I'm a private pilot whose medical has come due for renewal while I'm waiting for my reconnect surgery date. I don't see any reason why this would disqualify me from flying, but before opening a can of worms with the FAA and having to jump through hoops after reconnect, I would like to hear about others' experiences.
My question is, are there any private pilots with permanent ostomy bags, or is there any information about whether having one makes you ineligible to pass your FAA Medical?
Hello Flying210.
I don't know the answer to your question, but I hope that the FAA have the common sense to realise that it should make no difference to your ability to fly.
Best wishes
Bill
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FAA.GOV. I didn't see anything about having an ostomy as an issue, but I just glanced through it. Since the government doesn't recognize an ostomy as a disability, I doubt there are any restrictions for you. I'm under federal laws also (running trains) and had no issue returning to work because of my ostomy. Of course, you have the normal vision, heart, mental well-being, etc., regulations, but I doubt there's something for how you poop. Good luck.
My husband is a commercial pilot. Your FAA examiner will ask questions about why you have the ostomy. You have to list surgeries on your FAA medical application. Explaining that it is temporary will go into his notes. It should not be a problem. My husband gets a first-class medical every 6 months and it is no issue. He has a permanent ostomy.
The other option is to wait until your next surgery before getting a new third-class medical. You will still have to report the surgery, but you won't have to be concerned about the ostomy.
Third-class medical requirements are a lot more lax than a second or first-class medical. Hope this helps.
