📰 News & Updates

🗞 Recent Headlines

• [June 2025] FAA Memo Confirms No Oversight of Airline HIMS Programs

This article analyzes a 2021 internal FAA memo in which Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup admitted the FAA has no regulatory authority over airline-run HIMS programs. With no enforceable rules or standards, pilots face consequences under systems that lack formal oversight—highlighting why true reform is urgently needed.

• [June 2025] The Kafka Trap: How the FAA Discredits Pilots Through a Rigged Narrative

This article breaks down one of the FAA’s most insidious defenses: the Kafka trap. Labeling pilots as inherently untrustworthy simply because they were once diagnosed with substance dependence creates a no-win scenario. We call on Congress to reject this circular logic and restore dignity, fairness, and scientific objectivity to aeromedical oversight.

• [June 2025] Your Privacy Is Our Priority: Why Anonymity Matters at P4HR

As our coalition grows, so does the need for trust. This article explains why we take anonymity seriously, how your information is safeguarded, and why no story will ever be shared without consent. We urge every member to respect the privacy of others and help us grow the movement safely and ethically.

• [June 2025] Contradictory HIMS Report Shows Psychiatric Inconsistencies

In this case study, an FAA HIMS psychiatric report states a pilot both did and did not report hand tremors in different sections of the same document. The contradiction was never explained. Read this real-world example of how subjectivity in psychiatry can lead to confusion and harm.

• [June 2025] To Our Medical Allies: We're Not Your Enemy

This article is addressed to HIMS AMEs, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and other medical professionals who support FAA pilot certification. We affirm that our movement is not against them, but against a system that allows bad actors to operate unchecked. For those already supporting reform, we invite you to help us grow the coalition by encouraging like-minded colleagues to join.

• [June 2025] Sit Down, Shut the F--- Up, and Do What You're Told

This powerful firsthand account reveals how a pilot, just three months into the HIMS program and freshly out of inpatient rehab, was silenced for simply asking questions. Told to “sit down, shut the f--- up, and do what you’re told” by a so-called peer mentor who was never even in the program, this story exposes the hypocrisy, the suppression, and the systemic abuse at the heart of FAA oversight.

• [June 2025] Psychiatry and the FAA: When Subjectivity Becomes a Safety Risk

Psychiatry is often called a blend of science and art — but when it’s used as the foundation for life-altering FAA decisions, subjectivity can become dangerous. This article explores how vague mental health evaluations, unreviewable opinions, and a lack of scientific rigor have led to devastating consequences for pilots under HIMS oversight. We also explain why P4HR is calling for objective standards and independent review within the AEROPath model.

• [June 2025] How Well Do You Know Your HIMS-AME?

What happens when a HIMS-authorized AME has a DUI on record—and a formal Medical Board accusation—yet continues to send pilots into invasive testing based on vague letters? This new exposé raises serious questions about transparency, ethics, and unequal treatment in the HIMS system.

• [May 2025] Cross-Referenced and Cornered: How the FAA Used Veterans' VA Records to Launch Fraud Investigations

Thousands of veteran pilots were blindsided when the FAA launched mass investigations by cross-referencing their VA disability records with FAA medical forms. Many were grounded, accused of fraud, or flagged for undisclosed diagnoses—without warning or due process.

• [May 2025] Standing with All Pilots: Ending Stigma and Embracing Real Mental Health Advocacy

Mental health in aviation remains a complex and often stigmatized subject. This powerful statement reaffirms that P4HR stands with every pilot—regardless of background, diagnosis, or bureaucratic status. If you’ve been silenced, overlooked, or unfairly treated, you still have a place here. Read our full message of inclusive advocacy, dignity, and reform.

• [May 2025] Reclaiming Recovery: Why the HIMS Program Fears the Windshield Analogy

What if recovery is something you complete—not a sentence you serve forever? This article explores how institutional resistance to full healing keeps pilots locked into indefinite oversight, and why the metaphor of a repaired windshield reveals the deeper truth behind FAA medical policy.

• [May 2025] Speak Up Without Fear: How to Support the P4HR Movement Anonymously

Want to support HIMS reform but worried about being targeted? This guide explains how you can join the movement, share your story, and make an impact—all while remaining anonymous and protected.

• [May 2025] Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse? DSM-5 and HIMS Oversight Under Scrutiny

This article challenges the lack of self-assessment among FAA HIMS regulators—many of whom could meet DSM-5 criteria for dependence themselves. Are pilots being judged by a double standard?

• [May 2025] A Union Divided: How Pilot Unions Risk Conflict of Interest in the HIMS Process

Many pilots are unaware that their own union may be the first to pressure them into the HIMS Program—often without independent legal or medical review. This article exposes how union loyalty to the FAA and airline management creates a conflict of interest that leaves pilots voiceless. We also introduce AEROPath, a better, independent alternative.

• [May 2025] Beyond the Bills: Why H.R. 9243 and H.R. 2591 Fall Short on HIMS Reform

Two new bipartisan bills offer progress on mental health and medication transparency, but they fail to address HIMS-specific abuse, coercion, and systemic flaws. This companion article outlines what Congress still needs to fix.

• [May 2025] Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025 – P4HR Endorses Groundbreaking Reform Bill

This act mandates FAA reform of its mental health policies, annual SI review, more trained AMEs, and a national destigmatization campaign. P4HR strongly supports it—but calls for further action to address HIMS gaps.

• [May 2025] Aviation Medication Transparency Act – FAA Must Publish Approved and Banned Meds

P4HR applauds this bill as a win for transparency. It would force the FAA to release a clear, searchable list of medications—ending decades of confusion and secrecy in pilot medical certification.

• [May 2025] FAA Reauthorization Act Includes Airman’s Bill of Rights — P4HR Reviewing HIMS Impact

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 may signal long-overdue change in how the FAA oversees airmen in the HIMS Program. P4HR is conducting a line-by-line review of two key provisions: a new “Airman’s Medical Bill of Rights” and a working group ordered to review Special Issuance, mental health monitoring, and HIMS protocols. These developments could lay the groundwork for restoring fairness and transparency. Subscribe here to stay updated as we release guidance for airmen.

• [May 2025] New Guide for First-Time Pilots Entering the HIMS Program

Created to demystify the earliest stages of HIMS placement, this guide offers a pilot-centered walkthrough of what to expect, what’s required, and how to protect your rights from day one.

• [May 2025] FAA’s $530K Contract with ALPA Reveals HIMS Enforcement Role

This contract formalizes ALPA’s dual role as both pilot advocate and FAA-funded HIMS enforcer—raising urgent concerns about conflicts of interest and lack of oversight.