Aviation Blog

October 27, 2026 | FAA Medical News

FAA Cuts Brain Injury Wait to 4 Years: How to Get Your Medical Back

Has the FAA Really Shortened the Brain Injury Wait? Key Takeaways: Yes. In the FAA AME Guide "Head Injury or Brain Injury" table (Version 09/30/2026), the FAA cut its brain injury timelines from 5 years to 4 years. If your concussion or mild brain injury happened 4 or more years ago and you answer "no" […]

October 19, 2026 | FAA Medical News

A Firm Built on Airman Medical Certification: The Ison Law Firm Approach

A Firm Built on Airman Medical Certification: The Ison Law Firm Approach The Ison Law Firm is based in Florida and represents pilots nationwide. If you are searching for help with FAA Form 8500-8 applications because you realize a prior answer was inaccurate or incomplete, you are asking the right question at the right time. […]

October 15, 2026 | Pilot Law

What to Do If You Never Disclosed a Psychiatric Hospitalization to the FAA

Correcting the Record After an Omitted Psychiatric Admission on Your Airman Medical Key Takeaways: If you omitted a psychiatric hospitalization from your FAA medical application, you may have options, but time matters. The FAA’s falsification framework in 14 CFR § 67.403 covers knowing omissions, not just lies. Omissions often surface through insurance claims, emergency visits, […]

October 14, 2026 | FAA Medical News

What the New August 2026 FAA Mental Health Renewal Pathway Means for Pilots

AASI PATH Update Redraws the Map for Deferred Pilots and Mental Health Renewals Key Takeaways: The FAA’s August 2026 renewal framework builds on the AASI PATH program, allowing Aviation Medical Examiners to handle certain mental health renewals in-office while initial special issuance decisions remain with FAA physicians. Pilots managing anxiety, depression, or related conditions must […]

October 13, 2026 | FAA Medical News

Why Pilots Facing a Deferral Choose The Ison Law Firm for Aeromedical Advocacy

What a Deferred FAA Medical Certificate Means and How Legal Advocacy Can Help The Ison Law Firm is based in Florida and represents pilots nationwide. When an Aviation Medical Examiner defers your application, the decision enters a federal administrative process. A deferral is not a final medical verdict but the start of an FAA certification […]

August 8, 2026 | FAA Medical News

How the July 2026 AASI PATH Update Affects Pilots With Depression

The July 2026 AASI PATH Update and What It Means for FAA Form 8500-8 Item 18v Reporting Key Takeaways: The FAA updated its AASI PATH guidance for anxiety, depression, and related conditions on July 29, 2026, refining how pilots on antidepressants maintain medical certification. Initial special issuance decisions come from an FAA physician, while renewals […]

July 30, 2026 | FAA Medical News

New June 2026 FAA Cardiac Tables Reshape Heart Murmur Certification

How FAA Cardiac Updates and the FAA Sleep Apnea Compliance Form Affect Pilots Key Takeaways: The FAA published Version 06/24/2026 of its Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, adding and revising cardiac disposition tables under Item 36 (Heart), which reshape how a heart murmur is documented and whether an AME may issue a certificate directly or […]

July 25, 2026 | FAA Medical News

Can Pilots Take Beta-Blockers and Keep FAA Medical Certification?

Beta-Blockers and FAA Medical Certification: What Pilots Need to Know The Ison Law Firm is based in Florida and represents pilots nationwide. If you take beta-blockers for high blood pressure, you may still qualify for an FAA medical certificate. Beta-adrenergic blockers are explicitly listed as acceptable antihypertensive medications under FAA guidelines, and many active pilots […]

July 24, 2026 | FAA Medical News

Is Clonidine a Disqualifying Blood Pressure Drug for Pilots?

Understanding Why Clonidine Raises Red Flags at the FAA Key Takeaways: Clonidine is generally treated as disqualifying for pilots because it is a centrally acting agent that falls outside FAA-approved antihypertensive categories. The agency approves alpha and beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, direct vasodilators, and diuretics, but clonidine’s sedation, […]

July 23, 2026 | FAA Medical News

How the June 2026 FAA AME Guide Update Changes Heart Transplant Certification

What the June 2026 AME Guide Update Actually Changed Key Takeaways: The June 24, 2026 revision to the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners restructured Item 36 (Heart) and introduced a transplant disposition table that reshapes how heart transplant recipients pursue certification. Like the faa sleep apnea compliance form process, cardiac special issuance now requires […]