Aviation Medicine

Doc, I have Hashimotos disease (hope I spelled that one right) and I am about to send applications out for UPT slots in reserve units. The condition has been treated for quite some time now, so my question is can a waiver be issued for non-rated individuals prior to entering UPT? Also, should I disclose this info immediately or wait until I get a slot? Does the Air Force even have to know about this condition? Thank you in advance, weis5on

I'm headed to Brooks in a couple weeks and have a question about the Pre-exam report (where you are asked about 70 questions about your medical history). One question asks for broken bones, dates, explanations etc.. My question is, what differences does the AF make between "Broken bones", "Stress fractures", and "Hairline fractures"? Here's my situation: 1985 - Broken right wrist 1995 - Broken right arm 1997 - Broken left arm (hairline fracture) 2002 - Stress fracture in left ankle All healed completley with no pins or surgury, so my next question is.. are these disqualifying? Any help would be great, thanks!

Can anyone give any insight into whether carpal tunnel makes you DNIF and if so, how long? What is the process to get it fixed?

Any current aviators that are in with active, but controlled IBS-C/D? I know the waiver guide considers the condition non-DQ if asymptomatic and controlled by diet, but requiring meds or symptomatic requires review and waiver. What is the likelihood of receiving this waiver based on experience? Any input is greatly appreciated!

Long story short, I was in college a while ago and was in a Navy program. It was cut during sequestration and since I was struggling in school, I was one of the folks that got cut out. All of that back story to get to by question. When I went to MEPS the first time, I said that id been prescribed medicine for acid reflux in past and that caused a stir. I went to a gastroenterologist and had test done and he wrote a letter saying that my general practitioner had misdiagnosed me years prior. Now that I am going through the process of trying to get a guard or reserve slot, I’ll have to go to MEPS again (I last went in 2010) and wanted to know how to handl…

I recently did my initial flight physical. I was initially told my vision would disqualify my from pilot, which I knew, but I would be good for CSO. My recruiter call me back yesterday and said I had been disqualified from both due to vision. When I was at the clinic that day, the med tech and I checked a vision standards chart and my refractive error fell into the CSO acceptable category, my refractive error is -4.00 in both eyes. I'm corrected to 20/15 in both eyes. Does anyone know if the standards have been changed recently, or if there is some other mix up that could have caused this? Thanks

Hey everybody, Haven't posted in a while, was selected for OTS with a pilot slot last year, went to JBLM for my FC1 in February of LAST year and was eventually denied due to history of asthma, even after completing the MCT with no issues. I was urged by others to look for other routes into the Air Force, but due to my age (29), I figured it was a no-go. Since the age has been risen to 33 for rated officer accessions, I was curious if anyone had gouge on medical requirements differing between AD and guard units? As far as I've read from stuff on here, asthma waivers with a successful MCT are usually no problem, so I was curious if it was due to the other waivers …

I know this topic was somehwhat covered but I just thought I would ask so I could clear it all up. I had a pilonidal cyst surgically removed this past week and was wondering how that would affect my flight physical down the road. I looked it up in the AFI for Medical Standards for Flying Duty and it states "Pilonidal Cyst, if there is a history of inflammation or discharging sinus in the 2 years preceeding the examination. Surgery for pilonidal cyst or sinus is disqualifying until the wound is healed, there are no referable symptoms, and no further treatment or medication is required." The surgeon that performed my surgery stated that it will heal in a month or so, which …

I just got some routine bloodwork done with my PCP for an annual physical and the results showed higher than average ALA aminotransferase and aspartate aminotrans numbers. Some later blood work and an ultrasound eliminated some common/serious causes (not hepatitis, diabetes, etc) but doctors are recommending a biopsy to figure out what the cause could be. Besides that no other abnormalities on the blood tests and I am in good, healthy physical condition. No drug use or significant medical history besides an appendectomy. I’m currently waiting for the 6-month post-LASIK period to even go to MEPS but I wanted to ask if this is something that that can potentially raise …

So I know this guy, I told him this was normal for the most part and easily explainable. It’s good it’s on his radar, I’m sure there’s a fairly high percentage of dudes that have been through this. It could come up in a security clearance interview. There was a topic on meds, but this kid was never on meds. What do the masses think? I used the f’ing search function, mostly. ———————————————— When I was very young one of my parents passed away in an accident. My other parent wanted me to see a counselor/psychiatrist about it. I ended up having a pretty good relationship with the psychiatrist and met with him regularly from a young age through most …

The wife and I are both WSOs on AD...15ish years for me on the MDS, about 10 for her. She is in excellent health, not on meds, etc. This weekend she experienced two syncopal episodes (loss of consciousness) while we were eating lunch. No alcohol involved, she had finished her food and all she was drinking was water. First time lasted 60-90 seconds, second time occurred while paramedics were checking BP and lasted less than 10 seconds. She had low BP (no surprise there) but at the ER all her labs came back normal. She's not pregnant (that was confirmed). No root cause established. Saw the flight doc today, more labs (NSTR) and she is now trying to get an appoin…

In regards to being selected as a military pilot and starting IFS, is it a required to have a FAA Medical certificate to fly there? Or is the military flying class 1 med certificate they issue you sufficient? The reason I ask is I am very confident I can pass the Air Force's requirements to fly, however I've had some issues with a DWI a few years ago and the FAA is wanting me to jump through tons of hoops and drop a ton of cash. I have my private pilot license, however the FAA wants me to do there stuff to get the 3rd class medical back. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you.

