Possible 3rd-class Medical Certificate disqualification due to old diagnosis

[Joshua Moore]

Good afternoon!

I'm obviously new here so I kind of wanted to introduce myself first. My name is Josh! I'm currently 27 and I've been interested in flying my entire life, but only recently have I been able to get to pursue it! I've flown a couple of times before on trips. Actually got to fly in the front of a couple of Citations cross-country and fell in love with it. This is where my problem arises and I didn't really know where to turn, so I figured this would be my best start.

I had kind of a rough life growing up in a household that I was very unhappy in, and some of that unhappiness manifested in the form of moderate periodic depression. Once I moved out of that home and had a chance to go actually talk to a qualified professional, I was VERY quickly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and thrown on medication that never helped me and only made everything worse. After a little while of being bounced back and forth on a bunch of crap, I basically fired that doctor and quit taking the medication. That was eight years ago and after growing up and not having any problems and never needing any medication, I'm fairly certain what was situational Depression was misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder. If I were able to see a psychiatrist and even get a second medical opinion proving that I was misdiagnosed, do you guys think that I would still be able to acquire a 3rd-class medical certificate?

I'm really sorry for the long winded first post, and I certainly hope it's in the right place. I just didn't really know where else to turn for advice before dropping the money and actually seeking out a medical professional.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Figure somewhere between $5-10k and 6-18 months of testing to obtain an FAA medical if you want to get that in the near future. You will need to prove you are well with a full psychological and psychiatric evaluation with a forensic psychiatrist. As mentioned, you will need to be guided by a senior HIMS specializing in this sort of case.

OTOH, if this was 8 years ago that you went off the meds you could perhaps wait 2 years and then if you can prove you have been well for 10 years with no meds and no incidents, I understand it can be a somewhat less expensive and faster process.

In the meantime, perhaps also consider gliders, which you can fly without a medical. If you get a glider private certificate, you can then add powered planes as an add-on. You can also upgrade the sport pilot later to a full private, so both are routes to use in the interim while you get the medical issues sorted out.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you file an application for an FAA medical without the guidance of the senior HIMS AME. It can mess up your chances to use sport pilot in the future.