UAVs
Uavchaser, which company? If you can't say, which location? Do you know the medical requirements for the Exdrone or Global Hawk operators?
Eyelevelflyer, is this a temporary condition, one that will improve, a permanent condition that will get worse, or a permanent condition that is stable? Has your medical been deferred or denied? There are such things as special issuances for medicals. There are demonstrated ability letters available. If deferred, did your AME call the regional flight surgeon instead of shipping everything to OKC? Have you asked your AME specifically if you can continue flying on your current medical until the FAA responds to your current application? Can you get that CFI BEFORE the medical expires? If not, will your examiner mind acting as PIC for the checkride?
A call to the Virtual Flight Surgeons is in order. Not even AOPA can match VFS' services. They will put you in contact with an expert as soon as you call (or have them call you). Can they help you, what is their estimate of the cost, have they worked on this particular condition before, what is their timeframe, and what is their success rate?
www.aviationmedicine.com
If you love flying, don't give up the fight.
While you are fighting, with a CFI certificate, you can instruct:
Commercial applicants
CFI applicants (after 200 hours dual given + 2 years)
Aircraft checkouts (insurance and flight school)
Advanced avionics (GPS, TCAD, Wx RADAR, and so on)
Recurrency for legally current pilots (nothing about proficient)
Get the CFII: (Also AGI and IGI)
Instrument training in IMC
The simulator series
MEI:
The same as the CFI, except the student must be current in that aircraft
In the Civil Air Patrol you can rack up the time aloft as:
A Scanner
An observer
a Check Pilot
a Tow Pilot trainer
We have several folks that just enjoy getting aloft and if the pilot allows them to fly, that's fine, but they do have other duties, so the pilot becomes the scanner while the scanner flies.
Many pilots have been in the same situation. It is far easier to regain a medical than to get the initial one without a long background of several years of flying safely. When the medical is finally approved, you'll find a much greater appreciation of every minute aloft.
If you can keep your head in the game during the tines when you sit on the ground, it's much easier to come back. Get the mechanic certificates. Airplanes require test flights occasionally after repairs. It's how I have 1.7 in a King Air. I didn't log the MD-80 test flight in the pilot logbook, but it's in my airframe logbook. Go apprentice at the avionics shop. People pay big bucks to learn their GPS, or their entirely new radio stack. The folks that pay the big dollars on the radio have already spent the big dollars on the airplane. They're pristine!
I don't recommend driving the lav truck, that's no way to stay in aviation.
Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein