By Bill Evans, EAA 794228, Montreal EAA Chapter 266

Last spring, my medical examiner said NO, which came as a big surprise since I’d flown since 1973. Then Transport Canada weighed in with lack of mobility AND blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, glaucoma, and on it goes.

So, I talked to a young friend, both a surgeon and pilot. He said, “Take your best shot once at getting your medical back.” So I did.

Mobility meant a new titanium hip and socket and physio for four months. Exercise four times each day. Both surgeon and physio wrote FIT.

So, I had cataract surgery on both eyes, with expensive lens implants suited to flying and driving. Huge success, 20/20. BOTH EYES.

I also followed my glucose sugar very carefully and had my endocrinologist adjust meds once to control sugar to say 7 + or -1. You also need a dietitian to set a diet that will work and follow the diet (no exceptions). It goes on and on. Exhaustive blood and urine tests. Daily glucose sugar records, compete list of medications and dosages. Every procedure needs a report saying something like baseline, normal, no sign of optic nerve failure, or similar.

Then I had a file an inch thick of supporting documentation. In previous years it cost maybe $1,000. Plus, the medical exam.

But the cataract surgeries alone cost $2,000, this year.

I re-read it all this week and in writing, it looks like I’ll fly in 2026. Further, in my case, it’s as much trouble/cost to get a third-class medical as first class, so my commercial certificate stays.

I write this to say it really can be done. It took me nine months of tests and procedures. It may cost thousands, but medical science has advanced. Perhaps no group benefits more from the advances than pilots. It takes planning and determination, but having that plan makes life at 78 worth living quite a bit more.

Lastly, there is no maximum age limit on planet Earth to hold a pilot certificate. If you have it, keep it! If you lost it, get it back!

Bill Evans flies a homebuilt Sonerai II, A V-class racer increased from 80 to 127 hp. It is fully aerobatic. One could be built for $20,000. Affordable.