Letter from Cody Flint to Susan Northrup
Vaccine Injured Pilot reminds Susan and the FAA of letter sent in December of 2021
02/01/2023
Dr. Susan Northrup,
My name is Cody Flint. I am a 35-year-old Covid-19 vaccine injured agricultural pilot from Mississippi. I started flying at the age of 17 and had my commercial ticket at the age of 18. I compiled more than 10,000 total flight hours over the span of my 15 year long career. Flying was always my dream and has always been one of the greatest joys of my life. I truly loved my job and was good at it.
On 02/01/2021, just 10 days after receiving my last renewed 2nd class medical, I received my first and only dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. As I'm typing this letter I realized today is fittingly my 2-year "vaxi-versary". The adverse reaction I suffered started almost immediately. It began as a headache and became an intense burning sensation in the back of my neck over the next two days. After observing the mandatory 48 hour No-Fly rule, I began my first flying job of the year on 02/03/2021. Approximately an hour into my flight, my situation deteriorated rapidly over the course of just a few minutes. Suddenly I was experiencing severe tunnel vision and a shortness of breath. At this point in my flight, I was approximately 100-200 ft AGL. As a crop duster, my flying duties rarely require that I fly above 500 ft AGL. I decided it was no longer safe to fly and I attempted to turn around and return to our airstrip which was only about 5 miles away. Suddenly I felt an extreme burst of pressure in my head and immediately slumped over in the seat of my single seat Air Tractor 802. At that point I was dizzy, disoriented, confused, shaking uncontrollably, and had near zero control of my extremities. A few minutes later I was able to land my airplane without incident, although I have no memory of doing so. It was at that moment that my flying career was over.
Over the next few days, my doctors determined that I had suffered a severe adverse reaction to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. After reviewing results from an mri, ct scan, balance test, hearing test, and a lumbar puncture, my doctors explained to me that my intracranial pressure had risen so rapidly and to such a high level that it caused both of my inner ears to rupture simultaneously while flying. In total, I've had 4 doctors ( 2 surgeons and 2 case reviewing doctors) that all agree my injuries are a direct result of an adverse reaction to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. My official diagnosis is left and right perilymphatic fistulas due to highly elevated intracranial pressure. I had surgery on 03/25/2021 and on 06/03/2021 to repair the fistulas. I take Diamox (FAA Do NOT Fly List) daily to control the elevated intracranial pressure and suffer from multiple episodes of dizziness daily. I'm not the only person to experience intracranial hypertension following Covid-19 vaccination (see links).
Since this incident, I have been in contact with several Covid-19 vaccine injured pilots. Nearly all of them are airline pilots. We have been exhaustively fighting to get the FAA to recognize that there is a huge problem with pilots taking an experimental drug and flying. I'm certain you know this problem exist as well and are acutely aware of an FAA rule in the Guide for Medical Examiners (see link) that states pilots are prohibited from receiving renewed flight physicals if it is known that the pilot has taken a drug that has been fully FDA approved for less than 12 months. As a simple reminder, all vaccines given to pilots to date have been in the Experimental Use Authorization (EUA) category and none offered have been fully FDA approved.
Through recent conversations I've had with people, I learned that you claim to have seen no credible evidence of pilots being injured by Covid-19 vaccines and therefore have no plans to investigate these injuries. Honestly, I find your stance on this issue completely ridiculous and hard to stomach. On 12/15/2021, the Federal Aviation Administration, all major US airlines, all major US aircraft insurance companies, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Justice were sent a letter (see pdf) written by attorney Leigh Dundas and signed by myself, other attorneys, doctors, and military personnel. This 53-page letter contains, among other things, numerous VAERS reports of pilots that died or were injured as a result of taking Covid-19 vaccines. This letter was hand delivered by courier with receipt confirmation provided back to us. The letter also contained several steps that should have been taken immediately to mitigate the dangers caused by the FAA's reckless and unprecedented policy of encouraging pilots to take experimental drugs and then go fly aircraft.
Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization on 12/10/2020 (see link). On 12/12/2020, just two days later, the FAA issued guidance stating all US pilots should get vaccinated as soon as possible (see link). This timeline raises a serious question. In this short two-day period, what safety studies were done to ensure these vaccines were safe for pilots to take and return to flight duty in 48 hours? Generally speaking, the FAA spends years studying the potential safety ramifications that can come from such a decision. I'm formally requesting you provide me with those studies done as soon as possible. If you refuse to provide them, FOIA request will be filed for not only these studies, but also all internal deliberations and conversations related to the FAA's guidance issued on 12/12/2020. You and I both know these studies don't exist.
Aside from myocarditis and pericarditis, it has been widely reported that mRna type vaccines can cause blood clots (see link). For decades it has been known that pilots are 50%-60% more likely to experience blood clots than the general population (see link). You recommended a clot prone population responsible for safety related duties take a clot prone shot. Other neurological conditions confirmed by our federal government to be caused by mRna type vaccines include but are not limited to epileptic seizures, acute transverse myelitis, deep vein thrombosis, severe immobilizing opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome, encephalitis, POTS, small fiber neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, ischemic strokes, and increased intracranial pressure (see links). I think you would agree that all of these conditions listed have the potential to instantly and completely incapacitate a pilot while flying an aircraft. The Covid-19 virus has never demonstrated an ability to do that.
Susan, you have had ample opportunity to reach out to Captain Bob Snow, Captain Greg Pierson, and myself. I have testified about my adverse reaction in the US Senate and spoken about it on several podcast and interviews. My story has been featured in numerous mainstream media articles as well. Captain Snow and Captain Pierson have publicly spoken about their injuries and have been featured in various articles as well (see links). As someone that sits on the board of an organization whose sole mission is to help people injured by Covid-19 vaccines, I can assure you these injuries are much more common than government officials are willing to admit. We have been in contact with tens of thousands of people injured by Covid-19 vaccines and more and more are coming forward every day. This is why I find your official position on this issue to be so unconscionable. What makes you think these injuries are happening to people in the general public but pilots are immune? Either you're so incompetent at your job as US Federal Air Surgeon that you legitimately haven't heard of a single person being injured by these vaccines, or you have and won’t admit it. You know that this is an issue and have made the calculation that it’s better for you personally and the FAA to just ignore all of these glaring warning signs and allow a potentially deadly accident to occur that will be a direct result of your actions and your failures. As an important reminder, the FAA's mission is "to provide the SAFEST, most efficient aerospace system in the world". You have been offered several off-ramps in this situation dating back to 12/15/2021, and you have either stonewalled or completely ignored us every step of the way. I can assure you all of your actions and failures will come forward during future litigation.
Thank you,
Cody Flint
https://www.medicalandresearch.com/assets/articles/documents/DOCUMENT_20220303161130.pdf
Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9055170/
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/health/06clot.html
https://www.aviationmedicine.com/article/deep-venous-thrombosis/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8557950/
Letter to the FAA, sent on 12-15-2021: US Freedom Flyers Telegram
Cody's story is heartbreaking. I wish I could donate to help every vaccine injured person, but of course I can't. I did donate to Cody. I pray there will be accountability and that every person harmed by covid treatments or the shots will be well compensated. Thank you for what you are doing. I have shared with several people your video which explains why some people are seemingly fine and others so badly injured after receiving the shots.