It’s our end of the year episode and we’re taking a reflective dive into our podcasting journey, celebrating the milestones and highlights of the past year. From our impactful experience at the NTSB Pilot Mental Health Summit to our achievement of being published in The Washington Post — we're sharing our most significant moments and insights. We owe immense gratitude to our dedicated supporters whose unwavering encouragement has propelled us forward on this incredible journey. Thank you all so much and cheers to a new year! If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for ..read more

Our guest this week has a chilling story that reminds us how pilot healthcare aversion can become a safety risk in the flight deck. Melissa Florez is a flight attendant, student pilot and former firefighter. On a routine flight her crew was faced with an in flight emergency they had never expected. Listen now to find out more… • If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. SOCIAL LINKS- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thepilotspandemic https://instagram.com/emneonicon https://Instagram.com/thefitaviatrix Link for aeromedical reform peti ..read more

This week we are joined by repeat guest and fan favorite, Joe LaRusso. Joe is a pilot and aviation lawyer that helps aviators get their wings aka their medical license . Joe reached out and wanted to come back on the show to spill the tea over some, you guessed it, FAA gossip. This time they are in hot water over pulling 2000 plus medicals from retired military pilots. We question whether this is legal and why the FAA would take such a drastic action when they are unable to handle the current situation at the OKC office. Joe reminds our audience why we need to be vocal with congress and demand ..read more

This week we dive into our DM’s and discuss a common thread amongst aviators and why pilots are hesitant to be vocal about aeromedical reform. We also talk about the importance of taking action and how breaking silence is crucial in de-stigmatizing healthcare for pilots and by doing so, possibly “saving a life”. • If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. • SOCIAL LINKS- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thepilotspandemic https://instagram.com/emneonicon https://Instagram.com/thefitaviatrix Link for aeromedical reform petition: https ..read more

Our guest this week is Chris Nathan. Chris is a third generation pilot and aspiring general aviator. After obtaining his private pilot he received a letter from the FAA regarding his 3rd class medical. 2 years later, Chris is still battling to get back in the left seat. We discussed the consequences of the FAAs archaic standards in relation to the DSM 3 and how this has caused major issues in Chris’s case. Chris also notes a lack of transparency from the FAA’s OKC office and blatant disregard to the FAA’s so called “case by case” basis. Listen now to hear more about Chris’s battle and how he p ..read more

In this episode, we were joined by Veteran JTAC and Pilot, Shannon Cruz. Shannon has an impressive 3700 flight hours, multiple combat decorations, and 21 years of military service. Despite this, Shannon has been fighting to get back his medical and hard-earned pilot's licenses for over two years. Unfortunately, he is 1 of 5000 pilots involved in the VA record pull by the FAA. To help support and advocate for pilot mental health please visit www.pmhc.org. Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepilotspandemic/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepilotsp ..read more

We have returned from our break… but with very somber news. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepilotspandemic/support ..read more

This week’s guest is an honorary favorite of The Pilots Pandemic Podcast, Cargo Pilot, Fareed Guyot. Fareed has been an ardent supporter of mental health reform in aviation and shared our message of mental health advocacy on EAA radio at Osh Kosh last year as well as most recently on his local news network. Fareed has successfully navigated the Special Issuance process for generalized anxiety and will be joining us in Washington DC as part of the Pilot Mental Health Campaign to lobby our congressional leaders for change. Fareed shares about his career track to the airlines and what he went thr ..read more

We are solo this week and recapping all of our highlights after attending the NGPA winter warm up expo in Palm Springs, CA. From the cholla garden to the club and everything in between. Listen now to hear more… If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. SOCIAL LINKS- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thepilotspandemic https://instagram.com/emneonicon https://Instagram.com/thefitaviatrix https://instagram.com/pilotmentalhealth Link for aeromedical reform petition: https://www.change.org/apilotspandemic WEBSITE: https://msha.ke/thepilotsp ..read more

Our guest this week is Zack Friedman. Zack is an incredibly outspoken aeromedical reform advocate who we connected with on LinkedIn. In 2022 after seeking his medical for flight training he hit a road block for disclosing treatment for anxiety and acne. Zack has been waiting to get back in left seat for almost 2 years. On this episode he walks us through his experience so far, which highlights the many inconsistencies and flaws with the FAA aeromedical system and mental health policies. Listen now to hear more… If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide an ..read more