ABOUT ME
I have been an Aviation Medical Examiner since 1997. I became a Senior Examiner a few years later and a HIMS AME in 2017. My wife is a flight attendant with American Airlines. I am currently working toward my own private pilot license.
CONTACT
You are welcome to call or email me about aviation medicine questions. The office phone number is (304) 343-1863. My e-mail is LKJW57@YAHOO.COM . If you have received a letter from the FAA that you have questions about, it will be much easier to help you if you send me a copy of the letter via email or fax. Fax = (304) 344-1755
SCHEDULING THE EXAM
- Call the office during business hours at (304) -343-1863 to schedule. MAKE SURE TO DO THE MEDXPRESS APPLICATION WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE EXAM DATE and bring the confirmation code with you.
- I perform most flight physicals first thing in the morning stating at 0730, but some of the more complex cases are scheduled at the end of the day (HIMS only).
- If you are a class 1 or 2 pilot, we know your job depends on having your medical, we will find a way to fit you in.
- Your old medical expires on the last day of the month, not the day it was performed.
- EKG - CLASS 1 ONLY: We perform EKG’s in our office for class 1 medicals. If you chose to bring your own EKG, make sure your name is electronically imprinted on it and it is dated within 30 days of the exam date. An EKG is required on the first exam after the 35th birthday and then yearly after the 40th birthday.
- CLASS of physical
CLASS 1 is for Airline Transport
CLASS 2 is for Commercial Pilots (for hire)
CLASS 3 is for general aviation / private pilots
IF YOU HAVE ANY CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION OR TAKE MEDICINE DAILY
- Please remember that the FAA does not wish to exclude pilots from flying due to medical conditions, we simply want to ensure you are safe in flying with your condition. Since I became an AME, there has been a tremendous effort to allow pilots to fly with special medical problems that were simply not allowed prior. They have developed protocols to ensure your safety and the safety of your passengers. While that may require extra documentation, it is for everyones safety.
- If this is your first exam, it is best that you call my office prior to coming for the exam. In some cases, we may need documentation from your physician in order to pass you at the time of the exam. I can delay transmission of the exam for a few days to allow you to get those reports. But it is often difficult to get your doctor to generate those reports on short notice. If I don’t have the documentation prior to submission of the exam, then it might take several months for you to get your medical.
- If you have previously had an exam, but a new condition or medication has come up, then call me prior to the exam in case we will need reports.
- There are many resources online for you to review regarding how medical issues affect flight. The Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association (AOPA) has a thorough section of medical issues. You can also go to www.faa.gov and search for any medical issue you might have.
MEDXPRESS
- Medxpress is the online FAA application that allows you to record the information necessary for a flight exam.
- It is mandatory.
- When you complete the application process, you will be given a confirmation code. It’s best practice to print out this application when complete and keep it for your records. The confirmation code will be at the bottom center of that page and in an email the FAA will send you. Its a good idea to take a screen shot of the code or write it down. This code is how we access your application.
TIPS FOR MedExpress (Go to www.faa.gov and search medexpress or click here: MEDXPRESS)
- Read all questions and instructions carefully.
- The question about NEAR VISION CONTACT LENSES trips most people up. If you wear contacts and if you can see better close up without the lenses, then you are near sighted and are using FAR vision lenses, NOT near vision lenses (in this case answer no to this question). You may wear near vision contact lenses if you are using them for BOTH eyes. BUT you may not wear a near vision lense in one eye and a far vision lenses in the other. Almost everyone who answers this question yes, answers it incorrectly. I can correct it on the day of the exam.
- Question 18: The general health questions are EVERY IN YOUR LIFE questions. Meaning that if you had an appendectomy at 6 years of age, you will always answer the SURGERY question yes.
- While you can put previously reported no change, we are supposed to ask you about those questions. Therefore, please write a brief explanation (like appendix 6 yo). Its best practice to print off this sheet when you complete it and keep it for your records so that you will know what you put in last time.
- SURGERY and HOSPITALIZATION are not the same thing. If you had a surgery that required you to stay overnight in the hospital, then you should answer yes to both SURGERY and HOSPITALIZATION.
- Question 19: Visits to health professionals in the last 3 years even if you had a flight medical exam last year. You do not need to include the flight physical.
- Dental visits do not count.
- They do want all visits.
- The date of medical visit is not critical. If you are unsure of the date, you can simply put the first of day of the month as the date.
