In a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and published in 2020, general aviation, that is, all of the aviation sector excluding the 121 air carriers and the military, boasted that our industry generated $247 billion in economic activity. More than 270,000 people fill 1.2 million jobs that keep the GA sector vibrant and serves America and the world every day.
YouTube isn’t necessarily one of the valuable resources that pilots routinely use for preflight planning, flight training, or proficiency, but there are certainly some great channels that might be helpful to you. Yes, YT has a role as a provider of not just entertainment but some excellent “in the cockpit” training and education. I have used YT videos for some cost-saving DIY projects, including changing out the heating element in the clothes dryer, doing some maintenance on my diesel pickup, and picking up some great inflight tips that help with the mantra that “a good pilot is always learning!”
In addition to “AME Minute” there are certainly some additional channels that might be helpful and entertaining as well.
www.youtube.com/@westcoastflyer features a young and very experienced pilot who flies the family Cirrus Vision Jet out of California. He is a real pro who gets you up close and personal with the amazing technology of the Vision Jet.
Another favorite is www.youtube.com/@CitationMax, whom many of you may have met this summer at AirVenture.
And if you’re into challenging flying, www.youtube.com/@MissionaryBushPilot takes you to the wilds of Papua, New Guinea, in a nicely equipped Kodiak 100, one of the most rugged and versatile single engine turbines around!
A key takeaway from these great videos is all three pilots’ strict adherence to checklists and inflight communication, both in the airplane with co-pilots and passengers, as well as professional chatter with air traffic controllers. Effective two-way communication, it seems, is one of those things that student pilots often find daunting, but learning the phraseology is one of the cool things about flying airplanes and is the mark of the “pilot always learning.”
When it comes to an FAA medical certificate, that checklist discipline is no less critical, especially now when there are substantial delays in the processing and issuance of deferred medical applications. As with preflighting the airplane, preflighting your upcoming FAA medical exam can save you big time frustration and angst! Just ask anyone you know who has gone through the special issuance process! A key point to remember is the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division (AMCD) is looking at every deferred application with the goal of finding a way to “YES” and the issuance of the medical certificate. However, the pathway to yes is not always easy, and certainly not fast, so if you have a medical condition that may require FAA review before the medical is in hand, everything you can do to make the process go more smoothly will benefit you at the end of the process.
Just a few “checklist” tips to help with the process: Do your homework before you make an application. AOPA.org has abundant information about many medical conditions and what the FAA will need to clear your case. The key to providing information to the FAA via your AME at the time of the flight physical is have “just enough, but not too much” paperwork. AMCD is a typical government bureaucracy with a lot of work to do and not enough human assets to efficiently handle the workload, so if you provide incomplete information, or provide far too much paperwork, the process will just take a long time before you get a decision.
When you have your complete packet of records, take them with you to the AME appointment. Your AME can now upload those records right into the system and that will save some time. Mailing hard copy records is still an option, but it adds several weeks to the review process.
If you receive a letter from the FAA asking for more information, you will see a PI number, and that is your permanent ID number in the FAA aeromedical system, so write that PI number on every page you’re sending. The FAA gets a LOT of mail, and sometimes things get misplaced, so having the PI# will help in getting your records to the correct file.
Read the FAA letters carefully, and more than once! They are often detailed and may ask for quite a lot of records, so be sure when you send the records, you’re sending them everything they requested!
Finally, just exercise patience!!! The process now is taking months for special issuances to get cleared, and there isn’t really any way to speed up the process. Use that downtime to watch some aviation-related YouTube videos!
