A buddy has A.D.D. & wants to fly......?

[Longhorn]

I agree with smacktard, have him take the faa medical to see if he passes. Hey speaking of, i took a writen exam for recurrent last week and passed. I thought it was tough, kinda like some of my math classes in school, which happens to be in california where that movie actor is the fearless leader. I thought he was great in most of the movies that I saw him in but could have done better if he more options to choose from like in the store. I mean you can go from isle to isle looking for a certain brand of food and all you see is different brands. Its so hard to find what you are looking for in the store unless you really know what you are looking for. I went to the store last night and got a ticket for speeding, the cop asked where I was going and I told the store. he let me off with a simple ticket that should not cost that much. I have to go to court next month to fight it.

uhhh...what was I talking about

 

[350DRIVER]

Icy,

Excuse the sarcasm from some, I would surely tell them to be positive and speak with a ame. I do not think safety would be a factor- surely tell him not to give up on the dream.

3 5 0

ps> who the he!! cares what you did at what age? I am 25 so do I get a cookie for what I have done thus far? I thought so...

 

[LongBoarder]

He should have ADD

I dont know a 22 yo red blooded american who does not have ADD, not to mention someone who wants to be a pilot. One might argue that we are all a little ADD, OCD, TRU, MPI, TBO, DAS... and so on.


LB

 

[livinadream]

Hey man
your friend has got to go for it......sounds li






wow, I saw flashing lites



sounds like its his calling. I have a buddy who got tested twice, he flys for the friendly skys if ya know what I mean. Everybody got a little ADD in them. They also say 6 out 5 pilots are dislexic (is that how ya spell it?)

 

[spinproof]

...well since flying is generally described as an "endless aray of bordom puncuated by a short period of stark terrror" would this be a healthy pursuit by one with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder?

NO!

....but then again ATC would be the place to go!!!!

 

[wms]

If it does disqualify him for flying, it's a requirement for management. Not being able to focus on an objective and changing course mid-stream for no good reason are mgmts best qualities.

 

[ms6073]

Anyway, he is 22 and when he was a kid (I think around 13 or so) he was tested and the school told him he had Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). He was never treated with any medication and I guess the only record of it is at the school that tested him.

I would think that the answer to the orginal question is easily found under part 67 of the FAR's:

Section 67.107: Mental

Mental standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are:

(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:

(1) A personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts.

(2) A psychosis. As used in this section, "psychosis" refers to a mental disorder in which:

(i) The individual has manifested delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of this condition; or

(ii) The individual may reasonably be expected to manifest delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of this condition.

(3) A bipolar disorder.

(4) Substance dependence, except where there is established clinical evidence, satisfactory to the Federal Air Surgeon, of recovery, including sustained total abstinence from the substance(s) for not less than the preceding 2 years.

Section 67.109: Neurologic.
Neurologic standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are:

(a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following:

(1) Epilepsy;

(2) A disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory medical explanation of the cause; or

(3) A transient loss of control of nervous system function(s) without satisfactory medical explanation of the cause.

(b) No other seizure disorder, disturbance of consciousness, or neurologic condition that the Federal Air Surgeon, based on the case history and appropriate, qualified medical judgment relating to the condition involved, finds --

(1) Makes the person unable to safely perform the duties or exercise the privileges of the airman certificate applied for or held; or

(2) May reasonably be expected, for the maximum duration of the airman medical certificate applied for or held, to make the person unable to perform those duties or exercise those privileges.


I think the guy should go for it as well. I did not read in the original post of there being any additional "clinical" or otherwise "official" diagnosis since the time that the person in in question in the original post turned 18. If there has not been a need for additional treatment or further clinical intervention since this person turned 18 (much less since he was 13), then I do not see any reason to even report this on the inital application for medical certification. On the other hand, if this is a problem that manifests itself in such a manner as to pose a hazard during flying, seems to me that it would easily be discovered during the flight training process!

 

[Ty Webb]

Don't send the guy to get a First Class!

Are you guys nuts?

The first thing the guy should do is get an evaluation from a NON-AME. Find out if he even has this disorder! There's probably a good chance that he doesn't even have it . . . and if he does, he will be talking to someone who specializes in this disorder.

If he goes to an AME and says he has a history of some disorder, the AME may or may not be qualified to determine if he has it, but if he goes and self-reports that he has some condition based upon some evaluation ten years ago, he will have opened up a can of worms and left a paper trail that may be very difficult to fix later.


My advice would be to go to a specialist first, get cleared, THEN go to an AME.

 

[TanJMcAdams]

I thought all pilots had ADD. A little ADD is a requirement so you don't get fixated on an emergency.

 

[Ace757]

There was a girl at my school that had ADD when she was young, took medication for it, but she has been off of it since she was 12. She was denied a medical from the AME. To get her medical she had to appeal to the FAA, and have some FAA Dr. run a whole bunch of tests on her. They found that she didn't have ADD, and they then issued her a medical.

 

[greenpickle]

Be practical

I think the applicant should be the only person deciding if he should go for this or not. ADD is not a condition that addresses one's ability to make rational and/or sane decisions. I have never been a fan of the "medical" considering we self evaluate our medical condition in regards to flight for the other 363 days in a year. In today's age where my heartburn from crappy terminal food is someone else's medically controlled acid reflux disease, I think we rely on medical opinion too much. I think the kid should talk to no one (medically speaking) and decide what he wants to do. Of course I only make this statement in regards to someone who has control over their mental faculties, which someone with ADD certainly has.

