FAA request for additional information

In June the FAA requested another letter from my physician with a even more detailed status report on my medical conditions. This request was for information beyond a detailed letter and lab results that I had provided to my AME four months ago. They also requested reports on surgery that I had twelve years ago, and which is no longer of any consequence. If I had not responded to their request in 30 days, my class III Medical could have been suspended. My advice to other pilots is that they keep copies of any and all medical records.
http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/med...tus.html?WT.mc_id=110715epilot&WT.mc_sect=sap
Leland
RV9A
Livermore, California

Probably wanted to make sure you weren't some fanatical long-term sleeper who had explosives implanted.......

He is from Kalifornia.

How far back does the FAA want to look for past surgeries

I just went through this for blood pressure meds and some osteoarthritis (left hip only). It took the FAA 9 months to decide they needed more information. Unfortunately I missed the first letter. The second one came Certified Mail and invalidated my medical. All they wanted was some lab work (which I get every 90 days, anyway) a resting EKG, and a statement from my treating physician regarding the arthritis being non-limiting. Once I got that, I sent it to them Fed-Ex, I got my new certificate (a standard issuance, Second Class) in less than 2 weeks.
I called the Aeromedical Branch in Oke City (the number is on the FAA website) several times. Each time I was connected directly to a real person who was able to access my file and answer my questions.
While I was surprised how easy it was I would get help with anything more complicated, from AOPA or a local AME skilled in Special Issuances. The FAA is fussy about what information they want, how they want it, and from whom. This time I just gave them exactly what they requested in the letter and it worked out. By the way, the FAA told me they routinely grant extensions to the initial 30 day time period in case you have trouble rounding up the information for them, and your medical stays valid.

Same deal...

I went thru a similar deal last medical. They wanted "All records including physicians' reports, hospital records," etc. for an operation I had in 1985. After 4 months finally found an FAA guy in Seattle who saw the ridiculousness of it and within 2 hours they sent my 3rd class cert as a PDF.

One lesson I learned is choose your AME carefully. Talk to other pilots who have used the same guy. Also bear in mind that if you exchange letters with the FAA, you are likely to be dealing with someone who in no way knows anything about medicine, just another bureaucrat who has a list of "rules" to go by. So if you use medical terms it confuses them.