Aviation Medicine

Hello, In 2017 I got a pilot slot as an ROTC cadet, went to medical screening and was medically qualified. Later that year, I had a bad sinus infection. My doctor said I might have mild chronic sinitus and recommended sinus surgery. I advised SG of the situation and was DQ'd from all rated duties with mention that I could be evaluated in one year after the surgery and attempt to overturn the DQ. I was reassigned to a different AFSC. I recently commissioned and will EAD in two weeks (although I still don't have my orders haha). I had a CT scan last week that shows I would be good to go as per the AFCENT waiver guide (showing ostea of sinuses to be patent, reliev…

Hello all, As the title states, do you need any kind of medical certification with the FAA on the civilian side to fly military? I am trying to become either a pilot or navigator and want to know what's required. Also what level/ certifications of medicals are required for pilots/navs? Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, Looking for some guidance for a buddy of mine. We are currently in UPT and he has managed to dislocate his shoulder and was medically DQ'd. Unfortunately, he had dislocated it previously years ago and gotten surgery. The surgery seemed to have taken and he was granted a waiver. Now that he has dislocated it again he was DQ'd because of "shoulder instability" and was told by the flight docs that he is done. I can provide more details as required but the big picture question I'm getting at is; will the ANG be able to work some drug deal and approve him to continue training? Maybe through an ETP or somthing? (I have no clue what I'm talking a…

I got a feeling this is a huge shot in the dark ,but I''m currently looking into applying for the ANG and hoping for a position flying, but I know USAF medical standards can be pretty strict compared to the other branches. I've looked into all the other branches and AD or Reserve, but long story short, ANG is the direction I want to go in right now. I have an issue of corneal degeneration in my right eye at the moment that has never been a problem to my vision and last I saw the optometrist my vision was still good but I fear that this may not completely put me in the clear as far as flying for ANG is concerned. It's never been a problem as far as I can tell and …

Four months ago I seperated my shoulder playing football. The clavacle is still seperated (level 2/3 seperation), and i have gone to three different orothopaedic doctors and they all agree that my shoulder should heal without sugery, but the bone will stay out of place. Can I still pass the FC I with my shoulder in such a condition?

I was recently seen for a duodenal ulcer and the GI doc placed a few clips over a visible vessel that was a potential bleed. Do any flight docs on here know if that's an issue at your MFS/FC1? Clip is potentially visible on Chest X Ray. Thanks

I realize this is a huge shot in the dark, but I wanted to at least talk with some folks. I am 23, currently an Engineer (Mechanical Engineering degree) for a large Aerospace/Defense contractor. I love flying and currently have my PPL, working on my Instrument Rating as we speak. I am really considering making flying a career at this point. I have already confirmed I can get a first class medical (for civilian flying of course) I flew with a fella who flew F-100s in Vietnam and F-105s in ANG. He really recommended I look into ANG. The catch is I have asthma. I do take a preventative inhaler every day. I haven't had an "asthma attack" since I was 3 years old. I r…

Hello everybody. I'm trying to become a pilot either in the Reserve or ANG. I'm planning on spamming out lots of apps to different units, but have also been working with an enlisted recruiter for the ANG as a backup plan (their unit does nearly all their UPT recruiting internally from people already enlisted with them). My recruiter sent me to MEPS to get my physical last week and I didn't really understand the results until a Reserve officer recruiter pulled my physical and told me I'd failed both depth perception (weird since I've never had an issue with that in my life) and hearing (but just barely, I'm 5 db over the limit at 2000HZ in my left ear and everything else i…

I have been lurking on the forums for a while now and I finally got the ball rolling on applying for the lifelong dream, and it has come to the point where I need to determine if this is an issue. To make a long story short at some point when I was young my spine grew slightly faster than my neck and damaged some nerves in my hand. I therefore have slightly reduced grip strength in one arm. This condition is rare and I am one of the lucky ones, as apparently it can be a lot worse to the point of really impacting overall hand strength/motion. I can still play all the sports I played before this started appearing and still go to the gym keeping everything as strong as possi…

Hey everybody, 17OT04 AD Pilot Select, had a flight physical at JBLM in February. The civilian contractor I had to deal with kept putting off scheduling me because of my medical history, thinking I would fail and would consistently ask me during the process "how I made it through MEPS." Fast forward three months, still no word on my physical. I knew I would need a waiver for LASIK and childhood asthma. The thing is, I'm slated to go to OTS late June. Really unsure who I can speak with regarding this, or if I'm really at the mercy of this "backlog" situation. I've never heard of anyone else online going through JBLM for a flight physical, so I'm a little concerne…

For an FCII, are there any issues with bone spurs, provided there’s no functional impairment? In other words, with no impairment to mobility/function/range of motion, any need to do anything? In med-speak, I think this would be for a "tarsal boss".

All, I’m an USMC F/A-18 IP on terminal leave with the desire to TX to the AFRES/ANG. I was offered a position with a fighter unit but need a medical waiver. Does anyone have some guidance on who I should speak to about the process ahead? Much thanks for any assistance.

