Page 20 - Volume 15 Number 1

Mayday,
The FAA
letter no pilot wants to receive.
by Jeff Schweitzer, Ph.D.
Iarrived home late one blustery evening, anxious to get to a warm fire after a long day of flying in cold, nasty weather. My wife Sally and I were returning to Texas from the northeast after a week of grueling meetings. On the way we swung by the mailbox to pick up the growing pile of correspondence, which Sally casually perused as we pulled into the driveway.
“Here’s something return receipt from the FAA.” The suspicious missive apparently had been delivered after my staff returned a signature card to the mailbox the previous day.
We’re Here to Help
My initial thought was, “Well, that is never good news;” followed by, “I
18 • ­TWIN & TURBINE
don’t remember violating any FARs or submitting a NASA ASRS form;” leading to, “I am too tired for this;” to a final groan of, “Oh this is going to be bad.” Nobody ever accused me of being an optimist.
Sally opened the envelope with the same enthusiasm one would reserve for a letter tainted with anthrax. My grim prediction proved prophetic, for in an instant I found myself grounded, making any future flights in my airplane illegal. My stomach leapt to my throat as my heart pounded loudly in my chest.
The frightening letter stated that, “A careful review of your application and physical examination performed on January 2, 2010, discloses that you do not meet the medical
standards prescribed in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 67. By virtue of your use of medications (Xyzal) which is currently unacceptable medication for AeroSpace Medical Certification purposes, it has been determined that you are not qualified for any class of medical certificate at this time (emphasis added).”
The FAA letter was dated October 2, 2010, nine months after the medical.
The FAA grounded me with the following language: “We invite your attention to the provision of Title 14 of the CFR, Section 61.53, and caution you that in view of this finding of disqualification, the exercise of the privileges of your
JANUARY 2011