cause any permanent brain damage.

Plthijnx:
update:
Have the psychiatrist appointment scheduled for mid April and then my 1st class exam scheduled for the beginning of May. When I went the other day for the initial visit with my AME I had mentioned that I was currently taking Benadryl once a day for allergies to which he suggested that I quit taking that and go with Claritin because of the side effects due to the fact that I'm in the HIMS program and this would be frowned upon as Benadryl isn't an FAA approved medication and even though I don't have my medical back just yet and am not flying, it's best to not even go there and avoid any meds that may be of concern. I have also come down with a cough/cold as well and have to avoid any cough medications that may contain alcohol, this one is pretty much a no brainer but figured I might as well put it out there if anyone was wondering.

Plthijnx:
psych exam was today and lasted a couple of hours and was about what one would expect for such an examination given the circumstances. childhood to present and where alcohol played into it all before, during, and after i quit drinking. In short, exam went well and the next item up for bid is my blood work next week then the following Monday my 1st class exam

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