Hey everybody! I'm a pilot select who's hopefully looking at June 26th for his OTS class. Finally, 10 months after selection , I've got my flight physical back from Wright-Patt. When I went in January, it was a single day: getting my eyes check out, teeth, hearing, all the fun stuff. Later, I was told there would be second part that I would return for. My recruiter wasn't very detailed but he told me it would be some cognitive tests at the building across the parking lot from the Flight Med Clinic. Fast forward to last week, I get that initial physical returned and am immediately told that I'm good to go for my June 26th class. When I voiced concerns about…

I have a fairly unique question... I have been healthy my whole life, and currently hold a 1st class medical certificat, Private Pilot Certificate, and have never had any history of mental illness... however, I went to college as a freshman last fall and had some problems adjusting to living away, then on top of everything my girlfriedn who I had been with for 2 years broke up with me. I left the school because I didn;t like the flight program. I then attended a community college near my house and went to see a psychiatrist to see if I had anything wrong with me. He concludd that I just had an adjustment disorder and I asked him if i could go on medication, and he s…

Question Wondering if non malignant skin cancer is DQ for pilot. I went to the dermatologist the other day and said that s what i had any info. i dont want to get it fixed if its DQ, but its a potential health problemo Future Dart driver

I went searching through this site and the best I could find was a few posts from medical students in 2011. Does anyone know if there is any kind a process or waiver to go from the AF nurse corps to aviation? I'm in a program currently where they pay for my graduate school in trade for my service (which is a great deal and extremely competitive). At the suggestion of an AF pilot friend, I was told if I'm going to change I should do it sooner rather than later because I'll need an age waiver by the time I am done with my nursing commitment. I know physician pilots exist and there are flight docs, etc but all of that is closed to nurse practitioners.

Hello all, I have spoken with some of you on the board regarding the Exception to Policy Request Package process. I am a Civilian OTS Pilot Select Overview: I was dq’d following my IFC-1 due to only being outside the cycloplegic refractive error limit. I was able to pass every other vision test. I have taken the following months to research the process, seek multiple medical opinions and have compiled what myself and other qualified people feel to be a very convincing package. I have submitted my package to my recruiting office. Before it is sent up the chain, the commander would like to see an example of a previously submitted and approved package to use as a comp…

Little background on me: I am an AD Capt / Flight/CC with 90 PCSM, 93 Pilot AFOQT, 100 PFA, and #2/5 Strat from WG/CC for UFT application. I feel like all this would give me a good shot if I could just get an ETP. I've been working through the ETP process and wondered if anyone could give me some insight into how it works. I was prepping my package all last year and encountered some medical issues (diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, 2017). I found out through research that about 95% of AD pilots in the AF that were diagnosed with the same issue were waived. Requested a waiver, but was denied. Typical considering I'm an untrained asset. I began the E…

Flight Doc, I'm not sure if I have a hernia or what, but I've had an ongoing soreness and slight swelling in my groin area (between my right leg and bellybutton) for a week now. This started after lifting some heavy boxes. Could I have a hernia or what? I'm worried about going to the flight doc because I don't know how long it would take to come off DNIF for a hernia repair surgery if I do have one. If I don't decide to go in to the doc, can I fly with it or will I end up causing something more serious? dude1

So, I have been absent for quite a while, I might be needing jaw surgery, its not required but its a good idea to fix my overbite, the official name of the surgery is Bi-Sagital Split Osteotomy Is this gonna cause trouble later when attempting to get a pilot or Nav slot? Thanks

All, So I am having hip replacement surgery in March and because of the surgery, I am going to meet a MEB. My question is; which do you think is financially smarter? - 30% medically retire as an O-5 with 15.5 years of service and starting at the age of 41 - Retire at 20 years as an O-5 and not start collecting the retirement until the age of 58 I already have my airline job and it would be nice to only have one job but I want to do what's financially smarter.

Hey all, In an accident 15 years ago I severed my left Achilles’ tendon, had the surgery to repair it and then took physical therapy to heal it. Range of motion in the severed leg/foot is 100% normal. So in short, does Achilles’ tendon surgery DQ someone from recieving a FC1 or FC2? I have been trying to go the guard route for awhile but am now applying for Active/Reserve service. Thanks!

I've been jogging for the past 13 years of my 14 year career in the AF. When I was enlisted in the AF, we took the bike test. But I decided to switch over to the officer side and I jogged about 6 days a week in college. Just so I could get a pilot slot and be the fastest guy in my AFROTC detachment. Jogging 6 days a week made me unstoppable on the track. I don't even say running, I call it jogging because my dog is normally by my side. I say jog so I get out there and do it at a leisurely pace. You think you are going at a leisurely pace but its pretty fast to everyone else. I developed Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) so I listened to the doctors and I've been t…

What's the deal with wisdom teeth at WP for FC1? I have 3 impacted according to my civilian dentist and he suggests removing them. None of them are bothering me at all, but I read on here that wisdom teeth are no go for FC1 at Brooks. I'm guessing it's still the same at WP? I have my FC1 scheduled in two weeks which is not enough time to get them pulled. How long does it take for them to clear your FC1 after you get them removed?

I am enlisted ANG & hired for UPT by a reserve unit in another state. My travel date is this Sunday to go to Wright Patt. Obviously, my current unit is not going to sponsor me to go get my FC1, but I was informed today by my gaining reserve unit that I don't have to be on orders to obtain my flight physical. Does this seem accurate? This goes against what I've learned from the Air Force since I've been in. I'm just going to assume the unit knows what's correct, seeing as they have pilots working there now, and I am not one, but I want to avoid getting to Ohio and then being refused to be examined.