November
2010
Must
Sell. Lost Medical.
A perfectly
restored 1946 Piper Cub was listed for
sale one day on an internet site.
It was on floats, and was pictured
sitting tied to a wharf on a little
lake. The photo was taken on a
beautifully clear day with not a ripple
showing on the water. Most pilots
would sit there gazing at their computer
screens, wishing for the return to the
days when they were flying airplanes like
that. Those that never had the
opportunity to own or fly one, may wish
they had.
The J-3 is
the plane I flew to earn a float rating
in 1998. It didnt matter to
me that it had only 65 horsepower and
required a long, long run down the lake
to get airborne. That little
machine flew so well, it was easy to
control and was tremendous fun.
The end of
the ad stated that the owner needed to
sell because hed lost his
medical.
I called to
speak with the unfortunate fellow, his
name is Earl. He is a truly nice
retired man who had owned the Cub for
almost 20 years. He spoke of it
using the term she, like it
was as close to him as his wife or
perhaps a daughter. More like a
good friend, I thought. Sensing the
sadness in his voice, I encouraged him
with suggestions as to how he could keep
flying. Offering to take other
pilots on board wouldnt work for
him. His days with her
were mostly flying solo, checking in on
the close-by lakes so familiar after
their many years together. He never
went far from his property or from his
lake. I wondered if selling a share
to a partner would be an option. He
said hed given that some thought,
but concluded that he wanted her all to
himself, or not at all. Like most
men would like their wives! Earl
was in love with the Cub. I felt
bad for him.
For some
pilots, losing the medical is very
traumatic. Some lose their
livelihood, which is probably the most
serious consequence of all.
Professional pilots generally take care
of themselves. They must commit to
maintaining their health as long as
possible. Transport Canada has
between 50,000 and 60,000 medicals
submitted for approval annually by over
950 Civil Aviation Medical
Examiners. It surprised me to
learn that around 98% of those are
assessed as fit, or fit with
restrictions. That is not a
misprint. Ninety eight
percent!
Some other
facts about the medical process many
pilots dont realize are all
available on the TC websites.
For instance, theres a little item
that states it is possible to legally fly
after the expiration date on your medical
certificate. If you apply to
Transport while it is still valid, and if
theres been no reasonable
opportunity to undergo an exam within 90
days prior to its expiring, you may
be granted the extension. That
could be important to a commercial pilot
working in the far north.
If
youre a female pilot, you may have
wondered about flying while youre
pregnant. The rule is, once you
enter the 13th
week of pregnancy, youre grounded
until six weeks after the baby comes
along. And then youll require
another exam by your C.A.M.E.
In general,
to be fit to fly, there are restrictions
you face in terms of your physical,
mental and emotional health. Some
of these you have direct control over,
mainly some of the physical
elements. You can be denied for
reasons relating to heart and lung
problems, many of which can be avoided by
taking responsibility for your lifestyle
habits.
Some
diabetics are classed as unfit. If
youre in that category, ask
yourself if you followed your doctors
orders in the past regarding exercise and
weight-loss, just a couple of factors
which can minimize and delay the onset of
the disease (in some instances).
Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
often manifests in the older population,
including many pilots. You can be
refused on your next medical if
bronchitis, asthma or emphysema causes
symptoms on moderate exercise that lead
to impairment. Most COPD sufferers
have a history of smoking. Perhaps
youve been one of those, and even
if you quit many years ago, the damage
has been done.
For
consideration in obtaining or renewing
your medical, you cannot have an
established history of psychosis, alcohol
or chemical dependence or abuse, or
behavioral disorders that have resulted
in an overt (criminal) act. You
cannot suffer from a disease of the
nervous system which results in
seizures. Active TB sufferers are
rare, but will not be approved. If
you have a history of Syphilis and are
applying for your initial medical, you
must present evidence of treatment and be
free from communicable diseases.
HIV applicants are deemed unfit unless
certain criteria can be met.
The usual
and expected requirements around your
eyesight and hearing are all pretty
straight forward. But did you know
that stuttering will deem you unfit for a
commercial license, IF it causes
communication problems? I
didnt think Id see that in
this politically correct world we live
in. But its perfectly
reasonable. In fact to obtain your
pilots license now, you are
required to demonstrate proficiency in
English.
In past
articles, Ive discussed
possibilities that exist after a flying
career ends. It seems to me, we
should all have a back-up plan, something
else to get excited about and to keep
from going into a sedentary
existence. If we look around, there
will be something out there thats
available once we have the time to
explore. Flying, and all that goes
with it, consumes our time.
Although there are many restrictions to
obtaining a medical certificate, most of
them wont stop us from enjoying
what weve been missing for many
years. If Earl has sold the Cub,
heres hoping hes moved on to
fill his days with an exciting new
venture.
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