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Friday 4th July 2008
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Brainteasers Interactive Quiz #19:
Airman Medical Certification

You passed your last aviation medical exam with flying colors. But now, your family physician tells you that you've got a medical problem of some kind. Perhaps your blood pressure is higher than it should be, or your blood sugar is a bit elevated, or you passed a kidney stone. How does this affect your FAA medical certificate? Irv Siegel's latest interactive quiz covers these and other medical certification questions that every airman should be able to answer. Can you?

by Irv Siegel

The questions is this Brainteaser quiz are based on FAR Part 67, and were reviewed by senior AME and AVweb's aviation medicine editor Brent Blue, M.D. (bblue@avweb.com)

Answer the questions as best you can, then click on the "score" button to see your score and read the explanations. If you don't like your score the first time around, you can change some of your answers and resubmit. To get the most out of this quiz, we suggest you keep trying until you get a perfect score.

1. During a physical checkup from your family physician (not an AME), the doctor tells you that your blood pressure is higher than he would like, and tells you to lose weight, exercise more, and reduce the amount of salt in your diet. He doesn't prescribe any medication for you, but tells you to make an appointment with him a month later for follow-up. This affects your FAA medical certificate in the following way(s):
a. You must immediately notify the FAA about your medical condition.
b. You may not act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft until you receive approval from the FAA.
c. Both (a) and (b).
d. There is no immediate effect on your FAA medical certificate.
2. At your follow-up visit to your family physician (see #1), the doctor tells you that your blood pressure has come down, but not enough. Therefore, he prescribes medication for you to take. This affects your FAA medical certificate in the following way(s):
a. You must immediately notify the FAA about your medical condition.
b. You may not act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft until you receive approval from the FAA.
c. Both (a) and (b).
d. There is no immediate effect on your FAA medical certificate.
3. When you apply for your FAA medical certificate, the AME will check your blood pressure. The highest allowable blood pressure that the FAA will allow without an explanaion or treatment is:
a. 145/90
b. 150/90
c. 155/95
d. 160/95
4. During a physical checkup from your family physician (not an AME), the doctor tells you that your blood sugar is higher than he would like, and that you are a Type II (adult onset) diabetic. He tells you to lose weight and to exercise more, and he gives you a recommended diet to follow. He doesn't prescribe any medication for you, but tells you to make an appointment with him a month later for follow-up. This affects your FAA medical certificate in the following way(s):
a. You must immediately notify the FAA about your medical condition.
b. You may not act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft until you receive approval from the FAA.
c. Both (a) and (b).
d. There is no immediate affect on your FAA medical certificate.
5. At your follow-up visit to your family physician (see #4), the doctor tells you that your blood sugar has come down, but not enough. Therefore, he prescribes oral medication for you to take. This affects your FAA medical certificate in the following way(s):
a. You must immediately notify the FAA about your medical condition.
b. You may not act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft until you receive approval from the FAA.
c. Both (a) and (b).
d. There is no immediate affect on your FAA medical certificate
6. While you are on your way to your appointment to renew your medical certificate, you hear on your car radio a report that eating certain foods may create false positives on urine tests for prescription and/or illegal drugs. To your dismay, you ate some of those foods earlier in the day. You should
a. Cancel your appointment.
b. Keep your appointment, but tell the A.M.E. exactly what you've had to eat that day.
c. Keep your appointment, since the urine test on an FAA flight physical isn't a drug screen, just a test for sugar and protein.
7. During your FAA flight physical, the A.M.E. discovers that you are colorblind. This affects your ability to fly legally in the following way(s):
a. Give up hope of ever getting a pilot certificate. Colorblindness is uncondtionally disqualifying.
b. If you meet the other standards for a medical certificate, then you will be issued a certificate that has a night flying restriction on it, and you will never be able to legally fly at night.
c. If you meet the other standards for a medical certificate, then you will be issued a certificate that has a night flying restriction on it, which may be removed if you can demonstrate the ability to distinguish between the red and green light gun signals.
8. You have a friend who is completely deaf, but would like to learn to fly. You should tell him that:
a. He should forget it. Deafness is unconditionally disqualifying.
b. He can obtain a medical certificate that will allow him to act as pilot in command if he carries as a passenger a person who can communicate on the radio, and interpret ATC instructions in American Sign Language for the pilot.
c. He can obtain a medical certificate and pilot certificate that will allow him to fly in any airspace where radio contact with ATC is not required.
9. You hold an FAA Third Class medical certificate, and when the time comes to renew it, you think that you might like to upgrade to a Second Class, but you're unsure if you meet the medical requirements. You should know that:
a. The exam for a Second Class certificate is more thorough and time consuming, and also more expensive.
b. The exam for a Second Class certificate is basically the same as for a Third Class, except that the standards for vision, hearing, and blood pressure are much stricter.
c. The only meaningful difference between Second and Third Class is the vision requirement.
10. You have a friend who is taking lithium for a bipolar disorder (manic-depressive) and wishes to get an FAA medical certificate. Your friend should know that:
a. As long as the disorder is under control, it won't prevent him from obtaining an FAA medical certificate.
b. Taking lithium is disqualifying, but once he's been off of it for six weeks, with no adverse change in his condition, he'll be able to obtain an FAA medical certificate.
c. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder is disqualifying, regardless of whether he's taking lithium.
11. You've recently had surgery to install a pacemaker and an internal defibrillator. With appropriate documentation and follow-up, will you be able to qualify for an FAA medical certificate?
a. Yes.
b. No; having a pacemaker installed is disqualifying.
c. No; having a defibrillator installed is disqualifying.
12. In the past you had a very painful episode of passing a kidney stone. What effect will this have on your ability to qualify for an FAA medical certificate?
a. Forget it. Any history of kidney stones is disqualifying.
b. No problem. A single episode is negligible.
c. You will need to provide additional documentation, including a statment from a physician that you are not at increased risk for sudden incapacitation compared to the general public.
13. A few years ago you were diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. What affect will this have on your ability to qualify for an FAA medical certificate?
a. Forget it. A diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse is disqualifying.
b. No problem. Mitral valve prolapse is no big deal; just write, "no symptoms, no treatment, no changes."
c. The A.M.E. will be unable to issue your medical certificate immediately. You will need to provide additional documentation and follow-up.

If you enjoyed taking this interactive quiz and would like to see more like it, please let us know. And if you thought it was unfair, confusing, or a waste of time, we'd like you to tell us that, too. And if you have an idea for a subject that you think would make a good future Brainteaser quiz, be sure to let us know.

Return to the AVweb Brainteasers page.






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If you enjoyed taking this interactive quiz and would like to see more like it, go to the AVweb Brainteaser page. And if you thought it was unfair, confusing, or a waste of time, we'd like you to tell us that, too. And if you have an idea for a subject that you think would make a good future Brainteaser quiz, be sure to let us know.

Return to the AVweb Brainteasers page.

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