ADHD Medication and Commercial Pilots

29 Responses to “ADHD Medication and Commercial Pilots”

1. Mary Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 5:19 pm

   Hello,
   My son is wanting to get his private pilots license and then go forward with commercial pilot. Please, please help with any info you have on how we could go about this. He takes adderall but only during school. Not on vacations, weekends ect.
   Thank you,
   Mary Howell

2. Dr. Kenny Handelman Says:
   May 10th, 2007 at 5:29 pm

   Hi Mary,
   Thank you for asking your question.
   I am sorry to say that I don’t know any more about someone with ADD or ADHD becoming a pilot than I have written above.
   I would suggest calling the FAA, or visiting their website to ask the question.
   I would think that you could ask anonymously - or even get an aunt or uncle to call if you are worried about health privacy.
   Please read the article above, and do your best.
   Please let us know what you find out!
   Thanks,
   Dr. Kenny

3. Kyle Vokes Says:
   September 22nd, 2007 at 8:28 pm

   ADHD does limit your ability to get your Class 1 medical licence (requiered to become a commercial pilot) If your son can prove that he does not need his medicane he might have a chance. I have gone through this and please tell him it is worth every bit of effort.

4. S Says:
   October 19th, 2007 at 2:50 pm

   I have just finished battling with the FAA over this subject. I went off my medication about 4 months ago, almost completed my flight training, then the FAA sends me a letter. I had to do a battery of psychological tests and a memory test, a personality profile, among other things. After proving to them that you are capable off your medication, they will allow you to fly. Also look at this website : http://www.tastesoftheworld.net/Coffee-ADD-ADHD-Press.html

5. mightymouse Says:
   November 2nd, 2007 at 11:37 pm

   Funny.. I’ve read alot of interesting info concerning add/adhd and pretty much diagnosed myself…. and would like to see if meds would combat the issues… but like all other employed pilots… the use of ritalin and other related treatments would be a career deal breaker….why doesn’t the FAA sponsor some sort of Study?… could use the full motion simulators.. and see what .. if any performance enahncement in piloting would take place if a civilian were to act as pic on adhd meds… the whole idea of being more systematic and mentally sharper in the cockpit would seem to be a benefit…. not a saftey hazard… as far as the military pilots on go pills… well… none of us non military flyboys take off with defense weapons… so I’m fairly confident we wouldn’t encounter a similar issue…. gotta go

6. John Says:
   January 22nd, 2008 at 2:55 am

   Sadly the FAA and the Australian equivalent CASA are disappointingly taking an incredible stance on this issue.
   It is outright discrimination and Dr Handelman correctly points out that drivers with ADD/HD who take their medication are safer, however there is no ‘real’ danger when they are not taking their medication either! if there were significant data showing ADD/HD being an issue whilst not taking medication then you can be assured that this would have been addressed long ago. A car is equally dangerous to people as an aircraft in fact one could safely argue that for the general aviation sense that it is indeed more so, if only on the basis that a motor vehicle is designed to absorb impact and can continue driving onto another accident whereas an aircraft will not do this.

   QEEG and other physiological testing can show ADD activity in the brain and further investigation in this area would (hopefully) put to rest the ensuing argument about over prescription. Ritalin et al is not alone amongst many medications that are used by the medical profession and not fully understood.

   Being a person with ADDHD and diagnosed in the ’80s and subsequently trialled almost (well feels like it) every form of testing available, I can honestly say with complete honesty that this is unfair and implore any medico seeking a doctorate or reputation to research this area further. There is no good reason for this ban to continue, and with 90+ hours under my belt, I let my secret slip and lost my medical a few years ago! However this hasn’t prevented me from racing Karts, shooting, or after much hard work becoming a lawyer.

   It still to this day strikes me as the greatest injustice allowed to continue that the US Air Force provide ‘go pills’ to pilots flying multi million dollar aircraft yet a person whom this drug has a genuine positive effect upon, will not be permitted to fly an ordinary GA craft.

   I don’t believe that every person could or should be a pilot, in my aviation diploma class the person with the highest academic marks was banned from three flying schools as they believed he was dangerous. This proved without a doubt that while he had the academic mind (and no he was clearly not ADD) he simply could not fly an aircraft to save himself. The reason I’ve typed this personal anecdote is to illustrate that ‘normal’ people who do not take any form of medication can be just as dangerous or more so than the ADD one. This gent passed every theory exam with 98%+ average marks!

