Any Air Traffic Contollers out there????

[sleepingatlast]

Found this article today..

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07 ... ws#content

This is what caught my attention...

The FAA said it has also agreed to develop policies to encourage controllers to seek medical help for sleep apnea, a disorder that causes abnormal pauses in breathing and often prevents restful sleep. Currently, controllers diagnosed with sleep apnea aren't permitted to continue to work.

The agency said it will work to develop a process for most air traffic controllers with sleep apnea to regain their medical qualification after receiving medical treatment.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07 ... z1QzvdCM1p

So if you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, you are no longer permitted to work until you are cleared by the gov't???

[ameriken]

Apparantly so. And I'm quite glad to hear that. I'm not an ATC, but if I was, considering how affected I was by SA I wouldn't want to fly on a plane that had me in the tower in charge of it.

[mayondair]

Interesting, lowly private pilots have to pass a Maintenance of wakefulness test to keep medical certification if diagnosed with sleep apnea. Didn't know controllers had different regs. Seems to me if the person actually in command of an aircraft Is OK with proper treatment and testing, a controller in a nice cozy tower should be no different. I'll share a pilot saying. " instrument flight is the ultimate video game, no reset." not a place for the sleep deprived