Even a minor illness in a pilot can cause a major problem while flying. In addition, accidents have occurred because of pilot’s disability related to disease and/or medication. Many symptoms that are negligible on the ground may worsen while flying, so in many cases the underlying illness itself is usually the major reason not to fly. Therefore, licence holders should be encouraged always to consult their AME (authorised medical examiner) before taking any medication. Quite often other physicians than AMEs show a serious lack of knowledge in the field of aviation medicine and therefore consultation with AME and not a general practitioner or other non-aviation familiar doctor is highly encouraged.
