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LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — Now available is the eagerly awaited step-by-step guide for transgender commercial and airline transport (ATP) pilots to help successfully navigate the path through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) complicated process for keeping one’s medical certificate valid during transition.

The current process involves a large number of tests, evaluations and specific documents that must be submitted in an orderly time frame. Sometimes the material even gets lost by the FAA or worse, misconstrued, leaving a pilot without a valid medical certificate until things get sorted out — bottom line: no valid medical certificate, no income. Trans pilots in the past have gone many months without pay while trying to get the FAA on board with their transition. These circumstances leaves some with having to leave the profession, or not transition at all.

ATP pilot Jessica Taylor and a number of other transgender pilots who have undergone this process have put together a guide called Transitioning The FAA: Navigating the FAA Aeromedical Office for Transgender Pilots, which if followed, should reduce the sometimes lengthy time period to 2 months.

Some of the steps includes becoming very familiar with gender dysphoria, being proactive in the process, using a consultant and being prepared to intelligently defend yourself.

From the guide:

“Use your professionalism and trustworthiness to build a solid case to present to the FAA. This may seem crazy but the FAA doesn’t want to ground anyone; they just want to make sure whomever is flying is safe to do so. . . . Many people in the air and on the ground look at you for leadership and need to trust you, no matter the condition. With leadership comes great responsibility. The fact you are an airline pilot shows a significant amount of responsibility. You have made it this far, use your amazing career and professional demeanor to your advantage!

——

Thumbs up to Jessica and everyone involved in putting this guide together!

I previously wrote about Jessica Taylor: https://lexiecannes.com/2015/03/26/leelahs-turmoil-prompts-stepped-up-activism-by-transgender-airline-pilots/

Transitioning The FAA: http://www.missaviatrix.com/the-faa.html

Watch LEXIE CANNES right now: http://www.amazon.com/Lexie-Cannes-CourtneyODonnell/dp/B00KEYH3LQ Or get the DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332

Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/

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