What If...?

[eagle5]

An important question we all should have an answer to (especially before dumping huge sums of money into this) ;

 

What would I do if I lost my medical (just the second class, so you can still fly, just not commercially)?

[Flying Pig]

Provided it wasnt something overly serious... I guess go back to being a beat cop.

[heloidaho]

Walmart greeter.

[Rotortramp]

Drop the "Rotor" from my username and become an actual tramp.

[helonorth]

It's very rare to lose your medical completely, even a second class. I work with guys that have diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, cancer, vision and hearing problems, you name it. They have had to take a time out while they get special issuances from Oklahoma, but almost everyone can get a medical back after jumping through the hoops. I have loss of medical insurance that pays pretty good for two years, but it's expensive. Hopefully long enough to sort out any issue. Most pilots get their medical back within a year, even with the most serious issues. If you can survive whatever is wrong with you, you can probably get your medical back.

[Sonic04GT]

Ground instructor and hobby flying?

 

or Starbucks.

[Trans Lift]

Male stripper....I'd probably earn as much money, especially with my accent!

[Flying Pig]

I figured youd go back to being the Notre Dame mascot.

[avbug]

A year and a half ago I lost my medical. Kidney stones. Medical certificate remains intact, doesn't change, but the privileges thereof are dead in the water. Same as having no medical at all.

 

I've seen it happen to a number of pilots.

 

I spent the next few months inside the wing of a C-130 scraping sealant in 114+ degree wx.

 

When not flying, I turn wrenches...but I've done law enforcement, scrubbed supermarket floors, taught high school, driven delivery trucks, cleaned theaters, and a host of other things from working in a rubber stamp factory to taking care of miniature roses in a greenhouse, to pay the bills when the flying hasn't been available. Sometimes when it has.

[C of G]

Avbug,

 

What was the penalty box time for kidney stones and what was the process to get it back? Did you report the condition and have to wait for a remedy/pass the stone and lose the medical at the time of reporting? Out of curiosity.

[Trans Lift]

I figured youd go back to being the Notre Dame mascot.

 

You wanna fight?

[Spike]

Since the 2nd class is a required condition of my employment, I’d retire on a “medical retirement”. With that, 50% of said retirement would be tax free…. Then I’d do nutten………

[terminal_velo]

Go to school for something that will make me a lot of money.

 

If I can't do what I want, might as well do something that pays well. If I could maintain the third class, or qualify for Sport Pilot, I'd probably spend all that extra money on flying.

[avbug]

What was the penalty box time for kidney stones and what was the process to get it back? Did you report the condition and have to wait for a remedy/pass the stone and lose the medical at the time of reporting? Out of curiosity.

 

No time frame, but one has to be shown to be free of kidney stones. The first occurrence is fairly straight forward, but if it happens again, there is a plethora of hoops through which one must jump.

 

In my case, it was three different surgeries, a stent between my kidney and bladder, a host of tests, and several months of down time during which every time I heard a shower, had a glass of water, or took a leak, it was a new experience in pain...felt like I was being punched in the back.

 

Next time that happens I'm going for one last skydive with a really low pull.

[C of G]

No time frame, but one has to be shown to be free of kidney stones. The first occurrence is fairly straight forward, but if it happens again, there is a plethora of hoops through which one must jump.

 

In my case, it was three different surgeries, a stent between my kidney and bladder, a host of tests, and several months of down time during which every time I heard a shower, had a glass of water, or took a leak, it was a new experience in pain...felt like I was being punched in the back.

 

Next time that happens I'm going for one last skydive with a really low pull.

 

Wow. That's the worst I've heard of. Haven;t experienced it myself, but I know one pilot that did and never discussed his hoops and the others were friends non-pilots.

 

Thanks for the response...

[avbug]

The irony was that at the time, a Sunday night, I was scheduled to leave on an early morning flight that would have ended in Nigeria. Had it happened just a few hours later, I'd have been stuck dealing with it in Abuja.

 

Now that would have been a nightmare.

[C of G]

I had an acquaintance that had an appendix issue while working in Nigeria. Emphasis on "had". It didn't work out smoothly for him. So, yeah, that could have been a real nightmare for you.

[Counterrotate]

We can knock out healthcare system all we want to but we've got it pretty damn good here in the U.S.

[avbug]

Having dealt with various health issues in quite a few different countries around the world, I tend to agree. Most have no appreciation here just how good they've got it.