Page 24 - Volume 15 Number 1

medical certificate. An AME who knows you well is more likely to answer questions for you over the phone about your use of medications, medical conditions and flying.
2. Select an AME that you and other pilots are comfortable using.
The AME should be knowledgeable about aviation medicine and willing to work with the pilot, the pilot’s treating physicians, and the FAA Regional and national offices if necessary, to help you retain your medical certificate. Many AMEs do relatively few examinations each year and have a very busy office practice. The pace of their practice may not allow them to take the time to make a phone call to the Regional Flight Surgeon or the Aeromedical Certification Division if a question arises about your medical qualifications. Those AMEs who do make the time for a phone call may save you weeks of administrative
time versus those who do not take the time, but instead defer a medical certificate to the Regional Office or Oklahoma City for a decision. Some AMEs do hundreds or even thousands of FAA physicals each year and are extremely familiar with the nuances of the FAA administrative process. They are very comfortable working within the system, knowledgeable about the regulations and capable of assisting the pilot with rapid determinations of eligibility. We recommend using these AMEs, many who are members of the Civil Aviation Medical Association.
3. Understand the three possible outcomes
of an FAA medical examination.
First, the expected outcome for a physical examination is that the medical certificate will be ISSUED. In this circumstance, the pilot completes the FAA Form 8500-8, Application For Medical
Certification, at the time of the physical examination and assuming he or she meets all of the standards, walks out of the AME’s office with a new medical certificate in hand. The overwhelming majority of physical exams have this result.
A second result is a DENIAL of the medical certificate. If pilots clearly do not meet FAA medical standards, particularly if they have conditions that are specifically grounding in Part 67 of the FARs or the Guide to Aviation Medical Examiners, the aviation medical examiner may issue a denial letter to the pilot revoking the pilot’s current medical privileges. That information is forwarded to the FAA Aeromedical Certification Division, which will then issue a formal denial letter and request return of the current Airman’s Medical Certificate. Denials are not necessarily permanent. If the pilot can present information that the disqualifying medical condition
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