Hi all,
T1D commercial pilot here. Diagnosed in 2007 and grounded for a long time before getting my medical certification back as part of the UK CAA’s diabetes protocol.
As things stand in the UK, to qualify you must have previously held a Class 1 Medical certification prior to diagnosis. This may change however, due to the ruling mentioned above regarding initial issue to HIV affected individuals. Keep an eye on the CAA website to see if this becomes the case.
Other EASA (European) countries currently taking part in the protocol include Austria and Rep. of Ireland, so if you are licensed by these countries you may be able to get your medical back.
Canada has a similar system to the UK’s (in fact they were the first country to do it), and there’s talk for the US FAA following suit but I believe there are ongoing legal issues with that.
So if you are interested in a flying career (but starting from scratch), then here’s my advice.
Determine if you would pass a Class 1 medical.
It would be a shame (and probably heartbreaking) to overcome the diabetes obstacles only to discover you’d be disqualified on a separate issue eg eyesight, cardiac, whatever.
Keep an eye on the UK CAA website regarding initial issue of Class 1 medical certificates (as mentioned above regarding HIV pilots).
If you’re not in the UK then ask your national aviation authority what their policy is, and why they don’t do something similar to the UK/IRL/AUT/CAN.
Finally, figure out if it’s really what you want to do. There are days when it’s the greatest job in the world. Then there are days when you miss big family events because you’re stuck on a trip in (insert random country here).
If you want to recreate the glamour of long haul flying, then spend a few nights sat in the cupboard under your stairs, forcing yourself to stay awake by drinking bad coffee. That’ll simulate your working environment pretty well.
Those of us who are back flying have to be disciplined with our diabetes management, both when flying and off duty. But then if you want a successful flying career then you need the same discipline with your operating procedures, checklists, training etc. It’s not a career that suits all people, so give it a lot of thought before you invest in any very expensive training!
Hope that helps.
Ian