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389 Benadryl, Zyrtec, and More: FAA Wait Time Rules for Pilots with Dr. John Trowbridge

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Release Date: 06/21/2025

394 Pasadena PD Helicopter Crash Analysis and Cirrus SR22 Safety Lessons show art 394 Pasadena PD Helicopter Crash Analysis and Cirrus SR22 Safety Lessons

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max talks about a dramatic ground collision between two Pasadena Police Department helicopters and the wide-ranging lessons pilots can draw from it. On November 17, 2012, two Bell OH-58 helicopters collided at the Pasadena PD Benedict Heliport when one returned from a flight and struck another that was sitting on the pad with its rotors turning. Six people suffered minor injuries, but the accident destroyed both aircraft and revealed systemic issues far beyond a single pilot error. Max uses the NTSB report and audio clips from the Rotary Wing Show—where host Mick Cullen interviewed Dan...

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393 Bonanza Ruddervator Crisis Solved: $500K Prize Spurs Certified Replacement show art 393 Bonanza Ruddervator Crisis Solved: $500K Prize Spurs Certified Replacement

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max talks with Tom Turner, Executive Director of the American Bonanza Society’s Air Safety Foundation, about an extraordinary initiative to preserve the operational future of the iconic V-tail Bonanza aircraft. When Textron Aviation quietly stopped producing the magnesium ruddervator skins—a unique flight control surface used only on V-tail Bonanzas—it left over 5,000 aircraft potentially grounded due to a lack of repair parts. Even minor damage could make these aircraft unrepairable. To solve this crisis, the ABS Air Safety Foundation awarded the $500,000 Maciel Ruddervator Prize...

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392 ForeFlight’s Dynamic Procedures: Interactive Approach Charts on the Moving Map show art 392 ForeFlight’s Dynamic Procedures: Interactive Approach Charts on the Moving Map

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max talks with Cole Crawford from ForeFlight about the company’s latest innovation: Dynamic Procedures. Built to replace the static, legacy approach chart paradigm, Dynamic Procedures enables pilots to access IFR approach information dynamically, contextually, and interactively—right from the ForeFlight map screen. Cole explains that most pilots spend their time in ForeFlight’s moving map, but approach procedures often pulled them out of that environment into static “plates.” Dynamic Procedures changes that by embedding approach information into the map itself, using a smart...

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391 Should You Learn to Fly in a Bonanza? Max Trescott and Tom Turner Talk Training Options + GA News show art 391 Should You Learn to Fly in a Bonanza? Max Trescott and Tom Turner Talk Training Options + GA News

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max Trescott teams up with Tom Turner—executive director of the American Bonanza Society’s Air Safety Foundation—to help listener Marc Brodecki weigh options for earning his private pilot certificate. Marc, a 39-year-old aerospace engineer in Los Angeles with glider experience, is evaluating three flight training options: a nearby tailwheel-focused school (that includes a Stearman), a larger flight school at Torrance using Sling aircraft, or buying and learning in the Beechcraft Bonanza he eventually wants to own. Tom provides extensive guidance on Bonanza ownership. He discusses...

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390 Electric Airplane Test Flight: Max Trescott Reviews the Bristell B23 Energic show art 390 Electric Airplane Test Flight: Max Trescott Reviews the Bristell B23 Energic

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max Trescott takes listeners inside the cockpit of the future in episode 390, as he shares his firsthand experience flying the fully electric Bristell B23 Energic trainer and talks with executives from H55, the Swiss company behind its electric propulsion system. This in-depth episode explores the technical, operational, and strategic aspects of electric flight training aircraft. The B23 Energic is a joint project between Czech aircraft manufacturer BRM Aero and H55, the latter founded by the team behind the Solar Impulse aircraft that flew around the world on solar power. Max discusses...

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389 Benadryl, Zyrtec, and More: FAA Wait Time Rules for Pilots with Dr. John Trowbridge show art 389 Benadryl, Zyrtec, and More: FAA Wait Time Rules for Pilots with Dr. John Trowbridge

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max Trescott interviews Dr. John Trowbridge, a physician and former senior Aviation Medical Examiner, to tackle a hidden yet critical safety topic: how over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications contribute to general aviation accidents. Studies have found that up to 40% of fatal accidents involve pilots with impairing substances in their system—ranging from allergy medications to sleep aids to alcohol. The problem? Many of these substances are legal and even commonplace, yet can significantly degrade judgment, memory, attention, and coordination. Dr. Trowbridge emphasizes that...

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388 Fly Farther, Fly Smarter: The Benefits of Getting High show art 388 Fly Farther, Fly Smarter: The Benefits of Getting High

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max Trescott welcomes aviation columnist, aerobatic instructor, and DPE Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro to explore smarter ways to plan cross-country flights. The conversation is inspired by Catherine’s June 2025 AOPA article titled “The Benefits of Getting High,” which argues that pilots often default to lower cruising altitudes or direct GPS routes without considering efficiency or safety trade-offs.Catherine explains that pilots should dig into their aircraft’s POH (Pilot’s Operating Handbook) to find performance charts that highlight how altitude affects both time and fuel efficiency....

