"You'll Never Be a Pilot" -- How I Proved Them WRONG!

I’m a private pilot and had a mental health challenge last year. I was up for renewal and didn’t think much of it as I was filling out the medxpress honestly. I found myself battling with the FAA who was asking for tests, labs and therapy notes. When I would submit those, they’d ask for more or clarification. It was endless, I ended up quitting. They won. It’s a hopeless battle. It’s almost as if they don’t want people to fly.

As soon as I saw the title, I immediately thought of all the people with ADHD (which is a lot), and the horror stories I've sifted through on Reddit. I haven't started flying yet, but I know the FAA is absolutely archaic when they blanket reject entire conditions. Like the conversation you had with the nurse, how can you come to a written-in-stone conclusion based off of a single conversation alone? It's so maddening to see someone who is very mildly affected by their ailment, or maybe even recovered (like substance abuse), to be rejected a medical cert. Thank you for bringing up this topic, and I hope it'll get more views because more people need to know these resources from the AOPA.

I was diagnosed with a chronic stomach issue and two types of anxiety but thanks to a skilled AME, i was still able to get flying!

I've been working with the FAA for about 2 years now to get my 1st class medical. It's quite the journey! Fingers crossed that it comes through soon!

Hi Chris, thank you for teaching me so much about aviation. As someone who is disabled and can’t fly in real life, I’ve found joy in using flight simulators and fly regularly on vatsim to simulate real life. Your insights have been incredibly valuable to me, and I’ve learned a great deal from you. An fun fact, I sometimes practice traffic patterns on a Cessna 172 at Homer in Alaska to emulate your lessons, even with the N2423U callsign. It’s a fun and enriching experience. Point maybe being that even if someone is not cleared for the medical, they could actually enjoy aviation through today's amazing simulators. Keep inspiring and throttle on!

Chris, you and a few others really inspired me early on. I passed my first medical but then retired from the military and got a VA disability rating. Second medical two years later got deferred and I spent a year grounded. Spent a lot on a specialist to get an evaluation and after a year, was cleared. Almost immediately ended up going through two surgeries back to back (appendectomy and broken arm). Finally got healed and back in the sky and cleared in my next medical. After five long years, I passed my check ride last month! Thank you for being such an inspiration and for such an awesome channel!

Chris, your story is proof you don’t know the place people have came from and the struggles they have/had. Thanks for sharing your story.

Chris- thank you for sharing. It’s never easy to share personal information to the entire world. I started flying 4 years ago at 53. I had a great AME but had some health history that ended up being reviewed by the FAA. It was a long, stressful, frustrating process but in the end I received a special issuance medical. I’m so glad I kept pushing. I love to fly and it was worth the headaches of the medical process. I love your channel!

What a story brother, thank you for sharing. Every young pilot needs to remember this, time flys by quickly. Staying healthy is a necessary in this field

Great story Chris, thanks for sharing. I had a second class medical that was up for renewal in February. Switched to BasicMed, now my primary care physician and I make the call. The FAA is unpredictable and slow.

Thanks for sharing. Just saw my AME for a renewal, failed the eye exam. Turned out that I needed some new glasses, and finally got the medical. Puh, never feel to be on the safe side. Happy landings from Berlin (the one in Germany)

Great video here Chris. Thank you for telling your story and letting people know not to take NO for an answer. Have a great Alaskan summer.

Great job! Thank you for the information and for leading the way for others. Thank you.

Appreciate you sharing your experience. Glad you realized your dreams even in being faced with challenges.

Thanks for sharing this Chris! I'm glad you found a champion that fought for your ability to fly. I'm glad you're around and what you're doing for GA. Hope to meet you again this year at Osh! Side note, that nose strut seems awfully low.

Brilliant video Chris! Very helpful for the future. I’m currently doing my CPL in New Zealand and I’ve set my sights in bush flying alaska in the future

Very good advice. Thanks for sharing.

I'm in the mess with the FAA right now. Paperwork, lab test etc. It's killing me.

Thanks so much Chris, that story warmed my heart.

Wow, if only I saw this video sooner. When I first wanted to be a pilot and applied for my medical I really wasn’t aware of how strict the medical certificate was. On my first appointment with me AME (who was not very pilot friendly) when I filled out my medxpress I noted somethings that by the FAA were just not acceptable. Because of this like you said I had to spend thousands of dollars on testing and have delayed my training just one month short of a year. Adding on to that is that is the time period for my testing and then sending it to the FAA and getting their word back was short. This is an amazing video that I think all people who wanna be pilots should look at. Im really glad to see a video about exactly what I’ve been struggling with for the last year. I love your channel and hopefully one day I’ll get the opportunity to fly to Alaska.