PS. If there was a litmus test for ADD I swear half of our crews would test positive.

 

[TonyC]

Re: Don't send the guy to get a First Class!

Are you guys nuts?

The first thing the guy should do is get an evaluation from a NON-AME. Find out if he even has this disorder! There's probably a good chance that he doesn't even have it . . . and if he does, he will be talking to someone who specializes in this disorder.

If he goes to an AME and says he has a history of some disorder, the AME may or may not be qualified to determine if he has it, but if he goes and self-reports that he has some condition based upon some evaluation ten years ago, he will have opened up a can of worms and left a paper trail that may be very difficult to fix later.


My advice would be to go to a specialist first, get cleared, THEN go to an AME.

I disagreed with what you say, but did a little research, and resolved some of the disagreement, but not all.

Even if he goes to a "NON-AME" and finds out that he does not have ADD, he still must report it on the 8500-8, APPLICATION FOR MEDICAL CERTIFICATION.

18. Medical History - HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH, HAD, OR DO YOU PRESENTLY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?

m. Mental disorders of any sort, depression, anxiety, etc.

Clearly, he must anser YES to the above as he has IN HIS LIFE been diagnosed with a "Mental disorder." Even if the diagnosis was incorrect, it must be reported and explained.

Here's where I think you might be right about not just going to an AME unprepared. He must put something in the EXPLANATION block that will satisfy the AME that the diagnosis, whether it is correct or incorrect, past or present, is not disqualifying. He should know ahead of time what he'll put there - - word for word.

I've also read the FAA's published guidance on the matter EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES ITEM 47. Psychiatric and can see no reason why ADD in and of itself would be disqualifying. That said, we're always talking about a human when we're talking about an AME, and there's no way to absolutely insure objectivity or error-free judgment.

So, I agree to the extent it's better to be prepared. He ought to know exactly what should be put in the Remarks section to mitigate any of the objections the AME might have to granting the medical.

Although I have no idea who these people are(Pilot Medical Solutions, Inc. ), I think I'd be interested in the opinion of someone LIKE them. Perhaps they can prepare the guy for the medical in the same way a guy might prepare for the interview. They might have "just the right words" to put in the remarks section to make the AME happy, or know "just the wrong words" to avoid - - the ones that might set off alarm bells and whistles.

Having said all that, I still think he'd do fine.

 

[greenpickle]

Answer Yes?

I dont know. I personally dont put alot of stock in a school test. How official is that? Was it by a doctor that gave personal interviews? If it wasnt treated or documented, I doubt that it was a legitimite diagnosis.

Furthermore, what does a school know? Heck, I had a teacher tell me I wouldnt amount to anything. Granted, he might have a strong arguement with the fact I am a 1900 driver with no hope or glimpse of a future, but in the public eye I DID amount to something. If I had to answer that question if "I was ever diagnosed with a mental disorder" I would answer NO. To me it is actually frustrating that a school could even brand him as having ADD. Like ADD is even a bad thing. Who cares. The more I think about I hope he goes for it.

 

[flybrowntails]

For what its worth..

Like what was previously posted--I would see a doc. who could give you more info and treatment IF needed.

Hopefully, medication isn't needed. If not, he could end up like my "friend" and wear brown.

 

[TonyC]

Re: Answer Yes?

Furthermore, what does a school know? Heck, I had a teacher tell me I wouldnt amount to anything.

This made me go back and reread the original post...

Origianally posted by Icywings
Anyway, he is 22 and when he was a kid (I think around 13 or so) he was tested and the school told him he had Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). He was never treated with any medication and I guess the only record of it is at the school that tested him.

I must say, having a school "test" the guy, and say that guy has a mental disorder does NOT amount, in my humble estimation, as "being diagnosed."

I change my statement from my previous post. When he gets to 18.m. on the Application For Medical Certificate, he should mark "NO." He has never in his life been diagnosed with a mental disorder, and as far as we know he has never had one, and I'd say it's safe to say he doesn't have one now. Protective parents, perhaps. Mental disorder, no.

(My wife has called me crazy a few times, but I've never marked THAT on the form!)

 

[Icywings2]

THANK YOU --- THANK YOU -- THANK YOU!!!!! I really appreciate all of the positive, honest and objective input here. I'll keep reading over the weekend.

 

[Brae123]

Having ADD has nothing to do with flying. It is the medication that you are on to control the ADD that will be a problem. I was diagnosed with ADD just like 15 million school aged children that did not want to pay attention in school. I was failing everything and my parents had engough. They gave me ritalin to control things and it worked really well for me. To make a long story short, at 17 I went for my medical and put down that I was taking rital. That puts up a huge red flag. It is a controlled substance. I was denied a medical until I could provide letters from a nurosurgeon (sp?) after several visits that I was normal.

I graduated from college with a 3.8 GPA and now I is an airline captain! ADD will not hold anyone back that wants to really fly. You must learn to pay attention and focus all your energy on your goals and you will be able to fly all you want.

Do I still need ritalin? I think so, but I cant remember what we were talking about.