Hi everyone,

I have a HIMS psychiatric evaluation with Dr. Scott Johnson coming up, and as it’s getting closer my nerves are definitely starting to kick in.

A little background for context:

• Former Part 121 FO and Part 135 PIC
• Voluntarily self-grounded due to alcohol use disorder
• Over 3 years sober
• Active in AA (minimum two meetings per week)
• Daily contact with my sponsor
• Weekly outpatient aftercare
• Continuous DOT drug/alcohol testing for over 2 years
• Completed all of the requested records, personal statement, collateral contacts, etc.

I’m not looking for ways to “pass” the evaluation or game the process. I’ve been putting in the work for the past few years and intend to answer every question honestly.

I think what’s making me the most anxious is worrying about forgetting details from several years ago or accidentally saying something that doesn’t perfectly match my records.

For anyone who’s evaluated with Dr. Johnson:

What was your experience like?
Did you find him fair and professional?
Was the interview more conversational or structured?
Were there any surprises, or was it pretty much what you expected?

If you haven’t seen Dr. Johnson, I’d also be interested in hearing what your HIMS psychiatric evaluation was like with another evaluator.

I know every case is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing about others’ experiences.
Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for advice from anyone who's been throughthis personally or has experience hiring pilots.

I'm an independent CFI and I'm only a couple of hours short of ATP minimums. Once my medical situation is resolved, I plan to finish those remaining hours right away.

About four months ago, I was convicted of a DUI. I also refused a breath test. My AME has told me the next stepis completing a psychiatric/alcohol evaluation. Based on those results, I'll find out whether I need to go through the full HIMS process or if alcohol monitoring will be sufficient. My AME is optimistic that I'll have my medicalback relatively soon, assuming everything goes well.

My biggest question is about employment.
Assuming I get my medical back and meet ATP minimum’s, how competitive would I realistically be for Part 135, 121, or Part 91 jobs? I've heard people say a recent DUI means waiting at least five years before mostoperators will consider you, but I've also heard ofpeople getting hired much sooner.

I also understand there's a big difference between someone who already works at an airline and has unionsupport versus someone applying off the street like I will be.

If you've gone through something similar or if you're involved in hiring I'd really appreciate hearing your experience. How long did it take before you were able to get hired? Were regionals, charter operators, or corporate flight departments willing to give you a chance sooner than expected?

I'm looking for realistic expectations and firsthand experiences, not just guesses. Thanks in advance.

I'd like to start a thread for anyone who has been hired at a major with a DUI on their record. I've recently upgraded to captain at my regional and am about to submit my application to UA. I think it would always be encouraging and helpful for others to see other people who have moved on before them.

If you've been hired at a major please make a comment with some stats like time since DUI, total time, PIC time, degree(if you have one) etc.

Thanks!

My neuropsychologist is asking for all of my counseling records to make an appointment for a consult.

For those that have experienced this do they want the super gross detailed session notes or just a SOAP note style breakdown without the juicy details?

As the title says. Looking for any first-hand reviews/experience with Dr. Brad Griffin as a HIMS AME. Reviews I’ve seen have been a mixed bag and most suggest Dr. Kramer, but unfortunately Kramer is not taking new patients w/ substance use history.

I'm fully committed to this financially and otherwise, so I'm going to keep practing..

But..

My working memory is absolute hot garbage. I cannot seem to remember the string of numbers and then repeat them backwards..

Can this actually be improved upon or am I just screwed?

Hi all,

Potentially a dumb question, apologies…

Last year I had a small bump (pyogenic granuloma, basically benign inflammatory tissue) removed from my lower eyelid by an ophthalmologist. The growth never caused any vision issues and it was removed during a 5 minute appointment and sent to pathology which confirmed it was a pyogenic granuloma. It’s all healed now and my eye looks completely normal.

I have my Class 3 appointment on Monday and I’m a little nervous. I did answer No on the MedXpress for eye issues because the bump was on my lower eyelid (not my eye) and never affected my vision or eye in any way. But I was checking the AME guide and noticed a section for “Eye Tumors” which is an immediate deferral if I’m interpreting the guide correctly.

Should I be expecting a deferral? Not sure if it could be considered an eye tumor and, if it is, does the fact that it was removed and fully healed still require a deferral?

My guess is I should be okay but I have heard of the FAA doing some weird stuff with medicals so just checking!

Hello! My son was accepted into flight school at a university. He has very mild ADHD. This whole process has been so nerve wracking and frustrating. Since we have no clue about FAA medicals and the procedures for getting his first class medical, we have been learning as we go.

My son had his neuropsychological assessment recently with a HIMS neuropsychologist. We just got an email from the doctor saying he needs some supplemental testing. We are concerned about this and what it implies.

Have any of you had this experience? If so, why did you need the additional testing and what was the outcome?

I want to thank everyone here so much!

