**PILOTS STAY AWAY**!\r
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I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM GETTING AN FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATE ISSUED UNTIL I MET DR. JOHN SHIH. Doctor Shih should be stripped of his authorization as an AME. I visited him for my aviation medical only after the doctor I've been using for 10 years retired. \r
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I have a medical issue which requires a special issuance. My previous AME was able to issue me a medical without any difficulty. However, Dr. Shih and his incompetent staff completely bungled my application. He could not issue me a certificate in the office because his assistant incorrectly entered my information into the FAA medical database. Thus, the medical certification division insisted on reviewing my paperwork and issuing the certificate from there. I subsequently received a letter from the FAA deferring issuance of my certificate until my endocrinologist submitted a required report. MY ENDO SENT THE REQUIRED REPORT TO DR. SHIH SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE MY EXAM. However, Dr. Shih failed to transmit that report to the FAA!\r
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Other problems... I could not read the eye chart at 20/20. Of course not! The chart hangs in a corner of the office without any direct lighting. Upon my demand the assistant (lady with an eastern european accent) brought over an examination lamp and pointed it at the chart. Well, guess what. I read the chart at 20/20!!!! They had to run my EKG twice because the same assistant had trouble hooking up the leads properly.\r
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I should have walked out of Shih's office with my certificate in hand on March 8. Thanks to the incompetence of his staff and poor supervision by Dr. Shih, I've not flown as a CFI since then.\r
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I am determined to get Shih's AME authorization suspended. I will file a grievance with the FAA southern regional office next week. (3/30/15).
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