I might agree in principle, but aviation pilots are glorified bus/truck drivers. It's the farthest thing from a job that might cater to a typical "ADHD" skills profile. What you really want in that role is people who can be dependable without relying on intoxicating substances that might have weird side effects.
There is a large adult population with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD. A generation ago that population was even higher. A bunch of them are pilots.
So then the question is, if in a professional pilot and I think I might have ADHD, do I follow up on that hunch? Of course not, because a diagnosis would cost me my career.
There’s good research to show that stimulants reduce the rate of car crashes in people with ADHD. I have no doubt that if we encouraged pilots to seek ADHD treatment, it would improve safety.
IMO the diagnoses that should exclude someone from flying are those that could cause them to become suddenly incapacitated. For everything else, we can just test whether someone can safely fly an airplane, which we already regularly do for pilots.
This is the same fallacy that always comes up. People are already flying this way!
What is the difference between someone with ADHD who passed their pilot lessons but doesn't have a diagnosis and is not taking medication vs someone with ADHD who is getting help?
Why is this an aeromedical issue and not a certification issue? What is the training and testing for if not to confirm that someone has the capability to successfully fly a plane?
