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The debate about whether to allow pilots who use antidepressant medication to continue flying is ongoing, and recently the Air Line Pilots Association asked the FAA to extend the comment period on the agency's planned policy change. The FAA wants to allow pilots who use selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to obtain medical certificates, provided they are carefully evaluated and monitored. While there are some concerns about whether pilots should be allowed to use antidepressants, Australia has permitted this since 1989, with no increase in the normal accident rate.
Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.
