Have you ever wished you could get an idea of what is going on with medical, straight from the source?  Well, you can.  Dr. Susan Northrup, the Federal Air Surgeon, has made open communication with aviators a primary goal.    

One action was creating the online Pilot Minute series. The “Pilot Minutes” are specifically written and executed by the Airmen Education team and AAM physicians who are also pilots. They understand both medical issues and the pilot’s concerns. The Federal Air Surgeon hosted the first two and more are planned. You can find these at: Pilot Minute: What are some tips for speeding up my medical certification? – Bing video and Pilot Minute: What’s going on with the Aeromedical Summit? – YouTube

The FAA Aerospace Medicine office has produced a similar video series since 2017, called the “AME Minute.” As the name implies, these are aimed at aviation medical examiners (AMEs).  AME Minutes are produced on a monthly basis and cover topics from medical policy (Why do different anticoagulants have different wait times?) to practical applications (Why should AMEs review visits to health professionals).  Though targeted to AMEs, these videos can also be helpful to pilots. You can find them here: FAA TV: AME Minute: Why would a pilot need an interim medical certificate?  To see all the AME Minute videos, check out the AME Minute Archive.  

AME Guide

The go-to resource for AMEs is the AME Guide. While intended for the AME, there is a lot of information useful to airmen.  As discussed in the “Fast Track Your Medical” article, knowing how to navigate the AME Guide can help you pre-flight your visit with your AME. Go to the AME Guide web page and look at the following resources:

• General information is analogous to a frequently asked questions section
  • Applicant History provides information on what the AME will ask and help you determine what information/reports that you need to provide, if any.  
  • The Decision Considerations section contains both Aerospace Medical Dispositions and Disease Protocols.  These sections provide the AME specific guidance on when they can issue and when they should defer issuance.  These sections also have information regarding what evaluation is required.  If you have any of these conditions, pay specific attention to what items will be required for medical certification.
• Finally, the synopsis of standards section.  This is a short list of the requirements, such as vision, for different classes of medical certification as well as the 15 specifically (by regulation) disqualifying conditions. 

A quick review of these sections will let you know what to expect during your AME visit. It should save you time and give you the best chance of walking out of the AME’s office with your medical certificate in hand.  

Finally, regular readers of the FAA Aviation Safety Briefing know that there are typically one to two medically related articles in each issue.  Many of the articles are written by FAA physicians who are also pilots, including the Federal Air Surgeon.  The current and prior issues of Aviation Safety Briefing, back to 2008, are archived online at FAA Safety Briefing Magazine – The FAA Safety Policy Voice of Non-commercial General Aviation.  

If you want the latest in AAM medical changes, use any of the above items and get your information, Straight from the Source. (FAA Safety Briefing – JanFeb 2022)