Hey all, looking to see if anyone has gone through pathway 2 recently. I am on sertraline and have been on the same dose for 9 months and looking to see what I can expect regarding getting my class 1 medical again. I have my appointment with a HIMS AME on Monday for my medical and I have all of my past appointments with my prescribing and diagnosing nurse practitioner which includes my initial visit and my two follow up visits, the most recent of which was today. Anyone know what i can expect? Ill update this as i go through the process

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I've called many treatment facilities. They only offer intensive outpatient services; not weekly group therapy. I'm not sure where to look for this. I've found good virtual options but my AME says the FAA does not usually like those and strongly prefers in person groups.

Please help me find something! Thank you!

I’m 30 years old and have a history of depression on and off from childhood, last medication was taken in 2018. Haven’t had any symptoms since then.

However, I had a medical cannabis card in my state that expired in May 2025. The diagnosis on the card was for PTSD and back pain. Depression isn’t a qualifying condition in Ohio so the doc slid it under PTSD (which I’ve never had). I’ve stopped smoking before I ever went on my discovery flight and figured I’d need to pass a drug test eventually, but I didn’t realize how much the history would play a role in the medical exam until my recent research.

Cannabis dependence is mentioned once in my PCP charts back in 2017 so I figured I’d be answering yes to 18n no matter what.

I’ve had one AME say I should wait a year or two so the med card is further in my past. I also had a HIMS AME tell me to just fill out the MedXpress now because it’s going to get deferred either way.

My question is if there’s any benefit to waiting a year, or if I should just fill it out now and push through the process?

Either way I know I have some hoops to jump through and I’m prepared for that. Flying is something I’m set on doing whether I have to wait a year to start or not.

Any info is appreciated and thanks for your time reading this!

Long story short, history if ADHD, MDD, SI with voluntary commitment at 15/yo (24 now), and "substance abuse" (I used drugs less than 10x in my life, with 8 neg UAs all recorded, never positive)

My senior AME says this case is highly winnable as I have a great paper trail of stable life after, however the cost is going to be exorbitant. (Nearly 15k)

I have the funds, but obviously the more I spend the more it eats into my flight training so I'd like to save anywhere I can. Psych and nueropsych evals around me are 5k, sometimes 6.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever traveled to a different state or something to get a better rate.

What are the differences between these two rolls? Does it include the actual doctor that does your psych or neuropsych evaluation?

I am shopping around for HIMS AMEs at the moment, and I have been emailing them about my case since I don't want to commit to spending all of that money just to get deferred or recommended a fast track. Like I just want to see if I need to bother with getting the fast track materials ready, or if I can get it issued in office. (Obviously there is the whole physical portion as well, but my complicated history is the main thing that would trigger a deferral).

Is this a common/acceptable practice?

Hey all,

I recently received an initial denial from the FAA stating that for reconsideration of my denial, I will need two things; a current substance abuse psychiatric evaluation, and a neuropsychiatric evaluation with HIMS psychiatrists.

The FAA recommended me two psychiatrists in the Galveston, TX area, Dr. Edyth Harvey and Dr. Edward Zompa for the evaluations. I wanted to come back to this subreddit to see if anyone had experience with them or a better suggestion in the southwest region.

As I’m sure everyone in this sub knows, this process is nerve wracking and I’d like to go about this in the best way possible to get in the air. If it’s of any assistance, I’m located in the DFW metroplex in Texas.

Thank you.

EDIT: I am set up with an appointment for my neuropsych with Dr. Johnson and psych with Dr. Harvey. I’m glad to have this sub or I would be even more lost than I already am.

Original post linked here: https://www.reddit.com/r/FAAHIMS/s/R6gNz9YfO5

I just checked my MedXPress and see the status has been set to denied, with a simple not stating “you are not medically cleared to operate an aircraft”. This is my first time ever applying for a medical, so I come to you guys once again to see if this is a common status for a HIMS delegation or if this means I am straight up denied - no ifs ands or buts.

Thanks.

Hi Everyone,

I (26M) am hoping to start flight training in the next year. I have always had an interest in aviation but it wasn’t until I realized that working in an office was not what I was meant to do for the next 30-40 years that I realized that maybe I would want to fly. I took a discovery flight a few months ago and I felt like I was in my element and I had found my purpose. I have the funding for it but the only problem is my Lexapro prescription.

I went on Lexapro two years ago because I was going through some stuff in personal and professional life that were very taxing on my mental health. I didn’t want to but I eventually went on Lexapro and I feel that I have greatly improved. I have never had any suicidal thoughts, hospitalizations or any mental illness history.

I had a consult with an AME and he referred me to a HIMS AME. When I spoke with the HIMS AME he guided me through the SI process and too say I was shocked was an understatement. I asked him about the process of getting off the Lexapro and what he told me was I would have to be stable off it for 60 days and that he would need records from the prescribing doctor. At my last appointment with my doctor, I mentioned this to him and he said he has no concerns about my stability. We had discussed going off the medication in previous appointments. I scheduled an appointment with him for next week to discuss the potential for going off it.

Now that my story is out of the way. Is it worth trying to go off Lexapro?

