BigKetchup

Kati Weis, a CBS investigative reporter, wants to do a story on Aeromedical's treatment of pilots. If you've been wronged by Aeromedical and would like to make your story heard, she will soon be publishing on the subject matter of their treatment of us. Here's her information if you'd like to get in touch and share your story:

303-681-4882

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kati-weis-1304a063/

The story should be published in the coming weeks.

I'll also add that if any of you are worried about retaliation from this, I can assure you there are ATPs on my team that make both their opinions and their identities very public and have never had any problems with their annual or biannual recertifications. I can go into how our Constitutional rights protect our freedom to openly criticize any public agency you don't agree with, find other like-minded individuals and organize with them and finally petition Congress for a redress of grievances but please Private Message me if you have any concerns in that regard.

Thank you.

TransWorld

You can do what you want, but if I had a beef, I would stay away from this. Ymmv.

BigKetchup

Why would you say that? The right to speak out against any government agency is guaranteed by our First Amendment, and every government agency does NOT have the right to retaliate.

JohnBurke

Let's call this what it really is. The original poster is disgruntled because (s)he had a medical certificated revoked by the FAA, and is crying corruption on the part of the FAA.

The original poster had a traumatic brain injury, vision problems, and was unable to keep a medical certificate or achieve private pilot certification. (s)he blamed training progress on instructors, insisted the FAA's actions were wrong, and projected reaching 150-200 hours of training time toward the private on everyone but himself or herself.

What "corruption" is alleged here, that should be investigated?

TransWorld

I am observing what happens in Realville. People have taken government agencies to court. It is long, and is messy.

And, in the court of public opinion and in the media, they have been smeared.

hercretired

Good luck with your "story."

The first-time pass rate for medicals is like 99.9%. The "go get your issue resolved, we will forward it to CAMI" approval rate is like 95%.

Nobody said CAMI was fast and efficient. Corrupt, uh no.

BigKetchup

I respectfully disagree. My experience with them dictates the following:

* Denied me for reasons that are void of true medicine.
* Didn't want to tell me their real reasons.
* Had to resort to a FOIA to get them.
* Doctors said "whoever said that about you isn't qualified to practice medicine."
* Still deny me even though I called their bluff.

In addition, the majority of pilots have to lie, minimize the truth, play dumb, or "just answer the question". I've met pilots who point-blank told me how they altered letters from their doctors so they didn't have to stop taking medication which makes them safer to fly when getting off their meds and experiencing symptoms would somehow be more favorable to Aeromedical, but this is just one piece of the puzzle.

What's even more tragic is that there are pilots who have committed suicide over this. I spoke to a Delta first officer's mother who lost her son because he couldn't go see a mental health expert and the external stressors he was facing in his personal life were too great. At his eulogy, some of the captains he flew with said that he was one of the most focused and determined first officer they've ever flown with. It's terrible, draconian and incompetent that Aeromedical is refusing to allow pilots to go seek mental health experts let alone making up whatever medical science that fits their bill while ignoring what the worldwide community of medical practitioners would say.

BigKetchup

I'll kindly reiterate my points here:

* Denied me for reasons that are void of true medicine.
* Didn't want to tell me their real reasons.
* Had to resort to a FOIA to get them.
* Doctors said "whoever said that about you isn't qualified to practice medicine."
* Still deny me even though I called their bluff.

My personal experience in aeronautical training is irrelevant to these points. If you'd like to discuss your concerns with my personal history in greater detail, by all means write me a private message. Thank you.

BigKetchup

I can respect that but not making your voice heard is a recipe for the mistreatment we find ourselves in. If you don't exercise your rights, you don't have them. If you don't stand up against impunity, you'll have to live with it instead.

Excargodog

There is a difference between corrupt and merely over cautious, excessively risk averse, having enormous bureaucratic inertia and covering their @$$&$. They are Civil Service. They get paid no matter if they ground you or not. There’s no real profit to them either way.