Re:Ask HN: How did an adult ADHD diagnosis help you?
by pilot7378535 on Tuesday June 15, 2021 @09:56AM
(#27515573)
Same goes for operating a car. How many accidents are caused by distracted driving?
The good news is that medication may mitigates the symptoms so you can focus on driving or flying safely.
The bad news is the FAA says you can't use the medication while flying nor can you have an active diagnosis. So if you have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, even as a child, your only option is to go through an expensive testing process to prove you don't have ADHD anymore. Or some people just lie. Easiest and most dangerous approach is to never be diagnosed in the first place.
The FAA is rewarded for caution, not inclusivity. But they are making changes, like very recently making exceptions to allow diabetics to be pilots: https://www.diabetes.org/resources/know-your-rights/discrimi.... Just know that a diagnosis can never been deleted.
Being barred from a pilots license is a good thing.
I look back on that time, and I’m shocked I didn’t crash the damned aircraft. I couldn’t focus when landing (executive focus disfunction), I would freak out randomly (emotional disregulation), and I gave at least one of my instructors several grey hairs when landing.
When you’re a pilot, you can’t afford to not be paying attention.