Here is a list of things that automatically disqualify you from being a pilot if you are diagnosed: depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, diabetes, bpd, PTSD, alcoholism or any other substance abuse disorder. Some understandable, most not so. If you are diagnosed with any of the above the only way to be allowed to fly is to get certified as being completely cured of your condition.
It's difficult for the FAA to prove you have been diagnosed with anything, but easy to prove if you are receiving treatment for anything. So the natural end result is that pilots don't go to the doctor for any of the above.
It's an open secret that the majority of pilots have ADHD and just live with it untreated because of these rules. Aviation feels like a job designed for people with ADHD, it's hilarious. There has been a huge pilot shortage developing these last few decades because as medical practice has improved, pilots get diagnosed before they get their license and realize they are supposed to hide it and suffer in silence if they wanna be a pilot.
Idk where to post this but it's too long for the mega thread so here. Sorry it has nothing to do with communism, as old farts who refuse to get with the times is one of the few big problems we face that isn't unique to capitalism.
Edit: Extra fun thing is I had successfully managed to make myself forget about flying until it came back recently and now it's the only thing I can think about again. When I found out I wasn't allowed to be a pilot I had to force myself to forget, and I guess I forgot why I wasn't supposed to think about planes anymore.
yeah, isn't following the checklists and procedures pretty important?
I imagine sensitivity to light and sound might be their concern. But you literally wouldn't be able to get past training if it were an issue.
Sensory issues and overload are extremely dangerous for a pilot to have. As are issues handling stress in the moment. Don't know enough about autism to know if that is anywhere near an "automatically dq" level issue for people with autism, but I suspect it's not and in many cases it would be fine. I have many autistic friends and I know for many of them these issues would make them unfit to be a pilot, but I don't know if that is universal.
Autism is a spectrum, so it's definitely not universal. I agree that on the extreme end it would be disqualifying, I more meant that if it were in the extreme end it would likely be caught during training. Like I just don't see someone with extreme sensory issues making it to the point where they're flying a larger plane without anyone noticing. I understand that the mindset is take as little risk as possible when deciding who should be a pilot though.
They are insanely strict to the point of being completely unreasonable. If you attempt to get a commercial license and fail medical because you have any of those things I listed, the only thing you will ever be allowed to fly again is a drone. Can't even kill yourself in a single seater, it's illegal.
makes sense the rule applies equally to single seater. You can cause a lot of damage in the air, don't downplay that. The rule is unfair, but the application is not.
Relative to the risk, it is insanely restrictive. The sport pilot weight limit is around that of a Miata.
and it still becomes a chunk of steel falling through the sky when you screw up.
Which is still insanely unlikely to happen just because you have autism or anxiety or whatever. Like sure maybe there is a slightly higher chance based on zero investigation, (preliminary studies on ADHD pilots showed them to actually be safer on average) but the risk of collateral is higher with a car and your drivers license doesn't get revoked because you got prescribed prozac.
Yeah ok I didn't think about sensory issues. I have that problem although it isn't crippling for me, I could imagine how that could mess with flying. I hope some people who can handle the sensory stuff don't get discriminated against when trying to fly :/
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