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387 Vectors to Final and glide path behavior on RNAV (GPS) approaches + GA News show art 387 Vectors to Final and glide path behavior on RNAV (GPS) approaches + GA News

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max talks about common gotchas with RNAV GPS approaches, especially when using vectors to final (VTF). The conversation picks up where Episode 383 left off, with listeners asking how vectors to final (VTF) influences glidepath capture on WAAS approaches. He explains that under normal circumstances—flying the approach via own navigation from an initial approach fix (IAF)—the GPS glidepath doesn’t turn magenta or allow autopilot coupling until the FAF becomes the active waypoint. The magenta color indicates that the GPS receiver has completed a signal quality evaluation, verifying...

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386 When a Door Ajar Becomes a Fatal Distraction: GA Door-Open Accidents and What Pilots Should Do + GA News show art 386 When a Door Ajar Becomes a Fatal Distraction: GA Door-Open Accidents and What Pilots Should Do + GA News

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

A cabin door pops open just after takeoff. It’s noisy, surprising—but the aircraft is still flying just fine. So why are general aviation pilots still crashing and dying in these scenarios? In this episode, Max explores the unsettling trend of fatal accidents caused not by mechanical failure, but by how pilots react to in-flight distractions—specifically, an open cabin or baggage door. In just the first five months of 2025, four U.S. GA crashes involved doors opening shortly after takeoff. Three were fatal; the fourth resulted in serious burn injuries. Max walks through each...

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385 N666DS Citation S550 Crash in San Diego – Flying below Minimums show art 385 N666DS Citation S550 Crash in San Diego – Flying below Minimums

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

Max Trescott examines the tragic crash of a Citation S550, N666DS, in San Diego during an attempted RNAV (GPS) 28R approach to Montgomery Field at approximately 3:46 AM. After departing Teterboro, NJ, and making a fuel stop at Wichita's Jabara Field, the pilot continued westbound overnight. After refueling, the flight continued to San Diego, where the Montgomery Field AWOS was inoperative, and weather was marginal. The pilot requested weather at nearby airports. The aircraft correctly crossed the final approach fix PENYY at 2500 feet but then flew below the glide path and failed to...

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More Episodes

Max Trescott interviews Dr. John Trowbridge, a physician and former senior Aviation Medical Examiner, to tackle a hidden yet critical safety topic: how over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications contribute to general aviation accidents. Studies have found that up to 40% of fatal accidents involve pilots with impairing substances in their system—ranging from allergy medications to sleep aids to alcohol. The problem? Many of these substances are legal and even commonplace, yet can significantly degrade judgment, memory, attention, and coordination.

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Dr. Trowbridge emphasizes that many pilots—and even their doctors—are unaware of FAA wait-time guidelines. He explains the FAA's “5x rule,” which states that a pilot must wait five times the recommended dosage interval before flying. So if a medication is taken every six hours, the pilot should wait 30 hours after the last dose. For 24-hour medications like Zyrtec, the wait time stretches to five full days.

The discussion highlights the particular dangers of first-generation antihistamines like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), which are highly sedating and frequently found in sleep aids like Tylenol PM, NyQuil, and Unisom. These medications, even when taken the night before, can impair cognitive function well into the next day. Alarmingly, Benadryl is the most commonly detected OTC drug in fatal GA accidents.

Dr. Trowbridge also warns about second-generation antihistamines like Zyrtec and Xyzal. While marketed as “non-drowsy,” these can still cause subtle sedation, especially in combination with alcohol or other medications. Alternatives like Allegra and Claritin are usually safer and FAA-approved—but only after personal ground-testing and AME consultation.

Beyond antihistamines, they explore other drug categories. For pain relief, medications like aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Aleve are generally safe, but anything with “PM” on the label likely contains sedating ingredients. Prescription painkillers like codeine are outright disqualifying. Dr. Trowbridge shares unconventional options too, like topical lidocaine, coconut oil, and even horse liniment—though with cautions about application and legality.

Sleep aids are another minefield. Melatonin is the only one on the FAA’s “go list,” and even it should be ground-tested first. Nasal decongestants such as Afrin and Sudafed can raise blood pressure and cause jitteriness, making natural remedies like saline rinses or cool vapor inhalation preferable.

Cough medications also pose risks. Products with dextromethorphan (like DayQuil or Delsym) can sedate, as can multi-symptom formulas marked “PM” or “nighttime.” Gastrointestinal issues are more straightforward: most antacids like Tums and Maalox are safe, but anti-diarrheals like Imodium are not, due to sedation risks. UTIs are covered with non-sedating options like AZO and D-Mannose, but Dr. Trowbridge cautions pilots never to fly if symptomatic or on unfamiliar antibiotics.

The conversation then turns to alcohol. The FAA’s limit is 0.04%, but even lower levels can impair judgment, night vision, and reaction time—especially when combined with other medications or altitude-related hypoxia. Max cites an older FAA study showing that alcohol above 0.04% was found in 7% of fatal pilot crashes, with 3% involving both alcohol and drugs.

Finally, Dr. Trowbridge emphasizes the importance of pilot self-awareness and due diligence. Most doctors are not trained in FAA regulations and may prescribe disqualifying medications unless reminded. He urges pilots to always research their medications, consult their AME, and even speak with pharmacists about interactions and cognitive side effects.

Dr. Trowbridge’s website, ClearedForTakeoff.info, offers in-depth presentations on pilot health concerns like sleep, sinus issues, inflammation, and safe alternatives to disqualifying drugs. His goal is to help pilots avoid both illness and medication risks, empowering them to stay flying—and stay safe.

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