Most mental health conditions are not going to “prevent” a pilot from getting a medical certificate, although with many conditions the FAA will require a thorough evaluation of the current and past situation before they will issue a certificate. If we can document that you are doing well and free of current symptoms or problems, then there is a good chance of success as long as you submit a thorough evaluation to the FAA. In some cases, the FAA will require that you comply with ongoing recommendations. The Code of Federal Regulations identifies only 2 conditions in all of psychiatry that truly disqualify an airman from receiving a medical certificate. These conditions are bipolar disorder and psychosis. If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or psychosis at any time in your life, then the only way to qualify for a medical certificate would be to prove that the diagnosis was incorrect. Since mental health diagnoses are sometimes incorrect, for some people, it is worth the trouble to have this matter investigated. But if the diagnosis is accurate, then it is an insurmountable obstacle. For the vast majority of people, however, that is not the situation.

I see pilots in-person in Minnesota and Hawaii and occasionally elsewhere. I see pilots virtually in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

If you are an AME and you have multiple pilots who need an exam and you are in any of the above states, we can discuss an in-person option in your area with advance planning.