Apparently I can continue to fly despite having diabetes. As long as I do not have a recorded "episode" more than once a year I'm OK.
That said, I cannot get a CDL in Illinois. Type II is OK, but injection controlled is not. . I meet every other qualification. I can even get my endocrinologist to personally vouch that I don't screw around with my blood. This is lame
Sorry, I just don't like being told I can't do something because other people have screwed up in the past.
I've always been a bit incredulous about how states feel mass punishment for a handful of peoples screw ups is an acceptable option. The FAA is a federal organization though so they can simply club any states that decide to try to limit that sort of thing.
That said; In a truck the side of the road is right there. In an airplane the side of the road is waaaaaaayyyyyy over there. Have to make sure you do things right.
Move 10 miles north and get out of this lousy state? (I have no idea if you'd be allowed to in Wisconsin)
I dunno about the plane thing, but no, you can't drive a truck. CDL regs sez you take-a-teh insulin, no drive-a-teh big rig. That's from da-feds.
Dr. Hess wrote: I dunno about the plane thing, but no, you can't drive a truck. CDL regs sez you take-a-teh insulin, no drive-a-teh big rig. That's from da-feds.
Wow my fault, I assumed that CDL's were issued via state requirements like regular drivers licenses but FMSCA actually has codes like the FAA (391.41(b)(3) in this case.) That's what I get for shooting off my mouth.
Yeah, I thought so, Hess. But that's what gets me. I think flying a plane is a little more involved and dangerous than driving a truck (with no disrespect to truckers.) I wonder how the feds arrived at this decision?
A trucker is more likely to spend hours in the cab alone? A pilot is less likely to fly for long distances alone? I'm surprised a Type 1 diabetic is allowed to fly planes, to be honest.
amazed at this considering how many HUGE trucker guys I've seen... bet at least 1 in 10 has diy-a-beeteez
As I read the FAA regs, you can have one, just ONE fubar as to were it gets logged into your medical history. More than one a year, and you never fly again. Ever.
A pilot is less likely to kill the occupants of four other airplanes if he has an issue.
You still need to get your medical signed off to fly. Diabetes doesn't immediately prevent that though.
I can drive deaf with no licence restrictions, but it's criminal for a hearing person to wear hearing protection while driving.
I can replace the back window of my car with a piece of plywood, but I can't tint the glass because it obstructs vision.
I can pee in a toilet and flush it, but if I pee in a bottle, I cannot dump that into the toilet, it's not medical waste and must be disposed of into an incinerator.
The list of absurd and contradictory laws and regulations is endless.
In reply to donalson:
You can have a CDL with type 2 as long as it is kept under a certain level. A lot of people that develop it at my company will eventually lose their license. One of the reasons I worked to get promoted out of the seat is that we kill alot of people early with diabetes, heart problems, and cancers. You get on a bus, drive for 4 or 5 hours, get 30 minutes to eat at whichever fine dining is at the end of your route and has a somewhat clean bathroom, then get back out for some more fun. I have always been heavy but I gained over 100 lbs my first year driving and took Imodium almost daily because my run had nowhere and no time where I could stop and use the bathroom if I had to.
In reply to Appleseed:
Can one obtain a first class medical certificate with diabetes?
You can get a class I or class II medical with insulin controlled diabetes, though the FAA is not currently processing them. You just have to appeal to the FAA to have it approved.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/ame/guide/app_process/exam_tech/item48/amd/diabetes/
From what I understand it's a huge hassle. We're required to have class II medicals for my job because we do control tower work at the test facilities. A buddy of mine was rejected due to insulin controlled diabetes, apparently it's been quite a rigmarole to get it.
45,000 lbs of (whatever harmful substance you want to fill it with) can do a lot of damage.
Private pilots are rarely responsible for more than a couple of passengers (unlike, say a bus driver).
Planes don't run into other planes very often, and I have never heard of one running over several other planes.
When planes crash, they don't dump huge quantities of payload and become environmental hazards, they don't haul 20 ton payloads.
There are far fewer of them, and they can't go everywhere.
etc., etc.
From a risk management perspective, trucks are a higher risk.
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