provides the same coverageBefore 2010, pilots taking medication typically didn’t disclose it to their employers at all, Feldman said. Use of anything other than those few approved drugs is still not allowed, which creates a similar disincentive to disclose. Pilots could be fired if their employer finds out they’ve hidden a prescription, but many run that risk to keep flying.Honesty can be career-ending, as one Delta Air Lines pilot discovered.
“Let’s say you have a guy that might’ve been toying with the idea of getting help. Now he’s like ‘Nope, I’m just going to suck it up, push it down deep, let it fester,’” Alex said. “The guy thinks, ‘I didn’t get help, and I felt I couldn’t because I would be persecuted.
“Some people need two to feel better, but no, you can only be on one,” McNeil said. And the six-month stabilization policy means pilots can’t change drugs or adjust their dosage without resetting the clock of when they can return to work. The FAA didn’t respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on this piece, though it has previously acknowledged the fundamental issues. “U.S. commercial pilots undergo vigorous and regular medical screening. While some conditions automatically disqualify someone from flying, many pilots have treatable conditions,” said former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a
“The FAA’s job is to manage liability and public perception,” McNeil said. “They have an archaic, 1950s mentality approach to mental health. Their policies are non-scientific and outdated, and their policies drive pilots underground.”Since the FAA relies significantly on self-reporting, seeking therapy is tricky.
Rather than lying, however, Eisen told the truth — a risky career move. The FAA took away his permission to fly in January 2008, and Eisen saw his first therapist.