In your opinion, if someone had Asperger, but functional enough that you wouldn't see it, would be wrong not telling it to aviation doctor ?

Question

In your opinion, if someone had Asperger, but functional enough that you wouldn't see it, would it be wrong not to hide it from an Aviation medical examiner if you want be a pilot,

such a little innocent whore white lie ;-)
I am a Pole some time ago, one of my friends here from Poland had ADHD and Asperger's, but he was not treated pharmacologically and moreover, he was a genius, maybe not like Elon Musk, but he had a Polish Mensa membership card :-)
He once praised the ULC Urząd Lotbictwa Cywilnego ( Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland  ) like the dreaded American FAA xD that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland issued him a class 1 aviation health certificate entitling him to the possibility of making a pilot's license not only as an amateur car driving license, but also the possibility of making a CPL license which entitles him to fly professionally :-)
I asked him ULC gave you a health certificate and it was 1st class despite Asperger and ADHD, he said he just didn't tell them about it :-)

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The ramifications of not disclosing this is far greater then those of disclosing it!
No, I would not tell a lie like that just to make it easy to get a pilots license. One of the qualities a pilot needs is a concern for the general public and passengers. A failure to disclose shows the person lacks those concerns.
Better to be declared competent enough with Asperger's then to hide it and loose the license because of a failure to disclose. If the person in question is competent enough but fails to disclose and is found out, the license will be voided with little to no hope of ever getting another one.

Anonymous · Answer

I have Asperger's AND I show tendencies such as social awkwardness and just general anti social behavior. I am 23 years old and hold a Private Pilot's certificate, and instrument rating, and am currently working on my Multi engine CFI. in about 6-9 months I will be flying for American Eagle as a first officer and and eventually a FO at American Airlines. From there I will work my way to a captains position.

They don't need to know you have Asperger's. They need to know if you are mentally and physically fit enough to fly an aircraft by yourself. It has never came up.

I have come to learn that being on the high-end of the spectrum, is another way of saying your a genius who simply will not fit in. Thanks to my "disease" I was able to put large amounts of focused work into my craft, because that is what I love to do so we kind of just do that....It's how our brain works. Socializing? not. Getting things (that you care about) figured out? YES!

So yea, you can go be a pilot and not tell them about your Asperger's.

HONESTLY, telling them may do more harm than good. But Asperger's is in no way disqualifying you so they do not need to know.

Check a rule book known as the "FAR/AIM" And read part "61.23". That is what they should be looking for when examining you.

Sorry if this is a long detailed answer, and sorry for apologizing.. Blame my "disease".

Hope this helps :)

david · Answer

Everybody is somewhere on the Asperger's spectrum. If you're functional, don't lie.

Anonymous · Answer

It AMAZES me that the majority of your questions involve "friends with Aspergers."  I think you have no friends, and these questions are all about you.  Somehow I don't think some with diagnosed mental illness/mental impairment who is required to submit medical records is going to become a pilot.

Anonymous · Answer

You can be FIRED immediately if the company discovers that you lied during your application.

Anonymous · Answer

SINCE IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL NOT TO DISCLOSE THAT CONDITION, NO MATTER HOW MILD, YES, IT WOULD BE WRONG DUMBASS.

In your opinion, if someone had Asperger, but functional enough that you wouldn't see it, would be wrong not telling it to aviation doctor ?

6 Answers