Back in 2018, I was medically DQ'd for a cornea thinning issue for RPA. Long story short, I've since started working towards my PPL and as of current, in the final stages of getting a loan so I am committed to civilian flying however, maybe years later down the line, would I be able to reapply for Pilot in the USAF through OTS? Part of me still longs to fly for the USAF which is partly why I'm getting biannual checkups on my condition to establish some level of recorded medical history but I understand the odds are still stacked against me. I just want to know if I should just leave the dream of flying for the USAF and wholly commit to flying on the civilian …

I got an email yesterday saying that HQ needed me to get a CBC (complete blood count) done for my FC1 to go through. I'm wondering why they need this. Didn't they do that when they took blood the first time? If there is a problem, why didn't someone catch it before it got to HQ? Regardless of the reason, I'm getting it done this Friday at Luke AFB. Is this something that could potentially cause a problem??? Thanks in advance!

I don't want to get DQ'd for bad hearing, but with little ones running around the house screaming in my ears I'm getting a little worried. I'm starting to wear earplugs more around the house and especially during diaper changes when they start screaming like banshees. Has anyone had any significant hearing loss from kids screaming?

I am in the process of applying for an Air Guard UPT slot and although I haven’t officially run into this problem yet, I wanted to get ahead of it. Six years ago, when I was 19, I went into the doctor after feeling a lump in my testicals. I was a cyclist and had always felt a little discomfort while riding. They put me in for an ultrasound and found some cysts and hydroceles. Ultimately, the doctor didn’t recommend any action and said it was definitely due to the cycling. He even cleared me to get back on the bike. Below is the report from the ultrasound. I have found that this issue, despite living comfortably with it, could be a disqualifier and I would like to know wha…

How long can one expect to wait for a medical waiver to be reviewed/approved once the good folks at WrightPatt send it off to AETC? Forgive me if this has been asked many times. Thank you for your help.

Hello all, I was recently picked up ANG and haven’t been able to consult with the base Flight Surgeon yet to discuss my waver chances. My dependent Tri-Care Medical Record show a 4 year history of Asthma, classified “Mild to Intermittent”. I was on albuterol and Advair. I stopped taking medication at age 11 years and 7 months. Haven’t taken asthma medication since. Fast Forward to age 19 ( after realizing my dream to kick ISIS ass via sky), I wanted to be prepared for the upcoming asthma waver challenge. I scheduled a pulmonologist visit and PASSED a MCT, indicating no longer handicapped via asthma. 1. Going forward what are my chances to get a wave…

Hello all, I have looked through some threads and have not seen anything pop up in regards to approved contact lenses. The eye doc at WPAFB said I would need to wear either the issued glasses or the air force approved contacts for flight status. He said I would be able to google search it and a list would pop up. However, I have done that and have had no such luck. Does anyone have any info on the list or a contact brand/type they recommend? Thank you in advance for the info.

Hi! My name is Bonne, I am a 16 year old dutch highschool student that dreams about being an air force pilot (F16) since i can walk, because i live close to an airbase. Since i am 12 I dream about becoming a F35 pilot on the other hand. Though after doing some research, things can get crazy along the way... But in order to get there i first need to apply and be accepted. Physically i am great, just a small thing with my eyes, I wear glasses, my left eye needs +3.25 and my right needs +0.5. Can i still get accepted? And if not, can I after i get a lazertreatment? I'm worried about my chance to get my absolute dreamjob, so if you can, please help me out!…

I found this link and am a bit worried. I can see everything easiery with my eyes opened, sitting 36 inches from the screen in a dark room like they do with the actual test. When I close one eye it takes a second for my eyes to adjust then I can read the 80/90 lines fairly easily. The red ones are a little more difficult for me. Can anyone say whether this is easier/harder than the actual test? I got hired for a UPT slot with a guard unit and am taking my FC1 in a couple weeks and am worried about this portion of it. Thanks to everyone!

Hey guys. So I’m a current rated C-17 pilot. I just had a contact exam and they upped my contact prescription to -3.0 power in both eyes. Said vision was 20/200 but easily corrected to 20/20 and no issues. My question is how does this usually play out if/when my eyes worsen from this point?? I read that -3.0 is the limit for pilots. Thanks in advance.

I was just disqualified at Wright Patt for my FC1 for having keratoconus. I understand this is a hard "no" presently at this time, but so was Lasik a few years ago. On the outside I am a commercial pilot with a Class 2 physical and I know there are captains for major airlines with this condition who have either had a corrective surgery or continued without it. My vision is well within standards. My question is this...is there research or a case study being conducted on corrective procedures for waiver approval for this condition? Is there anything I can do from my end to contribute in convincing doctors this is a waiverable condition when you have had a corrective p…

I had LASIK Surgery in July of 2017 and corrected to 20/20 in both eyes. I have a contracted flight spot coming out of AFROTC graduating and am commissioning June of 2020. I received my final IFC-1 clearance in October. I passed the vision component with 20/20 vision but it has since degraded to 20/40 in my right eye. I have free enhancements under the original procedure plan. Do I have to have approval from the Air Force to undergo this procedure and would I lose my FC-1 classification? What is the right way to go about getting this enhancement without endangering my medical clearance? Thanks for any help in advance.

Just as the question states.