pilots license

Collicat,

In the US it is not a problem...usually. From what I understand UC can cause some issues, but that depends on meds, etc. The medical standards for pilots here in the US are easier than most other countries and perhaps he can train here and see if it's something he wants to do. Plus flying here is a lot cheaper than in Canada.

Is he sure he wants to fly for a living? My $0.02 USD opinion is fly for fun and get a nice paying job. Airline flying, well to be blunt, sucks.

He could join AOPA and the docs on their forum are really helpful.

The medical applications are very specific and ask for every health problem, specifically gastro, surgeries, etc. Lying on them (in the US) is a felony and grounds for license revovation. It's common to get busted.

pilotguy said...
The medical applications are very specific and ask for every health problem, specifically gastro, surgeries, etc. Lying on them (in the US) is a felony and grounds for license revovation. It's common to get busted.

how are you feeling these days?

I feel like crap, lol

but I still have my colon. Working on saving it.

bluegrass: it depends on your age and type of medical. the reporting is the same but the vision requirements and ekg requirements differ.

for a private pilot under 40, it's good for 5 years; 40 and over, its 2 years. not too bad but you have to list every health care visit, issue etc every 3 years. its a pain. for professional pilot, itis good for 6 months or 1 year. you can fly with a drivers license under certain rules. the medical is a big topic now.

the grounding requirements are quite silly. you can fly after a heart attack but not if you take certain otc meds. thats why a good flight surgeon is key.

somedude: are you facing colon removal?

Cathy,

I have been flying for over 20 years. I started at 15 and i knew at age 4 that i was born to fly. thank you john denver lol. flying was one of the main reasons i fought to get better. i love it more than just about anything. now for the negatives.

i dont work for an airline anymore. im a lawyer and own a business. heres why i think flying is a bad career choice.

the wages, especially for young "kids" are horrible. starting out at a regional airline, you can only make $15,000 first year. now factor learning to fly will run at least $20,000 but more like $60,000. plus college. if you do loans, thats brutal. next, if you grt hired by a regional, you will be stuck in the right seat for 5 to 10 years before you can become a captain and log the captain time which is needed to appybtona major airline lie delta. getting hired by southwest is lie hitting the lotto plus they justbhad 10,000 apos for 30 spots. most never makeit to a major. even if you do, you will likely be furloughed at least once. American hasnt hired in over 10 years. United has furloughed pilots fom 1993

factor in never being home for holidays even if you are a senior pilot, its tough. not to mention loss of medical. if yourbcarrier goes bankrupt, like AA and numerous others recently, and if pilots are let go, you have to compete with them for te few major and regional jobs. quite a few US pilots goto korea, china, middle east,africa etc.

theres more, but even after this stuff, i am still tempted to go back.

now this is just the US. Canada might be different. Europe has flight schools run by theairlines and they jump right into the majors.

If he is interested, your son can email me. i love to talk about flying, planes etc. there was no internet when i started so he is lucky. there is so much info out there.

Some guys/women are lucky and have a great career. its possile but rare now.