Hello everyone! I am an 18 year old male and I have an appointment with a HIMS Neuropsychologist on Monday (July 6)!

For background and context, when I was younger, I had a hard time paying attention in elementary school, used to have anger issues, and was almost always talkative. My parents took me to my pediatrician to test for ADHD, and sure enough, my pediatrician diagnosed me with ADHD AND Unspecified Anxiety. I started taking medication around October 2016 to treat my ADHD and later stopped during 2020 when COVID came around and I figured I could manage on my own without medication since it didn't do a whole lot for me. I did also go through cognitive behavioral therapy during 2016-2022 (by the time 2021 and 2022 rolled around, I clearly didn't have symptoms and just met up every once in a while) and it had immensely improved how I handled things inside and outside.

Fast-forward to June 2025: I wanted to fly! It was always my dream to become a pilot when I was younger. I talked to my AME and we talked about how I was eligible for the Fast Track process and went on with the appointment with the appropriate documentation. I overall passed my First Class medical and was issued it with no deferral.

I then went on to start my flight training for my PPL and have accumulated 43 hours so far with a solo in my belt too! (Could've been more hours, but I had school that started conflicting unfortunately)

However, almost a year later, in the beginning of May 2026, I received a happy letter from AAM-300 asking me to surrender my medical because I did not meet Fast Track eligibility and I was instead offered to take the Standard Track instead. Apparently after 3 calls to the FAA number they provided on the letter, the reasoning was because of my diagnosis of Unspecified Anxiety, I couldn't have that with my ADHD diagnosis, and apparently I had to be deferred for the anxiety diagnosis if I were to be eligible for the Fast Track.

Unfortunately, walking with my head down to the Post Office, I surrendered my First Class medical and immediately started looking for HIMs Neuropsychologists in my area. Luckily, I have found one very close with a pretty average price that most HIMS neuropsychologists usually offers and scheduled my appointment on July 6.

With that all in mind, I am very nervous and want to start flying very soon before my second semester of college starts. I was looking through some of the posts in this subreddit about a CogScreen and I am a little worried about the possibility of failing that test, even though my symptoms are gone, and if I am needed to take the exam, which is of course, determined by my examiner. What can I expect during this exam overall? If I have the CogScreen, I heard there is no real way to prepare for it and you just need a good night's of sleep, is this true (and are sites like PilotPrep, etc. even legit and apply to the actual assesment?)?

I don't really have a whole lot to tell since my history is very short and this was several years ago. Again, the whole reason why I have to do this is because of my anxiety diagnosis that attached to my ADHD diagnosis and I took 0 medication to treat my anxiety, I just went to a therapist for both diagnoses and that was about it.

Thank you for reading this long post and thank you for the amazing resources this subreddit provides!

Hi all, I am wondering if anyone here has had an experience similar to mine.

I had my 3rd class medical issued last year during my initial AME exam, the only concern was a GAD diagnosis, but I assume that my AME determined I fell under the fast track requirements, because he issued on the spot.

8 months later the FAA requested additional information, a psych eval for the anxiety, and I scheduled an eval with a HIMS psychologist before the deadline. They confirmed that the report was submitted afterwards via email. The deadline was close, but I figured everything was handled after the psychologist sent the report.

A month later, I received a letter from the FAA stating that I have not provided the requested information and "considering legal enforcement action". Also my medical no longer exists in the airman registry.

I've since confirmed with my AME's office, and OKC that the psychologist's report has been uploaded, and I should be back in the queue for review. Only now I no longer hold a medical.

I have no idea how long the wait will be until I hear anything back, so I've basically paused my flight training indefinitely.

Is this normal? Did my AME or psychologist drop the ball, or was there something else I should've done?

Did my evaluation last week for an event that occurred 14 years ago (failed drug test, non DOT). Went through my entire life, it was crazy how in depth he went. At the end, small cognitive test, it was easy. He did not find any substance abuse or dependance, just remote substance abuse. I will either get unrestricted or SI for a year, depending what the FAA decides. I’m so happy. Been a long time coming.

After being deferred, or denied, in January by the FAA for my first class medical I finally have my HIMS AME psych eval tomorrow. For background I have a history of "depression/anxiety" and have been off medication for almost three years at this point. Just wondering what to expect. I've read that it is basically a conversation that takes a few hours and then they write your report.

I am hoping that this is the beginning of the end of this process for me...

I have adjustment disorder anxiety depression due to suicidal ideation during my time in the military.

My time in the army was miserable all I wanted to be was a pilot when I got out. I was a CFI before joining and I got hazed and bullied because they knew I was a pilot in the army my life was miserable.

I’m out now but have a BA rating for adjustment disorder.

Talk me through the process.

Howdy I’m about to submit paperwork for a si first class and I kinda wondered after reading posts in here over the past year, folks say don’t fight the system or argue with it. I wondered if anyone knew any stories of folks who did dissent the FAA opinion and gave a little pushback and either got some level of success or made things worse.