medical certificate question

I did a search on the AOPA forum. This address the issue that you raise and states that it is handled on a case by case:

Ear, Nose, Throat, and Equilibrium

The new ear, nose, throat, and equilibrium standards have some interesting changes. The hearing standard has been relaxed. The nearly worthless whispered voice test is gone. It has been replaced by a much improved standard that is the same for all three classes. You must demonstrate acceptable hearing by at least one of the following three tests.

1. You must be able to hear a normal conversation at a distance of 6 feet with your back turned to the examiner (to prevent lip reading).
2. Audiometric Speech Discrimination Testing.
3. Pure-tone hearing test, where the tones are given at different frequencies (500 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 3,000 Hz).

The remaining standards say that you can't have any disease or condition that would (or could be expected to) interfere with or be aggravated by flying, or that interferes with clear and effective communication, or has symptoms of vertigo or disturbance of equilibrium.

Some disqualifying conditions could be an obstruction, such as a tumor or anatomical disfiguration that interferes with your airway, or injuries or disfiguration of the tongue that prevent clear communication (other severe speech impediments might also fall into this category).

Active Meniere's disease, which affects the membranes of the inner ear and can result in an abrupt onset of severe dizziness, is an example of conditions/diseases characterized by vertigo and disturbances of equilibrium. Multiple sclerosis, brain injuries and tumors, cerebellar dysfunction, and certain medications can result in dizziness and diminished equilibrium. Because the FAA realizes that a broad range of symptoms is associated with some of these conditions, it tends to evaluate them on a case-by-case basis.

 

David:

Not sure how to say this, but there are a lot of people flying who may not meet the very strictist interpretation of the rules and regulations. Most flight instructors will be able to "recommend" a particular medical examiner who they have had good experiences with in the past. This is NOT to say that any examiner would approve someone who was not safe to fly. You typically will not get into these conversations with a CFI before they know you pretty well.

Hope that I have not opened an ugly cans of worms here but it is true that there is a degree of latitude with medical examiners ( as long as safe piloting is the norm).