Power Money Corruption
The Pilots Are The Victims.
What you may not know is that the FAA does not oversee the HIMS program, but reacts to what these doctors tell them regarding certification. If the doctor is on the company payroll, they will tell the FAA anything the company wants them to say, and the FAA does not challenge the doctor’s opinion. AME, Dr. Bruce Chien told me, “This is a dirty business” and “Doctors can be bought.”
As FAA representative Lorelei Peter says:
“Each airline bears the responsibility to create and administer its own HIMS program. It is important to not that while the FAA offers some HIMS training to interested physicians, including AMEs, the agency does not have regulatory oversight over an airline’s particular HIMS program (Emphasis added). HIMS AMEs and AMEs generally, are private physicians designated by the FAA to conduct airman medical examinations. The physicians exercise their own judgement in providing an airman’s medical assessment. The FAA does not control an AME’s medical opinion.”
How frightening is this? The only reason I received a first class medical certificate after being diagnosed as bipolar (for the mere price of $74,000) is because I got a reverse diagnosis by the Mayo Clinic and then did not disclose I was bipolar and got another medical. I would not tell the FAA I had cancer is a podiatrist said I did and an oncologist reversed the diagnosis. They found out because Delta told them, but by then the I had a clean bill of health and they could not undue that. The certifying doctor also knew of the diagnosis but trusted the Mayo Clinic more.
Not all AMEs are Created Equally.
Ophthalmologists or podiatrists are certifying your pilots, Do you see a problem here? This AME position is easy money and a guaranteed paycheck with a surplus of pilots that are mandated to see these people. When the AME participates in the HIMS program, without any FAA oversight, and the airline decides to donate to their non-profit, or enables them to charge exorbitant amounts of money then we are rolling the dice with pilot safety. AME Dr. Chien, was once an anesthesiologist and quit to become an AME because it was more lucrative. How is that even possible?
You Do NOT Want Your Health in Your Airline’s Hands?
Below are actual questions asked and answer in my trial with Ira, Delta’s attorney, regarding the airline’s responsibility for employee’s medical care:
Ira: “So, you would, if somebody had, if there was a suspicion that a pilot was unfit for duty because of a back injury, you think that the airline should not engage an orthopedist to help them determine whether or not that back injury was actually something that made the pilot unfit, that’s your testimony?”
Karlene: “No, that is not what I said.”
Ira: “So, you agree then, that they should hire an expert? Are you changing the answer?”
Karlene “No, the company would not hire an expert. The pilot, if they had a back problem, would go to their own doctor and find out what the problem is.”
Ira: “What if the pilot didn’t think they had a problem, but the air carrier thought they did, should you just trust the pilot in that situation, always?”
How would the pilot not know they had a back problem? How ridiculous to think that if a pilot had a back problem, or any physical issue, that the airline should be in control of the pilot’s health. Try going out on workers comp and find out how much care “their” doctors provide. Nobody should ever want their company to be involved in their health care because they will take the cheapest course of action, your health be damned. Therefore, why would you want the company to be in charge of your care if you had a drinking problem?
ADHD History: Medical’s Denied
Today, in response to DEI initiatives, the FAA has enabled pilots with a sex change operations who are on hormone therapy to obtain medicals after a 4 year time frame. However, they are still prohibiting medical certification due to a history, far beyond that time limit, of ADHD drugs. Some will never obtain a medical because they were prescribed a drug as a child, may not have even had a problem, and yet years later are blacklisted.
AT A LOSS
This FAA AME power and control is a problem that I am at a loss as what to do. When we allow doctors who are not qualified to certify pilots, who do not have any understanding of flight duties, who put their bank account over what is right, at the sacrifice of our people, and the FAA allows this to happen, what is the solution?
8 Comments
My dads a doctor,
I have a vaccine certificate**, however I fully believe the medical industry is just that, an industry driven by money. The medical exam isn’t a specialist procedure yet they have very limited AME’s worldwide, less so than specialists. When you concentrate that power and control, it will lead to corruption. Because these are human beings not saints. Open the field so any doctor can conduct a pilot medical. This opens up competition in patient care level and drives down price. Compete in an open market if you truly are that good I say!
The entire thing is kind of a scam. We go in, pee in a cup, check our eyesight, hearing tests fell wayside, fill out the form and there you have it.
