The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently updated its policy regarding mental health diagnoses for pilots. This new policy aims to streamline the certification process for pilots with mental health histories while ensuring the safety and reliability of the aviation industry. Under the revised guidance, pilots with a history of no more than two mental health diagnoses will no longer require automatic review by the FAA for any class of pilot certificate, as long as certain criteria are met.
One of the key changes in the new guidance is that pilots can skip the FAA review process if they have been off medication for two years, there are no issues raised by a questionnaire, and the Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) has no concerns. The questionnaire provided to AMEs focuses on serious mental health issues such as suicidal thoughts, self-harm, hospitalizations, and court-ordered evaluations. AMEs are reminded to be thorough and conservative in their evaluation of pilots.
The new guidance states that if all questionnaire items result in a “NO” or “CLEAR” response, the AME may issue the certificate with notes in Block 60 indicating that there are no concerns regarding the pilot’s history of uncomplicated anxiety, depression, and related conditions. However, if any single item receives a “YES” or “SHADED” response, the AME must defer the issuance of the certificate.
Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief of AVweb and a 30-year pilot living in southern British Columbia with his wife where they operate a small winery explained this updated policy to us. He has been involved with AVweb for over two decades and said that these changes aim to make it easier for people with mental health histories to get certified while still maintaining safety standards in aviation.
