Not *necessarily*. You need to go to a special doctor, and basically, they have to clear you to fly. Different pilot licenses need different “classes” of medical certifications. The highest class is basically flying passengers, and any psych diagnosis can get your medical revoked quickly
There are probably some doctors that recognise that barring someone with mild autism from flying is silly. I know people that have an adhd diagnosis, and still got a medical, but with the (imo silly) stipulation that no meds are taken. But if you’re depressed etc, you often get it taken away, and
that is - most people in the industry agree - stupid. “Oh, you’re feeling down? Better not talk to any medical professional about it, lest you get a diagnosis and also lose 100% of your income.” Like, should a suicidal person fly a plane? Ofc not. But mental illness is a huge span, and yea, sucks
The ADHD one is absolutely insane. Oh that med that helps you focus? Yeah, we want you to NOT take that while flying this plane. No one who thinks thats a good idea should be in the buisness of writing regs
Explanation was that said doctor preferred someone who was not taking meds every day in the cockpit. Secondhand info, though, so treat with care
To be fair though, since taking meds I’m way more distracted when I haven’t taken them - it’s noticeable. The rebound effect is real Legitimate worry, but idk if the solution is sensible
Wow, it's almost almost an actual Catch-22
Catch 91
Catch 911
Andreas Lubitz was a tough lesson to learn.
id rather have a suicidal person who's in therapy flying my plane than one who isnt lol
obviously not the only two choices but the mental health options need to be opened up more
I think the solution is twofold: a) It should be easy to get help long before suicidal b) For people who’s income depends on being a pilot, there should be a mandatory “inability to work” insurance - you still get some money after losing job due to loss of medical
The idea of b) is not new, in Germany it’s a “Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung.” Stuff happens in life, and with this, we can significantly reduce the financial worries of loss of medical, and allowing for more honesty towards medical professionals. I think that would make flying safer.