Comment from Stan Friesen
Stan FriesenSupportIndividual
Summary: A commercial pilot and safety auditor who is a type 1 diabetic supports the petition for reconsideration. The commenter argues that current FAA medical approval processes for insulin users are inconsistent and time-consuming, and that the petition would prevent financial and vocational interruptions for pilots.
I have been in the cockpit of an airliner as a safety auditor/pilot for 10 years now as a type 1 diabetic who uses insulin. I have never had an unsafe situation or difficulty. We have the best medical technology in insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. The current protocol is not black and white and is almost a roll of the FAA dice as to whether we get approved for a medical or not. In a couple different instances I have had it take months to get my medical approved even though I submitted all of the correct paperwork in a timely manner. I highly recommend that this petition gets approved so the lively hood of commercial pilots is not financially or vocationally interrupted. We have been strung along for long enough.