   The only advice I can offer to any ADD/HD future pilot, is to lie and go off medication a few days before your medical examination. This isn’t the advice I would like to end with, rather it is the experience I’ve learnt and found that the less people that know, the better off I’ve been… and with the help of medication, not a single person in my professional life has any clue that I take medication.

7. RD Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 1:10 am

   I had been a pilot for 21 years. Over 2200 hrs with no violations, accidents, or incidents of any kind. I held an ATP. I past check rides every 6 months. Then I learned about ADD and realized I was almost a text book case with the exception of my good performance in school. At the age of 44 the diagnosis was confirmed and I began taking Adderall. The FAA denied me any class medical certificate. I took the tests, off all meds, and performed in the top 94-99 percentile in all except two. They were in the 47th percentile and 62nd. In all of its wisdom the FAA still denied my medical. This has been catastrophic for me. My advice is don’t trust the FAA to do the right thing regarding this - they won’t. That was now 9 years ago and I am tearing up as I write this. It was as if the FAA cut off my legs.

8. Joe F. Says:
   March 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm

   RD -
   My heart goes out to you man! I too am a little bit emotional as I write.
   I am almost 25 and have wanted to fly my entire life. The last few years I have been saving up to pay for flight school. I finally started and am about half way through my Privates license and this came up.
   Yesterday I was told that because I have mild attention problems, I will never be able to be a pilot. I am left totally lost. I cant envision doing anything else with my life. I sold my business and gave up everything I have to pursue this and now don’t know what to do.
   I wonder why it didn’t come up sooner. I’m sure you wonder the same thing.
   I feel like I can relate to you - but on a much smaller scale. I didn’t sleep at all last night and feel so heartbroken. I can’t imagine how you felt especially being in the industry 21 years.

   Best of Luck!

9. Mark B Says:
   April 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm

   Thank you to everyone who has responded! I began pilot lessons this past summer and absolutely loved it. I was picking it up quickly, and, according to my instructor, just about ready to solo with only 9 hours. When seeing the AME for my medical exam I told him that I had began taking Adderall while in school 6 months before. I had a copy of all my medical records with me, which explicitly stated that I did not need the medication outside an academic environment, and thus it was discontinued over the summer. The AME called the regional flight surgeon, and after receiving a letter from my family physician sent me my medical certificate.

   I now have a letter from the FAA demanding that I send back the medical certificate. I received a letter a few months ago asking for medical records and a transcript, which I sent. The transcript indicates remarkable performance in the most difficult major at an Ivy league school; the medical records indicate a possibility of mild ADD that does not affect any aspects of my life outside of school.

   So I guess I’m off to battle the FAA. Wish me luck and please respond if you have any advice!

   Thank you, Mark

10. TT Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    Additional thanks to all that have responded and I hope that this page is still monitored.

    My story plays like most of us here - A driver who makes things happen in life and can track several subjects at one time and effectivly complete all goals and tasks. One is amazed why the FAA would not require Pilots to have ADD instead of classifying this gift as as a ‘general medical condition’.

    My dream and story is as follows. When I was 5 my dad took me to the tarmack and I saw my first planes - a KC-10, B-52 and other SAC related Aircraft. (he was a B-52 radar/nav/bomber) and from that moment on I fell in love with flying. When I was 10 I purchased with my hard earned money Solo Flight and was flying VOR and programming in Basic by 11. See I had a blood oath with a friend of mine in Guam that we would both be fighter pilots. (He is now an F-16 pilot). I continued this trend soaking up every flight sim I could come across and one day when I was 14 my dad broke it to me that I could not be a fighter pilot - I had corrective lenses. Crushed I pursued my other pasion in computers… then it happened -

    One night at a party in college up north some kids came around that were up to no good and started causing trouble in my neighborhood - so the police show up and while chatting we asked what was the most interesting thing you have pulled over. “A truck toeing a fighter jet” - apparently we can purchase them now adays (1000 hours is the qualifyer btw) so the research began and Mig25s are not cheap nor if flying.

    Several years and many learning experiences later I now have a company that is growing to a point that will supply me with said fighter jet and my ‘general medical condition’ I felt would help me get there - after all it allows one to be very safe since one does not want to die and can process things faster than the average joe.

    Needless to say my battle begins and the battery of 8 - 9 tests may begin shortly. I also have not taken any medication for months and this did not seem to matter - additionally I also did not disclose that I was taking any ADD medication since I was not nor did I say I had it as to me it is not a mental disorder. Be warned to ensure that any HIPPA you need to take care of previous to getting your medical that you do so. THEY WILL take it from you and you and from what I have read will give it back after the tests. I will keep posting.

