I have mild cerebral palsy from a birth defect. I am interested in possibly a career in aviation. I took a discovery flight a couple weeks ago and loved every minute of it. I went to talk with an AME about getting my 3rd class medical license and he said it’s not a no but it’s not a yes to getting a medical certificate. Is getting my pilots license possible with a mild disability of mild cerebral palsy? I went up on the discovery flight and flew no problem. My AME said I would have to prove to the FAA that I am capable of flying an airplane unassisted and safely. My question is that with having mild cerebral palsy affect me in getting my pilots license? Could I still get a medical certificate and be able to fly even with maybe the use of hand controls to control the rudder pedals? Any tips or suggestions would be helpful. Thank you for your advice and reading.
Alex
As Chris said to fly professionally you’ll need at least a 2nd Class medical and a First for the airlines. Only your AME can tell you for certain if this will be possible. That said I’ve seen many cases of people with a number of challenges getting their Private licenses and being able to fly recreationally https://ableflight.org/meet-the-scholarship-winners
A “career in aviation” can mean many different things. While you may never work as a pilot for an airline, there are hundreds of other jobs in the industry you might find satisfying. I’d encourage you to do some research on those areas as well.