Waterobert
Active Member
I am doing Form 8500-8 for my medical exam and just want to make sure that since I am not a pilot yet I need airman and student pilot certification. Right?
My examiner asked me about sleep apnea also. (as in "Do you snore?") I don't think it's on the form, but he said the FAA is concerned about it since roughly 0% of pilots seem to be afflicted with the disorder. John
Im not sure of your question, but I did want to to consider waiting to submit your forms UNTIL you go see the doctor for your medical. Let him look at them to make sure things are correct and there are not any problems you may not know about.
You may be in perfect health and this isnt an issue - but there is no benefit to submit them before your exam.
I've heard this enough now that I have to ask... What is the big hard on about sleep apnea and snoring and what are they trying to tie it to?
I've snored like a rhinoceros since I was 16yrs old. My late chocolate lab snored louder than me yet he could swim across Lake Havasu and back twice before I could even get the boat in the water.
What gives?
The way it is supposed to work is that once you come in the door for an FAA medical the exam is started, it's too late to reconsider. You could of course schedule an exam with an MD to just chat, then schedule an appointment for your FAA exam. The FAA now requires that you fill in the form, on MedXpress.gov, BEFORE you appear at the MD's office. Bring the confirmation number with you to the exam. BTW, this web site only works with Internet Explorer, not Safari.
For a student you do not your medical until you are ready to solo, but it's a good idea to get it earlier, just in case there is a problem.
The way it is supposed to work is that once you come in the door for an FAA medical the exam is started, it's too late to reconsider. You could of course schedule an exam with an MD to just chat, then schedule an appointment for your FAA exam. The FAA now requires that you fill in the form, on MedXpress.gov, BEFORE you appear at the MD's office. Bring the confirmation number with you to the exam. BTW, this web site only works with Internet Explorer, not Safari.
For a student you do not your medical until you are ready to solo, but it's a good idea to get it earlier, just in case there is a problem.
Some years ago they were trying to get colonoscopies mandatory.
You need to understand that giving 3rd class medicals is incredibly lucrative for MDs. Every year I get 4-5 postcards from AMEs soliciting my business. Now, all the evidence indicates that these exams are a complete waste of money, and there is some pressure to eliminate them. So the medical establishment keeps dreaming up new things to try to justify continuing the exams. Sleep apnea is just the latest. Some years ago they were trying to get colonoscopies mandatory.
The way it is supposed to work is that once you come in the door for an FAA medical the exam is started, it's too late to reconsider. You could of course schedule an exam with an MD to just chat, then schedule an appointment for your FAA exam. The FAA now requires that you fill in the form, on MedXpress.gov, BEFORE you appear at the MD's office. Bring the confirmation number with you to the exam. BTW, this web site only works with Internet Explorer, not Safari.
For a student you do not your medical until you are ready to solo, but it's a good idea to get it earlier, just in case there is a problem.
FWIW. No offense meant, but I have filed my last two forms using safari and it worked fine. Larry
As a senior AME I see some misinformation here. You must fill in 8500 either for medical or student pilot/medical on line. The BEST thing then to do is for YOU to print it out and bring it to your AME. (Don't just bring the number) Then, if he is a pilot friendly AME ( not all are!!) he will review the form with you BEFORE he goes online. If there is major problem there is no problem stopping the exam and not getting into the position of denial or deferral. ONCE the AME goes online with HIS login, the exam is official and there is no turning back. It always amazes me that people come for exams taking FAA forbidden meds, having disqualifying medical conditions etc. If you have doubts check with AOPA, Left Seat dot Com or with a good AME. And, regarding the exams being lucrative--most docs do the exams because they enjoy aviation and pilots, and don't do it for the $$. i also strongly support the Aviation Pilot bills in Congress doing away with the 3rd Class Medical.
A better strategy to save lives in these cases is to get "pinch hitter" training for passengers.
It may have come off as such, but I don't think anyone here is blaming the AME's themselves but the outside riff-raff that cause the AME's to have to jump through the hoops and pass that obstacle course down to the individual pilot.
I LOVE this idea. I am a low time pilot who is not even current right now. There is no way I would go get my biennial and then take any friends or family up unless they, at least, had solo'd an aircraft in there own training. And even that is stretching it. I'm happy to fly, on occasion with pilot friends, and don't even expect to log the hours in my log book. It's not even about a health issue but a currency one. Getting into a stressful situation would not be good with a panicked passenger to add to it.
When life gets out of the way and I know I can commit to flying at least 8hrs a month, then my limits will adjust accordingly.
Again, great idea! Perhaps you can author up the "Pinch hitter Program" that gives say 5-10hrs training to friends and family of active GA pilots at some kind of reduced rate. It may even convert non-aviation folks into our world.
As a former flight surgeon as well, I agree with my colleagues who support the DL medical for third class:
I fear your "colleagues" may represent a small sub-set of the AME community. It was my understanding that the AME community is the second strongest voice/lobby, behind the FAA itself, fighting to maintain the third class medical requirement. It is possible that the AMA or lobby organization is only acting on their behalf without their support, but I find it difficult to believe that the AME community, at large, would prefer that the medical requirements go away. If this were the case, we would see evidence via a shrinking supply of AME's willing to perform them. I suspect very few AME's are performing this service purely as a courtesy to us pilots. They may not find it highly profitable, but if they can't fill their calendar with more profitable visits, it still covers fixed costs. The AME that I visit does nothing but aviation work and I would suspect 3rd class is more than half his business. While he me agree with me that 3rd class medicals don't increase safety (he doesn't, by the way), I can't see him advocating the collapse of his business. I don't know how he would keep the lights on without 3rd class medical work.
Larry
FWIW, I used Safari with no issuesBTW, this web site only works with Internet Explorer, not Safari.
Turner, you may wish to edit your post. You say "II/III" but I'm sure you meant "I/II".
As a senior AME I see some misinformation here. You must fill in 8500 either for medical or student pilot/medical on line. The BEST thing then to do is for YOU to print it out and bring it to your AME. (Don't just bring the number) Then, if he is a pilot friendly AME ( not all are!!) he will review the form with you BEFORE he goes online. If there is major problem there is no problem stopping the exam and not getting into the position of denial or deferral. ONCE the AME goes online with HIS login, the exam is official and there is no turning back. It always amazes me that people come for exams taking FAA forbidden meds, having disqualifying medical conditions etc. If you have doubts check with AOPA, Left Seat dot Com or with a good AME. And, regarding the exams being lucrative--most docs do the exams because they enjoy aviation and pilots, and don't do it for the $$. i also strongly support the Aviation Pilot bills in Congress doing away with the 3rd Class Medical.
So where can a person find a copy of this form, just to look it over and read it? I'm about to go in for my first medical, and I've never seen this form before. I would at least like to review it, look it over, and have an idea of what I'm in for, before logging on to a government website and filling out forms.
edit: Never mind... I'm not sure how current it is, but I found a .pdf copy online.
Thank you, Bob! I'll look at that, too. Call me paranoid, but I hesitate a bit before even logging on to government websites these days, without knowing a thing or two first.