    Mark please post your progress, I hope your post was more than a one time shot.

    Thank you everyone and good luck.

11. mark Says:
    June 4th, 2008 at 11:29 am

    The timing of your post could not be better, TT. Thank you. I’ve received multiple letters from the FAA since my last post. I’ve returned my medical certificate but I am appealing the decision. They seem to expect an appeal and list a number of psychological exams I can take (with a concurrent drug test) to demonstrate my mental ability. I’m not sure whether this would lead to a SODA or what, but I’m sending a letter back to my regional flight surgeon (to whom my case has been passed on to) with these questions.

    I’m starting to think that what many of us have experienced is not ADD, but another previously unclassified mental condition… not a disorder, just a difference in the way we think. The correlations I’ve seen on this blog and on another site, http://www.adhdpilots.org , are no doubt statistically significant. Many of the people reporting this problem are extremely driven: more than half of the members at adhdpilots.org are doctors already or are in medical school. I’ll be attending medical school soon, but now am finishing a degree in biomedical engineering. I’ve also adopted a passion for computers and computer programming.

    I’ll keep this blog updated on how the tests go (if I do end up taking them) however the adhdpilots.org site is entirely focused on this issue and seems to need some attention lately. I hope all goes well with all of your struggles.

    Mark

12. TT Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    Hi Mark et al,

    I also believe this to be true. I am going to counseling with my wife at the moment and when I told the psychologist (not chirist) about this he asked how I was diagnosed. When I was younger I took an IQ test for verbal and one for mechanical. I was off the charts on mechanical and a little above average for verbal. Due to the varience that is why I had ADHD. Our counselor told us that was crap.

    My doctor I got the medical from said that it passed right by the regional / state general and that it was pulled due to Chantix being on the list. Apparently Chantix is the new thing to pull for since it got put on the disqualify list on May 21 - I took mine in April.

    Finally if you get a doc in the FAA named William Higgans (will correct if needed, I am going off memory) I am told by my doctor that he believes everyone is an alchoholic and will disqualify and request pee tests and all 9 tests if you so much as blink incorrectly. To others reading this just plan on an additional $2500.00 and 6 months for testing purposes.

    Thank you for the link to adhdpilots.org, I am looking forward to seeing the pages and will keep you up to date on the testing. I am going to go see someone June 18 (quickest I could get in)

    TT

13. Michael Says:
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    Hello everyone,

    I fully understand that the FAA does not like people taking adderall and being a pilot. I am currently a student and was denied a medical because of this. Once denied, I was told that if I wanted to appeal the ruling, that I needed to complete a battery of tests. I completed all the tests (MMPI, wisconsin card sorting, PASAT, a multitude of alcoholic/depression tests, and a urine test). This is only a few of the tests.

    I passed all of them with only a minor problem relating to the MMPI revealing “Narsasistic features.” My question is this, does anyone know what the disqualifying factors are once these tests are done? It seems as though the rulings are quite subjective at best and that depression is the clearest factor. Is this true?

14. C.J. Says:
    July 9th, 2008 at 10:28 am

    How often are drug tests given to commercial pilots? I am thinking of starting classes soon. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD but after doing research of personal concerns I think it is very possible I have this issue.

15. Michael Says:
    July 10th, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    UPDATE:

    MEDICAL GRANTED. The Medical was granted earlier last week and should be in the mail. Good luck to all working on their medical! Thank you for all the information! I sure wish I had looked at this website before going for my initial visit!

16. TT Says:
    July 11th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    Congradulations Michael! Currently I am on an extension from the FAA. The place that was recommended to me is a very busy place apparently. I go in on July 22 and take the pee test on the 23rd - did you get your pee test the same day or the next or the previous. The timing we are unsure of when to do.

    Update on ADD in general. The doctor I saw (an aviation doctor) wrote an article about me and the ADD. He has stated that it is a major issue that no one seems to have answers to and that the FAA may be lightening up on in the near future. For those who have been turned down he says to keep an ear out as the ADD restriction may be going away soon since our Air Force and Military gives the meds to our pilots protecting our country on a regular basis.

17. michael Says:
    July 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    As for the pee test, I would definitely take it the after all the testing. Doing that leaves no question in the FAA’s mind that you were taking your meds during the test. The adderall stays in your blood stream for 1-2 days after you stop taking it. I stopped about 90 days before the tests due to the initial consultation recommendation of my medical examiner.