The only reason the FAA ever looks at an airman is if the AME defers the medical. It’s kind of silly… until you fall into the system. When a pilot has a medical issue that is on the no fly list, the only person who should be diagnosing them is the specialist. I want my cardiologist dealing with my heart issue. When he says I’m good… he decides, not the podiatrist who is a paper pusher for the FAA. If I was on ADHD meds as a kid, I want the flight instructor to see if I can fly 8 hours and can handle the plane… not the licensed anesthesiologist. I know there is a better way… What we are doing now is not it.
Stick to the law and each person manages their own medical. We cannot have companies in charge of people’s medical. I left my job at StandardAero in Winnipeg in 2016 after 29 years service as a aircraft engine maintenance manager and aeroderivative maintenance engineer. Fleet specialist and service manager.
I was service manager for the team (14 persons) for all the turboprop engines maintained by StandardAero world wide in 2005. In 2005 we also redesigned the plant to turn engine overhauls in 15 days from 45.
That work for us sold.
And the new owners did not care about your track record when you could not work because of intense pain.
They harassed me at their facility and thru the insurance company for 3 years, then I left.
And paid for my own way so they could not interfere with my diagnosis, my treatment or my pay any longer.
They black ball you and try to make your life hell.
And we keep going and build new companies to keep the flyers safe
We did a needs analysis in our own 2018 and build ProjectBlueWorld.ca
As a non profit, public foundation, we are a consulting agency dedicated to developing quality, products, service, our President is a retired RCAF Major between us we have 60 years air and space service.
At your service
Lori Payne
Lori, I am so sorry this happened to you. Blackballing in the US is against the law too. This is the reason I wrote the book “AIR21 The Delta Debacle” Because I don’t want anyone to experience what you did. Granted this is a US law, but we need to put a stop to the harassment. Regardless, our bodies our health. Thanks for your comment and shout about your non profit foundation! You have a great foundation of good people.
Karlene,
I’ve followed your story for some time, with a great deal of interest. The treatment you received from Delta and the misuse of the fitness for duty evaluation was an appalling abuse of a system designed to keep aviation safe.
However, in the time that I have followed you, you have routinely presented baseless claims about the safety of aviation and corruption of regulatory agencies. As you claim to have many academic degrees in safety and law, you present nearly all of your claims without a shred of reliable evidence or intellectual honesty. Moreover, you’ve spent much of time pointing towards an unsubstantiated nefarious cabal of actors in aviation while failing to call out legitimate and needed reforms in the industry that would benefit safety and pilots. You’ve even made untruthful claims about fellow pilots while completely discarding a sacrosanct rule of not making judgement calls without a complete investigation.
I’m saddened that the profile you’ve gained because of the mistreatment you received has not been used to factually and honestly push for improved aviation system.
Troy, I challenge your assertion. Did you read my research? Did you read the complaint and the judges ruling? Did you know I conducted research on the blood test they give these pilots in HIMS to prove that the airline are giving tests that promotes false positives? I have a solid foundation of what is transpiring behind the scenes. I even have a recorded discussion from Dr. Chien and a declaration from him when we were headed back to court. Dr. Altman forfeited his license. I have read the cases against pilots who have fallen prey to all this. I was the lucky one. This is not about me. I won. I beat them in trail. Beat them on appeal. But nothing was done and nobody held accountable. I have proof that the file of Delta’s federal violations “disappeared” while Dickson was in office. This medical certification issue is serious. I would expect you to understand, but then again typically people only understand what they are paid to know. And others are too lazy to do the work and figure out themselves. You are taking your time to read and comment. So there must be something that inspires that. But… be very careful when you call someone a liar in public, when “you” don’t know the truth. That could find you at the pointy end of a stick. But the records are there. And the reason I’m able to speak all this is because I have the proof. More to come on this with the lawsuit that was just filed on Friday.
In fact, I have read your lawsuits in detail. I have not read your books as I assume they are like most of your blog posts — unsupported claims based solely on your experiences.
You say it isn’t about you, yet every post you make is clearly a tale about your experience. Nothing you present is objective or unbiased. It’s all rooted in your experiences with your former employer. It’s abundantly clear most of what you say is because you have an ax to grind.
Troy, Thank you for the smile. Novels typically are not supported claims, but these do hold facts. I just want to say thank you so much for having such an interest in me and my life that you read the lawsuit, and you have “Every” post. That’s amazing! Typically when people have an axe to grind with someone, or don’t like what they say, they don’t spend as much time as you do reading their website, and then to taking the time to respond. Now I’m about to post something serious and Delta is involved, but I don’t want it to be a triggering event for you, so you might want the next post. Or… read it. The complaint is only 20 pages.