Dr. Hemry graduated in 1962 from the University of Wyoming. While there, he learned to fly in the Cessna 140 based at the Laramie airport (7200 ft MSL). He has been engaged in aviation at one level or another since then, including service as a smoke jumper for the USFS in the 1960’s.

Dr. Hemry received his medical degree from the University of Rochester in New York in 1966. He then undertook further post graduate training at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester which included a year as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine followed by a fellowship in allergy and immunology. He is board certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

Dr. Hemry has lived in Alaska since 1968 when he was assigned to Ft. Richardson for three years active duty as a military doctor. He subsequently served another 23 years in the Alaska Army National Guard, including several years as the ARNG Alaska State Surgeon. In 1974 he opened a private medical practice in Anchorage and actively practiced clinical medicine for 35 years.

In 1969 he acquired a 1948 model Cessna 170 which he flew for several years ranging from Fairbanks to New York and New Orleans. Most of his flight hours have accrued in his 1955 Cessna 180 on floats. In 1991 he was a participant in the Alaska Airman’s Association’s first group flight to the USSR involving some 35 pvt aircraft.

In 2008 Dr. Hemry became certified as an FAA AME and joined with Aviation Services of Alaska. He enthusiastically endorses the philosophy of serving as the pilot’s advocate while monitoring and promoting the health factors which contribute to safe flying and pilot longevity.

In 2001, Dr. Illig saw a need for high quality aeromedical services in Alaska, and created a medical practice to do just that. Because of their specific qualifications, she recruited Dr. Tilgner in 2005 and Dr. David Hemry in 2008 to join the practice. Dr. Illig continues to perform exams for airman who specifically request her services, especially those with complex medical problems or substance abuse issues. She also is certified to perform commercial drivers medical certification examinations.

What We Do …

Aviation Medical Services of Alaska specializes in Aviation Medical Examinations, performing over 200 flight physicals per month. We are experts in providing assistance to pilots with problematic Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical cases. While not every medically disqualified pilot can hope to have his or her Medical Certificate reinstated, many actually can, and the outcome is often determined by the quality of the supporting documentation rather than the actual medical condition in question.

Special Issuance is a certification category that allows issuance of time-limited Medical Certificates for pilots with disqualifying medical conditions, but whose conditions are stable enough for the FAA to allow them to fly. We are highly experienced in initial and recurrent Special Issuance processing as well as in less serious cases which require only routine regular medical monitoring. We pride ourselves in our advocacy role of working together with the pilots’ personal physicians and the FAA in order to provide the necessary documentation required for a favorable decision.

There are many reasons that pilots can benefit from highly experienced Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) advocates. Pilots often do not understand that their AME might not collect all the required documentation, and their personal physicians often are unaware of the specific reports that the FAA requires in order to make a favorable determination. Pilots frequently find themselves stuck in the middle, bewildered by the process. Others who have lost their medicals years earlier might not realize that FAA regulations specific to their medical condition may have changed to their advantage, and that they might be able to fly again under new rules of Special Issuance. Commercial pilots often waste sick leave waiting for the FAA to process their medicals, only to find out weeks later that a missing report is holding things up.

Who We Are …

In Anchorage, we are at the crossroads of aviation, helping pilots across the entire spectrum of the industry. Aviation Medical Services is the premier aviation medical office in the state of Alaska, and we perform more pilot medical examinations than any other aero-medical office in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. We are experts in assisting pilots in getting their medical certificates processed and reinstated. Our seasoned AMEs are:

• Dr. Petra A. Illig
• Dr. David Hemry
• Dr. Ray Legenza

Together, we have over 85 years experience in FAA aviation medical examinations!

Wouldn’t it be great to have someone entirely experienced in this process to guide you? Someone who could call the FAA and find out what the specific issues are, and arrange with your personal physician to have the required records sent? Someone to help discuss with your doctor what tests and reports are specifically needed? Someone to help make sure the check-list is complete? Someone to give advice regarding the feasibility of obtaining and maintaining a medical in the first place?

No matter where you live, you can have the best in the business look into your flight physical problem, give you sound advice, and advocate for you every step of the way. If obtaining your FAA Medical Certificate is at all possible, we will give you the best assistance money can buy, for a very reasonable fee.