    Some of the tests are fairly intense! The pasat is tough and you should see if you can take it early as it is fairly stressful. As for the mmpi, that one is LONG! 567 true false questions.
    Contact me at michael.c.siegle@gmail.com if you are interested in hearing more.

    Good luck and soar high!

18. Bob Says:
    August 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    The friendly fire incident in Afghanistan mentioned in the article is not as clear cut as it seems. There’s a decent writeup on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident

    Most likely this incident was caused by “this might be my only chance to drop a bomb” pushing good judgment aside.

    From the nonjudicial hearing of the pilot who bombed the Canadians:

    “You acted shamefully on 17 April 2002 over Tarnak Farms, Afghanistan, exhibiting arrogance and a lack of flight discipline.”

    “…you had exhausted your patience in waiting for clearance from the Combined Air Operations Center to engage.”

    The Air Force position is that an overly aggressive airman blamed medication for making a very bad judgment call. The media didn’t report on this development nearly as much as they did the initial incident and the pilot’s claim that his medication was to blame.

    Using amphetamines to fly despite severe fatigue is a bad idea for civilian pilots too. That scenario doesn’t have anything to do with an ADD pilot taking his medication responsibly.

    A surprising number of bad ideas are not outlawed as explicitly as ADD medications. 14 CFR 91.17 says that pilots cannot legally fly within 8 hours of drinking or with a BAC of more than .04. This means that the average person CAN legally fly 8 hours after drinking 10 drinks without breaking this rule. Commercial pilots have all sorts of limits on the number of hours they can be on duty, and the number of hours they can fly, within a given period. There is no requirement that they actually sleep during their rest period, however. Fatal accidents have occurred when commercial pilots stayed up all night partying and tried to fly the next day.

    It seems absurd to me that these drugs have been banned without much study when they may very well help pilots: Improvements in reaction time and concentration, decreased impulsivity, etc.

19. J Says:
    September 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am

    Hi,
    I was browsing this yesterday just to see how many pilots took aderall. I’m a private pilot and got put on adderall 2 months ago to help me with school because i work full time. I find this information very shocking, especially for somebody like me that got there pilot license before even getting on this medicine. From what I’ve read, people who go and have their medical done are telling the doctor up front because they didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’m pursing my commercial license. My question is, do the examiners look at your medial records if you do not mention this? If you didn’t tell him, is there a chance he could find out?

    Thanks so much

20. CORPI Says:
    October 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    OK GUYS,

    As a corporate pilot I have a very different view. But I can see where most of you are coming from. A pilot needs to perfrom at 110% everytime he/she gets into the front of an aircraft. We have very long days sometimes and if someone requiring medication forgets to take it and does get back in front and has an accident how does that look? J…YOU ARE CRAZY TO LIE ON A MEDICAL…I ADVISE YOU TO NOT. That goes for anyone else who has lied or is thinking about it…I do know people who have lied on thier medical, they have not been cought YET…but if they are, there will be much worse consequences than not being able to fly. If you think you do not need the medication..WHY ARE YOU TAKING IT. Obviously our bodys were not built to demand the use of drugs to go around doing our day to day tasks. Before getting involved with the thousands of dollars spent on becoming a pro pilot take yourself off all medication for a year see how you do. If you do great and don’t use it for a period of time like that I would trust you as much as anyone.

21. TT Says:
    October 13th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    Hello - glad to see the board is still alive and well. All the tests are complete for mine and it cost me $1967.00 just to get the next stage. The word is still out on whether or not anything will be coming of it and will post when I know more. I would have to agree with the pilot above though - take yourself off the meds and see if you can do it, if not from what I recall the meds make one a little buzzy to create said focus and someone who is overly focused should not be a pilot. Should you require any proof for this just take lessons that you can take without a medical and do the instrument scan for a while.

22. Michael Says:
    October 13th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    $1227.00 was the cost of the psych analysis plus the cost of the medical which I believe was $80, plus $50 for the drug test. Not to mention all the gas it took to drive to the places that it took me. At the time, I was living in the middle of no where, so that was somewhat significant! So the grand total was approximetly $1357… Ouch, I was not expecting to read all that! hahaha…. It’s all worth it because I am about to solo in the next few weeks, and hopefully can fly home for Thanksgiving!