- You must enter these in MedXpress prior to the visit. Do not bring in a paper notepad of doctor visits as we cannot enter them for you.
- DISABILITY QUESTION: If you are a veteran and have disability benefits, MAKE SURE TO LIST THOSE. The military has been sending disability determinations to the FAA. A few of my pilots have received letters from the FAA because the pilots did not report the disability determination. This question was added to catch civilian pilots who claimed significant disability on a private claim, yet were performing flight duties they could not possibly complete with that disability. The military has been correctly granting significant disability benefits despite to our deserving veterans. If this disability does not affect your ability to fly, then please don’t be concerned about this. Simply explain the benefit as best you can on the application.
WHAT TO BRING ON THE EXAM DAY
- PHOTO ID : you must present a government issued identification card with a photograph.
- MedXpress confirmation number. This confirmation number is the access code to your online exam. We cannot even start the exam process without it. MAKE SURE TO COMPLETE YOUR MEDXPRESS APPLICATION PRIOR TO COMING TO THE OFFICE. This must be done within 30 days of the exam date.
- OTHER DOCUMENTATION: If you have received any prior letters from the FAA, bring those and MAKE SURE TO BRING ANY DOCUMENTATION THAT LETTER DIRECTS YOU TO BRING.
- Read the letters carefully.
- Medical reports MUST be signed by a DOCTOR (MD or DO). Those signed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants are not acceptable. A doctor can co-sign a report made by a nurse practitioner and that would be accepted.
- Pay attention to the timing requirements. In some cases, the reports must be dated within 30-90 days of this exam.
- If you fail to bring the documents, I can delay transmission of the exam for a few days, but if still not received, then the case will be deferred to the FAA. It is often quite difficult to get your doctor to generate these reports for you on short notice. The deferral process can then take several months for approval and to get your medical certificate.
- If you have questions about any of this, please email or call my office prior to the exam. If I performed your last exam, then I most likely already have a copy of the FAA letter. If not, then please email or fax a copy to me so that I can best help you.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE EXAM
- A nurse will check all your vital information; like height, weight and blood pressure.
- The nurse will check your vision, color vision and visual fields.
- You will give a urine sample to the nurse to check for blood and glucose.
- If you are a first class airman and your ekg is due, she will obtain the EKG prior to my exam.
- I will review all information available with you and then perform a regular physical exam with more emphasis on neurologic issues that your regular doctor would do.
- Assuming everything is in order, you will receive your medical certificate.
HIMS CASES
- HIMS stands for Human Intervention Motivational Study and is the acronym used to indicate alcohol, drug or SSRI cases.
- This process is best started with a phone conversation or email. The first conversation often takes 20-30 minutes, therefore let me know the times best to call you that will allow you this amount of time.
- If you have any letters from the FAA, please fax or email those to me so that I can best help you.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST EVER FLIGHT PHYSICAL
This process can seem daunting so I will try to make it as easy as possible. If you are generally in good health and take no medication, then you almost certainly will pass the medical. Being at a high altitude in a small cabin, places certain stresses on the body. You certainly would not want to be in that environment when a sudden incapacitation or medical condition can affect your ability to respond to a situation that can quickly become life threatening for you or your passengers. In the past, the FAA had strict no fly rules regarding multiple medical conditions and medications. The FAA has worked hard to allow more pilots fly with those conditions, but in a safe and controlled manner. If you have no medical issues, then there is nothing to worry about. If you have certain medical conditions, we want to ensure that you are safe to fly with them. In some cases this requires more documentation or evaluation. I will help you through that process. You do not need a medical certification to take flight lessons, but you must have one to be a pilot in command (that is: solo). The reason you want a first class medical for flight college is that you cannot obtain and maintain a first class medical for some reason, then its a waste of your time and money to go through the school and then not be able to exercise those privileges. Again, if your young and healthy and the no medication, then you are highly unlikely to have any problems.
Steps to obtain your medical
- Honestly look at your lifetime medical history for any chronic medical condition or medication use. If you have anything that you think might be an issue, you can check the AOPAs web site medical section, the FAA’s web site, or email / call me for more information.
- Read the above sections that apply to you.
- Complete a MEDXPRESS application online
- Call my office to schedule your exam.
- Don’t forget to bring your PHOTO ID, Medxpress Confirmation number and any documentation necessary to the exam.
