Basic Med Question

[A64Pilot]

Question is under basic med if you have surgery, in my case a total knee replacement, at what point are you no longer grounded?

Onviously off of pain meds, but do you make the determination that your good enough to fly?

[TCC]

That’s a conversation between you and your doctor. I would be thinking about safely entering/exiting the plane, duration of flight, ability to feel (feedback) and manipulate rudder controls and ability to do an emergency egress from a physical standpoint.

I’d also want to talk about medication and pain management.

[A64Pilot]

Which Dr? the one who signed the basic med, or the Orthopedic Surgeon? Pain med wise anything exceeding Tylenol is I assume very much grounding all by itself, the label says don’t operate machinery

In Truth if you can get into a Mooney knee replacement wise, you can fly it. Getting in and out is way more difficult than flying.

I was curious as to what the text book answer is. Military anything exceeding 2 aspirin or any kind of injury or any visit to a Dr.,  required clearance by a flight Surgeon, but of course this isn’t the  Military.

Edited September 21, 2021 by A64Pilot

[jaylw314]

2 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

Question is under basic med if you have surgery, in my case a total knee replacement, at what point are you no longer grounded?

Onviously off of pain meds, but do you make the determination that your good enough to fly?

The idea of BasicMed is that the responsibility to determine your safety to fly is you and you alone.  The physician has nothing to do with the decision on a day to day basis.  He only has to conduct a screening (not comprehensive) exam, treat you for anything like he normally would, go over any conditions and medications that could reasonably impair safety, and raise the red flag if you have a new neurologic, cardiac or psychiatric condition. 

You commit to taking aeromedical courses yearly and that you will make good aeromedical decisions prior to every flight.  In other words, after your knee surgery, YOU were the only person who grounded yourself, and the only person responsible for and accountable for flying again is you.

[thinwing]

exactly...would self ground during postop recomended by ortho paedic doc....ask him...explain you have a low slung sportscar...

[midlifeflyer]

Exactly the same as if you had the same surgery with an FAA medical.  BTDT a number of times.

[carusoam]

For an interesting list of meds you can fly with and meds you can’t fly with…

AOPA is pretty good about making the info accessible….

I lived in fear of needing to use cholesterol meds… avoided going to the doctor….  
 

Then found out many cholesterol meds are on the OK to use list… 

 

All thanks to the newer friendlier FAA…

 

PP thoughts only…

Best regards,

-a-

[A64Pilot]

21 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

The idea of BasicMed is that the responsibility to determine your safety to fly is you and you alone.  The physician has nothing to do with the decision on a day to day basis.  He only has to conduct a screening (not comprehensive) exam, treat you for anything like he normally would, go over any conditions and medications that could reasonably impair safety, and raise the red flag if you have a new neurologic, cardiac or psychiatric condition. 

You commit to taking aeromedical courses yearly and that you will make good aeromedical decisions prior to every flight.  In other words, after your knee surgery, YOU were the only person who grounded yourself, and the only person responsible for and accountable for flying again is you.

I had a medical professional send me a PM basically stating exactly what you said, which is what I pretty much what I thought too, just wondered if I was right or wrong.

Edited September 22, 2021 by A64Pilot

[Cruiser]

Technically (for us) its non-medical description is "Mooney knee"