The FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM 300) is effectively broken down into four interworking groups[1]: Headquarters in Washington, DC Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in…
Head or Brain? FAA Medical Traumatic Brain Injury – It is essential to distinguish between an injury to the surface of your head and an injury…
The Deferral Process FAA Medical Deferral Process – Every FAA medical exam has three possible outcomes. You can be issued or denied your medical certificate, or…
CACI for Thrombocytopenia – Several different things make what we call blood. Red blood cells are likely the most commonly considered item, given that they provide…
“Sleep” aids and why they are bad Beware of Accidental Sedating Medications – In general, the FAA does not approve sleep aids for regular use for…
Disqualifying Conditions Heart Valve Replacement – The Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 67 lists out the specifically disqualifying conditions for FAA medical certification. One of…
The 15-month case should not have been FAA Medical Certification Delay – One of our clients should have been issued their certificate on the day of…
Do You Need Wingman Med – Look around on a forum, Reddit, or Facebook group when people ask about what they should do about their medical…
It took how long? PTSD and Flying – 506 days. This is how long it took Jason* to get his medical after he went to the…
HIPAA and Your FAA Exam – A frequent question we get at Wingman Med is about how and why the FAA is entitled to their medical…
The Roadmap to Quick Certification Doctor’s Note for FAA – We have previously discussed how to fill out your MedXPress to reduce the number of questions…
TV Shows and Movies Tell the Truth on Your FAA Medical – Shots ring out in the city. Sirens blare. Emergency response vehicles are rolling. Police…
What the FAA wants Direct Primary Care Physician for Pilots – Regardless of the medical condition, the FAA wants a current (within 90 days of your…
In our initial article on disqualifying conditions we laid out the entire list of federally mandated disqualifying medical conditions. There are ways that the FAA can…
We have answered many questions about the PACT Act and its impact on VA disability and FAA medical certification. To receive VA disability benefits for any…
VA Disability FAA Medical Certification – If you have ever served in the military, you have encountered the DOD/VA disability evaluation process or will do so…
Physical exam guidelines The FAA has specific guidelines on what they want an AME to evaluate. This is to establish a baseline level of standardization across…
Dr. Dan Monlux and I both joined the military in the last century. Together, we have more than 50 years of military service and almost that…
Steve was a healthy and fit military pilot. At least he thought he was. He had been experiencing some fatigue, but he attributed it to his…
You have probably seen us mention VA disability before here and here. Our position bears repeating: claim what you have and don’t claim what you don’t…
AME Help | Right there under our name is “We keep you flying!” We want to help you prepare for your next, or possibly your first…
The FAA MedXPress populates the FAA Form 8500-8, which becomes part of your medical examination conducted by your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). Something to understand is…
In 2016 Rick* was noticing some weird things like pain in his hands and some slight vision problems. After some extensive medical evaluation, they found that…
Here at Wingman Med, our goal is to eliminate the need for your application for medical certification to be deferred, or at least significantly reduce the…
When you go to do your first FAA Medical exam you will start with the MedXPress questionnaire. You may be surprised at how much of your…
PTSD and the Pilot | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been linked to military combat operations since Vietnam in part because the condition was first…
What's a Pilot to do with a New Medical Concern | Aviation is an inherently dangerous business. Some may take umbrage with that statement citing the…
Kevin* has been a military pilot for almost 20 years and was looking to make a transition to the airlines soon. However, he has a few…
If you look at the list of Disqualifying Conditions you’ll probably notice that many of them are associated with the heart, almost half of the named…
Most people, even non-pilots, know that airlines pressurize the cabins of their aircraft. They may not know that the maximum cabin pressure allowed is the equivalent…
Earlier in August, we started discussing Conditions AMEs Can Issue (CACI). Today we will look at a specific one: Arthritis. At its core Arthritis is inflammation…
Aviation and Aerospace medicine are, by necessity, defensive medicine. When faced with the unknown and how it may affect the body in an abnormal environment, discretion…
Whether you have decided to start flight training or you are an established military pilot looking to make a transition to civilian flying, one of the…
Prior to 2013, an Aviation Medical Examiner was limited to one of two options when they completed a flight physical: The airman met all qualifications with…
Both before and after Basic Med became law, the FAA was opposed to it. I was present at the 2018 Aerospace Medical Association annual scientific meeting…
The road to Basic Med was paved by the advent of the Sport Pilot license and the subsequent lack of FAA medical requirements; only a valid…
A few weeks ago a friend of mine named Matt* reached out to me for help with his upcoming First Class medical. Matt and I flew…
Nate* had been flying for over 20 years when he approached me for help. Nate is a very fit individual and had been performing a particularly…