23. AKpilot Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Wow,

    Reading this I am ashamed of you guys. Michael, shame on you if you are flying on Adderal. I took Ritalin or Adderal through High School and College. When I decided to become a pilot, and found that I could no longer take these drugs and fly, I stopped taking them before I started flight training. Was it hard? It was the hardest thing I have ever done, harder than learning to fly. I went off the medication and found other means of treating my ADD. Natural ways, vitamins, coffee, amino acids. I worked on correcting my behaviors, changing the way I did things. I did this with a passion I had never before had, why? Because I wanted to fly more than anything. I did the HONNEST thing and stopped taking it before I flew. I have never touched an ADD drug since becoming a pilot. To all of you who LIE on you medical, shame on you. I am sad to even share the skies with a person willing to lie about their health. I was a texbook ADD kid, and I knew other ADD people. Long and short of it is, you CAN function without those drugs. It is HARD WORK but you can do it. What I think is that most of you are too lazy to do it, the drugs are easier. Would it have been easier for me to stay on Ritalin and fly. HELL YEA it would have been easier, but it would have been illegal, immoral, and WRONG! As a pilot you are expected to be a little better than the average Joe. Step up fellow pilots, stop being a crybaby and wean yourself off these pills. For all you who are taking these pills and flying in MY SKY……I hope you get caught. I hope your license is perminatly stripped from you. If you are a private pilot, you may get away with this (you are still a sad person to be lying). As a Commercial pilot, you are screwed. Once you fly for a living, you CAN and WILL be asked to take random urine tests……guess what shows up in them……ritalin/adderal. It you are found with that in your urine as a PROFESSIONAL PILOT, your career is finnished. My advice, if you want to play in the big leagues as a pilot, you better step up and find a way to operate without Ritalin/Adderal. You may get away with it while obtaining your ratings, but you WILL be caught as a professional pilot with a urine test. I knew a pilot who was taking Ritalin, didn’t disclose it. When there was a random test for all the pilots flying that morning, he had to pee in the cup just like the rest of us. The drug WAS found in his blood stream and his Medical WAS revoked. He fought it for years and was allowed to hold a 3rd class, but NEVER a 1st. His dreams shattered, because he lied.

    DO NOT take Ritalin and fly, don’t lie; be a bigger person
    AKPilot

24. AKpilot Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    I may have come across as a bit harsh then. I am sorry. It just steams me when people try to take the easy way out. Doctor, I feel that there ARE ways to treat ADD without drugs. Working with the FAA and my Doctor, I found them. I never lied, and obayed the rules. Would I have prefered to have stayed on the drugs I KNEW worked for me, of course. However I did the right thing. It takes ALOT of work on the pilots part, but you CAN find a way to treat your symptoms, and fly.
    See all you honnest ADD’ers in the sky,
    AKpilot

25. Dr. Kenny Handelman Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    To everyone in this thread,
    Just as a ‘heads up’. I (or my staff) moderate every comment that goes on this blog. This is not done with the intention of censoring the comments/discussion, but predominantly to eliminate spam posts with links to sites that don’t relate to ADD/ADHD.
    It is also to ensure that discussion remains productive and respectful.
    A general rule of thumb is that someone can express frustration with a situation or an issue - but I expect that people won’t use this for personal attacks.
    AKpilot - you were getting pretty close there in your first post, and then balanced it out (somewhat) with the second post, so I’ve left it in, as in the end, I believe that it contributes to the discussion.
    Please be mindful of keep comments productive, expressive, but not personal.
    Best,
    Dr. Kenny

26. TT Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    Hi AKPilot,

    Please follow your comments up with some of the things that helped you. I and I am sure most of us understand your frustration given the amount of effort you put in to it. The other day a person showed up in a business group of mine and was WAY below the minimum - I put in a lot of hard word to reach a point where I could be in said group and felt a bit like you did because I put in th work and he had not (not yet).

    Again please let us all know how and what has worked for you, several of us may benefit from some of the things you are practicing and given that we do or will have children chances are they will have it and we can help them as well.

    Thank you

    ps - still no medical, still no word, been one month and a week or so.

27. Michael Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    AKPilot:

    It took me a bit to read back through my previous post to try and figure out how you connected me with flying around YOUR SKIES while taking Adderall. I couldn’t figure it out, so if you can find my quotes, I would be happy to clarify. Since this is the internet, and I have a feeling more than just Dr. Kenny is moderating, I believe that it is my duty to clarify EXACTLY what it is that I did and continue to do.

