2 4 special assignment aviation medical cases
All questions are substantial essay questions requiring an applications approach, applying the legal principles learned to a hypothetical scenario you might encounter in the “real world” of civil aviation. Students should use appropriate legal terminology in all answers. If there is more than one part of the question, ensure it is numerically identified within the answer. For instance, if a question includes parts a, b and c, your answer should be separated in the same alphanumeric format. Your response must be in APA format (abstract not required) utilizing correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. I do not consider news media, Wikipedia or blogs authoritative sources.
1. You have an aviation medical certificate that has not expired when you experience a health problem. Describe the complete analytical process by which you will determine whether it is legal for you to continue to act as a pilot or other required flight crewmember. Hint: Just responding that you will ask your doctor is not a complete response. (20 points)
2. Your aviation medical exam reveals evidence of coronary artery disease. Your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) denies you an aviation medical certificate and refers you to a cardiologist. On the cardiologist’s recommendation, you undergo coronary artery bypass surgery. The surgical procedure goes well, and your postoperative course is also smooth. You have quit smoking, gone on a low cholesterol diet, and have been following a good exercise regimen. Your cardiologist expresses the opinion that the disease was caught in time, that the surgery was a complete success, and that so long as you continue with your healthier lifestyle, you are no more likely to experience a heart attack than the average person of your age not having your medical history. Is there a procedure by which you may obtain aviation medical certification? Fully describe the process. (20 points)
3. You are a pilot for a U.S. flag airline in international operations. On a layover in a foreign country, you are traveling in a remote undeveloped area having poor sanitation and health facilities when you experience excruciating chest and stomach pain and become violently ill. You are taken to a local hospital that seems extremely crude by U.S. standards where the doctor tells you that you have suffered a heart attack. By the next day, you feel fine and are released from the hospital. You can’t believe you’d be feeling fine already if it were really a heart attack and strongly suspect that the doctor’s diagnosis was erroneous. The doctor, however, refuses to change his diagnosis. Is it legal for you to act as a pilot or other required flight crewmember on the return flight to the United States? Explain. (10 points)
