You returned the device, the study is complete, and now you are waiting. For most pilots, this stretch of days between shipping the kit back and hearing what the results say is the most nerve-wracking part of the entire process. This piece walks through exactly what happens on the ESD side once the device is in transit, what your report will contain, and what the possible next steps look like depending on the outcome.
What Happens to Your Data
Once the device arrives back at the lab, the raw data is uploaded from the Onera device into a secure clinical review system. A board-certified sleep physician then scores the study. Scoring is a detailed clinical process that involves reviewing sleep stages, breathing events, oxygen desaturation, cardiac rhythm during sleep, and body position. This is not a computer-generated summary. A real clinician is reading the data and forming a clinical opinion.
From the time the device is returned to the time your final report is complete typically takes three to five business days. If your case is unusually complex, it might take slightly longer. The ESD team will keep you updated if that happens.
What Your Report Contains
Your report will be a comprehensive clinical document, not a consumer-facing summary. It includes:
- AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index): the number of breathing disruptions per hour of sleep. This is the primary metric the FAA looks at.
- Full sleep architecture: precise sleep staging captured through brain activity (EEG), eye movement (EOG), and muscle tone (EMG). This gives the FAA reviewer a complete picture of your sleep quality across every stage, not just a general estimate.
- Respiratory and oxygen data: continuous monitoring of breathing patterns, airflow, respiratory effort, and blood oxygen saturation throughout the night.
- Cardiac activity: full ECG data capturing heart rate and rhythm patterns during sleep, which can reveal cardiac events tied to breathing disruptions.
- Body position tracking: how your sleep posture affected your breathing across the night. Position often plays a significant role in obstructive sleep apnea severity.
- Clinical interpretation: the physician’s written assessment of what the data shows and any recommendations.
The report is delivered in a format the FAA’s medical reviewers recognize, which means it can be submitted directly without formatting adjustments or missing-data requests.
If Your Results Come Back Clean
A clean result means no clinically significant sleep apnea was found. From here, the process is simple. Your AME receives the report, incorporates it into your medical certification file, and you move forward with your medical. This is the outcome most pilots hope for and it happens frequently.
Even with a clean result, keep a copy of your report. If you are ever asked about sleep apnea again in a future medical, having documented negative results in your file is valuable.
If Your Results Show Sleep Apnea
If the study shows sleep apnea, the situation is not what most pilots fear. The FAA has a clear pathway for pilots with sleep apnea to continue flying, and thousands of pilots go through this every year. The process is called special issuance, and it works like this:
Your AME will typically defer your medical to the FAA, which sends the case to their medical review team. They will look at your diagnostic report, review your severity, and outline what documentation they need to grant a special issuance medical certificate. In most cases, this includes evidence that you are being treated effectively, usually with CPAP therapy, and demonstrating good compliance with the treatment.
Once you have your special issuance, you continue flying. You will typically need to submit follow-up documentation annually to maintain your certification, but this is a routine process once you are set up.
What ESD Does at This Stage
Our goal is not simply to deliver a sleep study. It is to help pilots stay organized and prepared for what comes next, from initial results and treatment documentation to future FAA medical renewals.
This is where the ESD team’s guidance matters most. Getting a positive sleep apnea diagnosis is emotional, and pilots often have dozens of questions in the first 24 hours after seeing the report. Dave and the team have walked hundreds of pilots through this exact moment.
Our goal is not simply to deliver a sleep study. It is to help pilots stay organized and prepared for what comes next, from initial results and treatment documentation to future FAA medical renewals.
Practically, we can help with:
- Explaining what your specific report shows and what the numbers mean.
- Talking through what your AME will likely say and what documentation they will need.
- Explaining the special issuance process in plain terms.
- Connecting you with providers who specialize in CPAP prescription and FAA-compliant treatment documentation.
- Answering questions as they come up throughout the process.
The goal is that from the moment the report arrives, you have a clear understanding of what happens next and someone to call if you get stuck.
The Bigger Picture
Sleep apnea is one of the most common medical conditions in adults and one of the most manageable. For pilots, the FAA’s stance is that with proper diagnosis and effective treatment, sleep apnea does not need to end your flying career. The vast majority of pilots who go through the special issuance process are back to flying with their medical certification intact within a reasonable timeline.
What matters most is that you handle the process the right way. That means using a Type II study for accurate data, working with an AME who understands the pathway, and having a support team behind you who can answer questions along the way.
What to do While You Wait
The days between shipping the device and receiving your results can feel long. A few practical tips:
- Do not stress-Google symptoms. The report will give you real answers. Speculating in the meantime rarely helps.
- Keep your normal routine. Sleep well, eat normally, stay active.
- If you have questions about the process itself, reach out to us. We would rather answer questions than have you wonder.
- Remember that whatever the report says, there is a path forward. Nothing in a sleep apnea diagnosis takes the option of flying off the table permanently.
Once your results arrive, we will be there to walk you through the next step.