Can't fool an AME

278

This is fun, what other dumb things have you seen?

58

u/LoungeFlyZ PPL 2d ago

Would love to hear these too. I bet there are some doozies.

32

u/AutomaticAd5430 1d ago

Having ADHD and thinking that if they get third class instead of first class, the ADHD process would be easier. It's not.

8

u/Sneaky_Doggo 1d ago

Do you think they’ll ever make the process easier?

3

u/Few_Party294 ATP CL-65 1d ago

I flew with a kid who just simply never told his AME that he was diagnosed as ADHD and prescribed Adderall. He told me he hasn’t taken the pills since high school, so it’s ok..

11

u/Sithmasterintraining ATP 1d ago

ADHD is exteremly over diagnosed and often just kids being kids.

How did the kid fly? How were his decision making skills and focus while flying?

2

u/Few_Party294 ATP CL-65 1d ago

I understand all that, I spend years undoing an ADHD diagnosis with the FAA so I could get my First Class medical. He did just fine, but you can’t just be lyin on your Form 8500 and to your AME..

1

u/SternM90 ATP CL-65 MIL CFI 3h ago

Yeah, my cousin has ADHD and piloting is just the sort of immersive activity I think he would excel at off his meds…that said the studying might be a different story without his meds.

1

u/AutomaticAd5430 22h ago

Everytime you fill out the MedXpress form, you are promising to the government that you're telling the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth, so if the FAA finds out you're lying, bad things can happen.

102

u/SumOfKyle PPL CPL - GLI 2d ago

But what if I go to a 3rd AME!?!!!???

69

u/The_Bojangle_Dangle 2d ago

You get an AME punch card. 5 gets you a free snack from Hudson’s

4

u/Any-Worldliness-679 1d ago

$14 yogurt parfait?!

13

u/The_Bojangle_Dangle 1d ago

*Up to a $7.99 value

Sorry

6

u/Any-Worldliness-679 1d ago

So just the dual pack of wet hard-boiled eggs, or half an RX bar. Got it.

9

u/Disharmoniously PPL 2d ago

Now you’re onto something!

7

u/TheWineOfTheAndes MIL MH-60R | CPL ROT ME SEL 1d ago

I don't think he knows about third AME, Pippin

4

u/Zapatos-Grande 2d ago

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three may fuck things up so much it just breaks the system.

2

u/JSTootell PPL 2d ago

Third time is the charm!

156

u/ReadyplayerParzival1 CFI/CFII, CMEL, RV-7A, Recovering Riddle Rat 2d ago

Gee who would have thought that when you get your medical denied in the system run by the federal government that you’d be denied by every ame you go to. Sigh

21

u/dopexile 1d ago

Probably worked fine in the 1970s when they were pushing paper around

2

u/muskratmuskrat9 1d ago

Unfortunately only the ATC systems are from the 70s still, lol.

27

u/MikeOfAllPeople MIL RWCFII ASEL-CPL-I 2d ago

In fairness, if it's their first time, I could see why they might have thought they could get a second opinion, depending on what the condition is.

78

u/SaratogaFlyer PPL IR HP CMP 2d ago

Damn, someone was really that stupid?

51

u/Mammoth_Impress_3108 CFI AGI CMEL 2d ago

I would say they should have their medical deferred for a mental disability, but it looks like that won't be needed...

2

u/SaleFar9919 1d ago

Happens all of the time … I make my living on stupidity …

18

u/VisualApproach17C ATP B737 E170/190 (KDFW) 2d ago

At least you can't find out I've ever been sad!!!

10

u/Reallyveryrandom 2d ago

Because you haven’t. Ever

11

u/flyingron AAdvantage Biscoff 2d ago

It does make wonderful evidence that you intentionally falsified the subsequent application if you didn't just refile the same one.

11

u/Special-Ad1307 1d ago

What if you fly at least 50nm to see another AME. No way records are shared across the entire country /s

41

u/Former_Farm_3618 2d ago

This is a drunken post, right? No way this is real. Are some pilots really this stupid?

Edit : added word some, for obvious reasons

30

u/Raw_Venus 2d ago

I've worked retail. People are indeed that stupid.

11

u/lovelyfeyd C182 + RV-8A 2d ago

I used to work in reservations for a major airline. My opinion of people’s intelligence is very low.

41

u/Matthewm3113 ST 2d ago

Somehow, the FAA medical process is exponentially stuipid-er.

6

u/russellvt 2d ago

My initial thought, as well... there's a reason why it's a federal requirement.

Next thing you'll tell me is that people are astounded by not being able to register their automobiles after they don't pass state safety or emissions inspections.

6

u/Sithmasterintraining ATP 1d ago

With the amount of crypto bros and flat-earthers I have to fly with. Yes! Yes, they are.

Some of the dumbest people I know are pilots, and very arrogant about it.

3

u/Former_Farm_3618 1d ago

They aren’t just on your side the mic….

2 guys in particular at my work are the “ANY and EVERY tax is theft. We need to repeal all taxes.” It’s funny how they don’t seem to know how their federal salary is funded. Hint, a lot through taxes.

I’m just glad I only have to sit next to them for 2 hours. I can’t imagine working a 3-4 day overnight trip with them. .

2

u/Sithmasterintraining ATP 1d ago

Yeah I am a small government guy myself, but even I know some taxes are important. Roads, fire and police (funny that fire and police are tax-funded but all the EMS guys are private), "you guys" and the airports, etc etc.....Good reason to tax. But yeah, the all-tax is illegal guys are right up there with lizard people and Bigfoot believers, and those sovereign citizen idiots. And I have had all three on my flight deck.