    First, I started flying with an instructor. This is without a medical or a student pilot’s cert. In the beginning, I was taking Adderall due to a previously misdiagnosed condition of being ADD. When I attempted to get my 3rd class medical along with a student pilot’s certificate, I found that Adderall was a disqualifying medicine. It was that same day that I stopped taking Adderall, at the advice of the AME that did the examination.

    Second, I received a letter in the mail from the FAA stating that I was officially denied my medical. Approximately 90 days after the initial consultation with my AME, I scheduled all the tests with a certified psychiatrist. Mind you, I had been OFF Adderall for a period of approximately 90 days BEFORE getting reevaluated for ADD. I passed the tests (refer to the June 20th post) WITHOUT being on Adderall.

    Third, I received my medical on approximately July 10th, still OFF the meds.

    Fourth, I have since started my flying lessons back up with another instructor, WITHOUT the meds (Refer to my Oct. 13th post).

    Your assumption that I was still on the meds AFTER my initial AME visit is flawed in every way. If you have a problem with me initially flying on the meds, BEFORE getting a medical, so be it. It is not illegal to be a student pilot, without a granted medical, to fly on Adderall. Technically the meds are only a disqualifying factor in the granting of a medical. The medical is a disqualifying factor for flying solo, which is a requirement for the final PPL. So, in a “connect the dots” kind of way, Adderall is a disqualifying factor for becoming a PIC, not flying as a student pilot without a medical. This is because your instructor is still PIC, even if he is in the right seat.

    Let me make this VERY CLEAR. I am still a student pilot, and I DO NOT TAKE Adderall. I am working on my pre-solo written OFF ADDERALL and will, hopefully, fly home over Thanksgiving, OFF Adderall. In no way do I suggest flying on Adderall, if you have been granted your medical certificate. That is illegal. THE END.

28. Michael Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    By the way, from what I understand, it is NOT the ADD/ADHD that is the disqualifying factor from using Adderall as a pilot. “As a pilot” means anytime, not just when you are PIC. The disqualifying condition is depression, as Adderall is used for that also. I believe that is what the psych tests are testing for.

    As someone who submits work to the FAA, I realize that sometimes they have a method to their madness.

29. AKpilot Says:
    October 24th, 2008 at 11:16 pm

    Hello all,
    Apologies about the cranky attitude. I just am very passionate about this……and I happened to have a really terrible day, having found out that and old good friend had been killed in an a/c crash. Sorry Michael; I indeed misred your posts thinking you were sugesting ONLY going off for 90 days before your medical exam, thinking in my mind you were trying to trick the FAA. That was an immature and unjust assumption on my part, and I am truly sorry. I know I came off as harsh. It is just that I had SUCH a hard time initially operating without those drugs, that when I see people, “taking the shortcut.” and flying with them, I get quite miffed.

    Please ADD pilots, come up to the skies! The pilot ranks are Chock Full of ADD’ers. I kid you not. This is THE JOB if you have ADD. That ADD ability to pay attention to too many things at once that you feel in everyday life?? Random Example: Like back in College, being able to listen to the professor, watching that guy across the isle you have a crush on, seeing the Raven outside the class window, hearing the animated conversation down the hall(through the closed Lecure Hall Door), noticing that the Prof is wearing the same tie he wore last week, taking notes, and making a few doodles on your notebook??????? (sound familiar anyone). That you?? Well flying is PERFECT for you. You have to be able to do so many things at the same time. In flight school you will watch your classmates stumble while trying to fly the plane, readback an ATC instruction, tune a radio, and look at a Jepp Chart…for you people with ADD…this will be a cinch! I know so many co-workers that were ADD kids. On Ritalin in Public School and/or College. The one common thread I find, is that many of us found ways arround the use of Ritalin. (believe me we talk about this in the air, lock youself in a cockpit with the same person for 2 weeks and you’ll know all their dirty little secrets too) Most went off it on their own accord. Not because the FAA said “bad pilot.” I am not the norm. I went off it when I found the drug to be illegal. Most ADD pilots I know went off the drug at some point in High School or College. The reason? Pilots are notoriously “Type A” people. They like to be in control of their own life. Many felt that Ritalin was becoming a crutch, and they went off it on their own. Well fellow ADD’ers. Hate to cut it short but I must fly tomorrow. I will DEFINATLY come back with some OTC remedies for you ADD Troubles (ones that I found to work anyway) and I will do it with a MUCH better attitude. Yesterday just happened to be the saddest most frustrating day I have had for the past Decade….and I am afrid that I took it out on thge annonimity of this Forum.

    Sincerly,
    AKpilot

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