Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Ever known a pilot that has going through drug/alcohol rehab?

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
We still flew the sim, then the IP called ALPA. 10 hours later his blood test at the DEN medical center was still .12

Maybe he wasn't drunk at the sim at all. Maybe the jackass instructor had a problem with this guy because he knew about him messing around with his wife. He called him out after the sim and the pilot decided to go get drunk.

10 hours later ALPA called the guy after they heard from the pissed off instructor and ordered him to go get a drug/alcohol test. He still had some alcohol in his system from his post training drunk fest.

Just an idea. Don't hang the guy without knowing the details.
 
I smelled alchohol when I was typing this. Must be the beer I puked into my keyboard.....J/K I am glad that we do have programs like this though. Why do they call it HIMS what about HERS?
 
After you declare an alcohol/drug dependency problem the FAA would prefer you to enter a treatment/monitoring program. This is true for any chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. If you do enter an accepted program you can have your medical back in as little as six months. If you do not enter an FAA recognized program it will frequently take years before the FAA will issue a Medical to you again. ALPA has a program for dependency, HIMMS, that has returned pilots to work in six months. The success rate at five years is over 80% where the success rate for people that do not enter a program is less than 20%. The clinics and Doctors involved in this program are contractors that also take patients from all walks of life. Find an AME that has a practice that caters to airline pilots and he may have a list of clinics. One other possible source is AOPA, like Lear 70 said. Without entering a treatment/monitoring program the odds are stacked against you. Not only is the FAA Aeromedical branch familiar with them so is every employer you will interview with in this industry.

People many times confuse the 2 years from having a 2 or more MVAs and not being eligible for a medical than dealing with a alcohol addiction program.

WHile some airlines are able to have their pilots back in the cockpit in six months, the average is closer to a year. This is after many events have been checked.

Documented AA attendance
Company Meetings
Continuing individual and group aftercare
A battery of nuero psychological testing
Individual psychological testing.

After all this a First class medical exam is given and then the paperwork is submitted to the FAA for approval.

If approved a Special Issuance Medical is issued, however there is ALMOST ALWAYS a 3-5 monitoring period where you must have a medical sponsor that can monitor that you continue to meet the requirements in the Special Issuance.

Airlines pilots usually have their respective airline and AME as their sponsor.

I have a contact that deals with this. It is his own company. He works in the EAP for AA as well as dealing with individual pilots not in the employ of AA.

He has been doing this for 25+ years and KNOWS all the players and how this process works.

Feel free to give me a PM and I will give you or your friend the contact info.

Best,

AAflyer
 
We still flew the sim, then the IP called ALPA. 10 hours later his blood test at the DEN medical center was still .12

Maybe he wasn't drunk at the sim at all. Maybe the jackass instructor had a problem with this guy because he knew about him messing around with his wife. He called him out after the sim and the pilot decided to go get drunk.

10 hours later ALPA called the guy after they heard from the pissed off instructor and ordered him to go get a drug/alcohol test. He still had some alcohol in his system from his post training drunk fest.

Just an idea. Don't hang the guy without knowing the details.

?? Dude,
I was sitting next to him in the briefing - a lit match would have created a small fuel/air explosion in the vicinity of his mouth. He was drunk.

Who in their right mind would go out and drink after being accused of drinking on the job?
 
Okay, so lets just say joe pilot omitted a few things on his Medical application. How is it possible for the FAA to find out that one might have seen a doctor for this or that if the applicant doesn't list it on the medical?

How common and does the FAA go searching. Also, can a previous non-aviation employer's medical records be accessible to the AME or the FAA randomly?
 

Latest posts

Latest resources

Back
Top