Family Flight Surgeon 
Should your AME be your family doctor? 

by Dr. Guy Baldwin

Sport Aviation - October 2000

Participating in forums at two aviation gatherings earlier this year brought a common question to light: Should your family physician and FAA aviation medical examiner be one in the same?

Certainly the answer to this question is a personal decision, but to get a better feeling for it, I asked the pilots coming to my office. The results of this unscientific poll were in favor of having your AME be your family physician by 3 to 1. A 44-year-old male ATP said, “I don’t see any problem with my family doctor also being my FAA doctor. Doctors are professional people whom I feel would be fair and objective while performing their duties.” And a 55-year-old male private pilot told me, “It would be nice if my family doctor could do medical exams for flight.” 

Other aviators were against the idea, and a 23-year-old female commercial pilot flat out just said, “No.” A 44-year-old male CFI carried it a step further and said, “No. You don’t want the FAA to know every little thing that may be wrong.” A retired airline and air show pilot expanded his reasons against the idea one more step and said, “No, the FAA could know too much. A pilot may be in more jeopardy. A problem could come up that may go away in a short time that the FAA doctor may ground him for. Once it’s in the system, it’s hard to get it undone.” 

Intrigued with the answers, I posed it to others outside my office. Patty Wagstaff, three-time national aerobatic champion and air show pilot said, “I’m of the mind that as pilots we should keep it separate for legal reasons, if nothing else.” Dr. Bill Harrison, a retired orthopedic hand surgeon and past president of EAA Warbirds of America, said: “Your AME could be your family doctor, but the AME has an obligation to you and the FAA. It would be difficult to be your advocate. There could be some transient events that might mess up your medical.” Dr. Jack Hastings, an AME, neurologist, and chairman of the EAA Aeromedical Council, said: “I think it depends upon the experience and attitude of the AME. Some less experienced AMEs, being very conscientious about doing everything right and not wishing to run afoul of FAA, might tend to defer certification when it is not necessary. Therefore, I do not think one can make a blanket statement. I do think it depends on the AME, the AME’s experience, and the pilot’s choice. 

In today’s managed care environment, often the pilot does not have the choice to have his primary care physician and AME the same.” U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, the only commercial pilot in the U.S. Senate (John Glenn, now retired, was the other), echoed Dr. Hastings’ comments. “It depends on the doctor. If your FAA doctor is your family doctor and he has your best interest in mind, such as your interest in flying and how important it is to you, I don’t see a problem. If he doesn’t, you need a new doctor.” Dr. Warren Silberman, an FAA aeromedical manager, discussed the question with Dr. Steve Carpenter.“

Both of us feel that for the exception of the potential legal issues, this is a good thing. An AME will be familiar with the aviation environment and best advise the airman as to what medical conditions and medications would be a safety issue while flying. They should also be knowledgeable of the requirements that are needed for waiverable medical conditions. “The only problem that could potentially be an issue would be the fact that the AME must take off their family doctor ‘hat’ when performing the FAA Flight Exam. Thus, if an airman did not want to be truthful on their exam or asked the medical examiner to withhold medical information, they would have a legal quandary. 

Our legal advisors tell us that when the AME errs on the side of public safety, the courts ultimately rule in their favor.” Oklahoma State Senator Charles Ford, private pilot, answered the question straightforwardly: “If you want to hide something, I’d say, no. If my family doctor is an FAA doctor, it would be okay for me.” 

To my mind, whether your AME is your family physician depends on the doctor and the patient. Seeing the same physician for your aviation and personal medical needs can have its benefits and drawbacks, and perhaps the most important result of the question is that you think about how the decision could affect your life.   

A member of the EAA Aeromedical Council, Dr. Guy Baldwin is a senior AME, ATP, and CFII. Is your AME your family physician? Let us know at editorial@eaa.org.