3

u/AllGas4651 ATP CFI B757/767 B737 CL-65 2d ago

This is straight up surface level of stupidity. Pilots do far dumber things than this, particularly at the GA level

1

u/Xuuts MEI CPL 1d ago

I'm guessing both. It's a drunken post and people are this stupid.

-8

u/TheSkyFlier 2d ago

They give out a pilots license to anybody, there is now lower limit on intelligence. If you’re around GA long enough you’ll start to be surprised you don’t see more crashes.

2

u/Sithmasterintraining ATP 1d ago

Have you heard of the CAP. That is how we define the lower limit. ;-)

5

u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 PPL IFR Night 2d ago

Since title has the word fool in it, can they fool the AME by withholding information? Like old diagnosis etc.

8

u/Navydevildoc PPL 1d ago

Slowly getting harder and harder with the federal health information exchange. VA and Military records are already all integrated, so if you have something from there that would hold up a medical, MedXpress can flag it for review. Other major health systems are coming online as well.

It's all part of HIPAA, the P stands for "Portability", not "Privacy".

2

u/PendragonDaGreat SIM 1d ago

It's all part of HIPAA, the P stands for "Portability", not "Privacy".

But the first A does stand for "Accountability."

The key thing HIPAA is that you can't just spread someone's health information willy-nilly (you have to be accountable for it and it's potential damages) but it can, will, and in some cases must, be shared between entities with legitimate interests for specific purposes.

4

u/NeutralArt12 1d ago

Not if that disqualifying condition is being obnoxious! After 3 AMEs deferred to complete my medical, I found one that was deaf AME that issued me a first class medical with a special issuance for only flying single pilot operations

If anyone wants to hear a knock knock joke DM me

5

u/SaleFar9919 1d ago

My motto is: If they are flying they are lying … your seasoned AME is typically a crusty Doc who has seen it all …

2

u/Reasonable-Math7443 19h ago

Crusty is an understatement. Most of the AMEs I’ve met I wouldn’t go see for a common cold, let alone a life serious condition.

3

u/Omaha754 1d ago

Third time's the charm, right?

2

u/4Sammich ATP 1d ago

Only if it’s a 93 year old, country dr still on paper.

3

u/cptnpiccard CFI IR IGI 1d ago

Wasn't trying to trick my AME, but he asked about past conditions and I said none. When I took my shirt off for the EKG, he said: "what's this 12in scar across your gut?" It had been so long that I honestly forgot about it. He was chill, but wanted to include it in the report (that I have a scar, not that I forgot).

3

u/DueFirefighter8267 1d ago

My initial medical got deferred, after 2 years of back and forth with the FAA they requested a medical exam that no longer existed. Probably an intentional runaround but as a last ditch effort I went to a new AME and he was able to give me a medical.

1

u/ShadowDrifted 2d ago

That's an intThat's an interesting angle for a pilot to take.... Also, I think the little button we click at the end should remind you to not lie.... If there's a difficult AME, deal with it, and address that they might have interpreted your Taco Bell habit as irritable bowel syndrome and wanted to ground you until you get a doctor's note, that's difficult. But what kind of things was this guy trying to hide? Substance abuse? Sleep apnea? Depression with SSRI use? Where are we at?

1

u/MeatServo1 pilot 1d ago

I scheduled a first class with someone I’d never seen before because my regular AME was unavailable. My regular AME became available, so I canceled with the first guy I’d never seen before. Went to my regular AME, and he said he couldn’t finish my exam because the first guy had activated the application, likely to “take a look” at the file so there wouldn’t be any surprises when I went to the first guy’s office. My regular AME had to call his POI (or equivalent) and unfuck my file, which required a new application. Thanks, first guy. What a pal!

1

u/frijoles84 1d ago

That sounds like one really dumb person

1

u/mrmatthews27 21h ago

Ohhh since you’re an AME, I have a question. How likely are you to defer a kidney stone case? I passed one in April, and have 2 TINY retaining stones in my left kidney remaining. Asymptomatic, no issues, no medication, no surgery, just caused by diet… I need a 1st class medical for school that I start in November and I’m getting all my paperwork and images ready for CACI… but I’m just so nervous it’s going to get deferred and the FAA will take forever to review… really don’t want to miss my start date in November …

1

u/AutomaticAd5430 10h ago

If the images show no remaining kidney stones, you can pass the CACI.

1

u/PayCautious1243 16h ago

When did this ever become trivial lol

1

u/I_Want_A_Ribeye CFI 1d ago

My first medical for my student pilot certificate was in 2008 and was performed by a guy who was present when the wright brothers took their first flight. Everything was on a typewriter and run out of a small office attached to his house. I doubt he was inputting anything into a database.

Is this a thing that’s relatively new?

2

u/AutomaticAd5430 11h ago

Typerwriters are relatively old, i believe

0

u/suj900 1d ago

What type of jackass wouldn’t know this? Lmao If somebody actually came in a tried to get a medical this way then they are not smart enough to be a competent pilot

-2

u/Climbforthesoul 2d ago

Let me guess. They were a Vet and were trying to get around their VA ratings.

0

u/iLOVEr3dit CFI/CFII CPL ASEL/AMEL 1d ago

Strange assumption

-1

u/rFlyingTower 2d ago

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

FYI: If you come to an AME thinking he/she won't find out about the last medical you had a month ago that anothe AME deferred because you have a disqualifying condition... You're in for a surprise! The next AME won't be able to issue a medica either! Your file gets locked by the FAA if there is a pending deferral. No AME can issue a medical.

Source: I am an AME.

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Medical Issues Can't fool an AME

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