Brass tacks

Total pilot time to date and in the past six months seems to hang up many folks. Some pilots have expressed worry that the FAA will look at hours in the past six months and hold that against pilots who may have had their previous medical lapse—there’s nothing to be concerned about in that department. These numbers are for statistical purposes only and are not used for any other reason.

Section 17 asks “Do you currently use any medication (prescription or nonprescription)?” There is no definition of “currently,” but in the AME Guide, a reference to unapproved medications states if “medications are being used for treatment of acute illnesses, the airman is under obligation to refrain from exercising the privileges of his/her airman medical certificate unless cleared by the FAA” (emphasis mine). Ambiguous at best.

Section 18 is where the pilot is asked to answer yes or no whether they have had a variety of conditions ranging from headaches to receiving medical disability benefits. The important wording is “have you ever in your life been diagnosed with, had, or do you presently have” (emphasis mine), which is also somewhat ambiguous since “diagnosed” usually means an act by a physician or other health care provider. Many children have been placed on ADHD medication without ever being diagnosed. A single elevated blood pressure reading does not demand a “diagnosis” of high blood pressure. A diagnosis is a formal decision, not a consideration, by a health care provider.

Question 18 x asks about “other illness, disability, or surgery.” If taken literally, every cold, flu, cough, rash, strep throat, croup, and so on should be listed since they fall under “other” and “ever.” This is obviously not what the FAA needs, and fortunately most pilots understand that there is no need to report these minor illnesses.

The FAA does not have access to a pilot’s medical records, so the agency is relying on pilot honesty to fill out this section. It is important that if you check “yes” in section 18, it must be checked “yes” forever. The other gotcha occurs if you list medications in 17 but do not check the corresponding box in 18. For instance, if you list high blood pressure medications in 17 and do not check “high blood pressure” in 18, the FAA may ask you about that if your AME does not.

Veterans need to be wary of the disability question. This is the one database the FAA does have access to and compares that list to the disability question on the 8500-8. Many veterans are given medical disability by generous military doctors upon discharge from the service, which may range from a rash to tendonitis or other innocuous problems. The pilot may not think that these minor issues are “disabilities,” but if they receive a disability payment from the government for them, the FAA will want to know about it.

Question 18 v is different. This is the question about drug and alcohol “arrest(s) and/or conviction(s),” and the pilot gives the FAA permission to search the National Driver Register when signing the application in section 20. The key word that causes a lot of confusion is “arrest.” Many people are “arrested” for a drug or alcohol driving offense, which are subsequently dropped or found not guilty. The pilot must report the arrest even if they had a zero-blood alcohol or if the charge was dropped due to an overzealous officer. Arrests, regardless of outcome, are reported to the database. The FAA legal department has a zero tolerance for the pilot not reporting in this area. When an unreported infraction pops up in the database, the FAA pulls the pilot’s certificates requiring the pilot to retake all their ratings, knowledge, and flight exams starting at the private pilot level.

Section 19 also creates heartburn. It asks the pilot to list visits to health care professionals within the past three years. A health care professional could be a physician, a psychologist, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, or myriad other “health professionals.” This is an impossible task, and I do not know anyone who can keep track of these visits over the past three years. Since the FAA has no method of checking, mistakes or omissions in this section may go undetected.

Pilots must remember they are signing a legal document that has significant penalties for an individual who “knowingly and willingly falsifies” a federal form. Pilots can always check with an AME about how to properly fill out the 8500-8 form prior to their exam.

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