View Full Version : The good old class 1 med!
Help...
I'm 22 and will shortly be going for my class 1 medical, but am apprehensive.
I would like to know in a nutshell what’s involved mainly so that I can prepare myself, both physically and mentally.
Cheers
Fra
Rob 747
16th Jun 2001, 18:15
Me Too!!!
Have you tried- www.srg.caa.co.uk (http://www.srg.caa.co.uk) ?
Yeah, But just get lost in all the jargen.............
Fra
Groove Champ
17th Jun 2001, 12:40
You're in for a grand old time indeed!
Just remember when they hook those electrodes up to you, and ask you questions about personal habbits.. DONT LIE, one of those wires is hooked into something powerful.
That and the amount of physical activities you have to perform for hours on end, you'll be sore for a week after!
Seriously though, it's nothin like this. My first class 1 consisted of chest x-rays, an ECG, full eye examination with lots of pretty lights and stuff, hearing test, and the general reflex tests.. much like a standard medical check up, just a bit more hardout. There's the usual peeing in a cup, getting your goolies felt (that one was a suprise!), blowing into the tube, basically testing to make sure you aren't completely gammy and have some co-ordination. Nothing to be worried about at all, apart from when they ask you how much you drink on the form.. but it's all sweet, nothing difficult to it!
Good luck!
GROOVE!
mad_jock
17th Jun 2001, 12:43
Groove you missed out the finger up the arse bit.
MJ
Cheers pal,
you've put my mind at rest.
MJ, I'll just have to take my chances!!!
mad_jock
17th Jun 2001, 20:44
I really didn't like the exam to see if you have fits with flashing lights. Take some shampoo with you and have a shower afterwards otherwise you will end up with this sandy paste and blue pen all over your head.
MJ
Cheers MJ,
Anymore info would be great.
Can I prepare for the med?
I had thought of going to the GP for advice but don't know if it will help.
Thanks
Fra
james lully
17th Jun 2001, 21:40
Hi
I will have mine done too. From CAA web site, I read there is no blood test, is this true? Plus the fee is &215 At Gatwick, I thought it is &400?
mad_jock
17th Jun 2001, 23:32
Apart from doing the other medical things like stay away from coffee. Lay off the booze the week before. Its really not to bad, i didn't like the lights thing but it won't kill you. The guys that failed when i was there all failed because of there eyesight which you should have checked out by now anyway. They won't fail you for wieght until you are BMI of 35 which is BIG.There is a blood test but its only a finger prick and they do your blood fat thingy as well.
To be honest my last diving medical was alot worse, the bastards made me run 5 miles with a mask thing, on a tread mill.
O yes make sure you have a clean arse :)
MJ
James,
Likewise, I too was under the impresion that the cost was £400.00, not including the journey.
I will call them tomorrow & let you all know!!
MJ.
You are getting me a tad concearned about all of the rear end stuff. I do hope your kidding!?!?!
[This message has been edited by Fra (edited 17 June 2001).]
mad_jock
18th Jun 2001, 00:07
We have all had to make sacrifices for the love of aviation.
When you see the sign with "just relax!"
You will know whats coming next. Just think about the poor sods who don't have a clue!!
MJ
Too true.
Cheers again MJ
Fra
alibaba
20th Jun 2001, 19:36
I would consider the hearing test as important. The levals changed about a year and a half ago. They were at 35-50dB which is the same as the Yanks. They are now around 20-35dB. The CAA wasn't happy about the change but they were forced to adopt them under the new JAR med ops. Germany and Holland get there own way as normal hay!
Groove Champ
21st Jun 2001, 02:17
about that hearing regulation..
when i first went for my class 1, the rules here in NZ were and still are the same as the yanks, 35db..
I noticed however that on the little graph they do on your hearing form that i had a 10db 'dip' at the higher and lower ends of the hearing spectrum..
what i was wondering is if these were common in these tests, or if it could possibly pose a future problem for passing the hearing tests.
Cheers
Groove
gdb1973
21st Jun 2001, 03:18
Well, I am 100 percent i'll pass everything, except the eye test. Which I am 99 percent certain i'd fail. Balls. Slight occular inclusions in one eye and 4.5 Dioptre's in the other. Sod it.
OKay, can I at LEAST fly a single engined mail plane over water? So the only person I can kill is myself? NO.
Well, okay can I go drive 36 tonnes of artic up the motorway in rush hour in the pouring rain? YES! (And I have)
Can I drive a petrol tanker through a town-centre in the ice and snow? YES!
Could I potentially get a BUS licence and drive 60 people around all day, through town centres, motorways etc etc etc? YES!
Could I potentially get a licence to Drive a train with 500 people on it? across country at 100MPH YES
(and i'd even apply aviation standards of discipline to my driving... Starting at having the common sense to stop at red signals)
Are these ALL far more dangerous than someone with minor vision defects flying an aircraft on their own, in an environment where the only people they COULD hurt are themselves (and the people who's mail got a big soggy) YES, THEY ARE!
C'mom. Allow people to make a living flying light planes on a Class2 Medical! That's all I've ever wanted to do for gods sake. I KNOW there is a shortage of keen light aircraft pilots because everyone wants to go to the airlines. So allow those of us that WANT the jobs to do them!
Right. Rant over. Hope you enjoyed it. You may now clap or throw things at me as appropriate.
BTW, I could not be less interested in Airline flying.... i'm a computer programmer right now, so flying a Jumbo would seem to similar to what I am doing now - Ooooh!
All good and well,
But, what does this have with me trying to find out more about a class 1 Medical !?!?!?!
Perhaps your own post would prove more interesting.... or not......
Regards
Fra
gdb1973
21st Jun 2001, 23:54
Nothing at all. I just felt like a rant. Try it some time, does you good. Laugher may be the best medicine, but ranting is a good pick-me-up!
I felt better for it, at any rate!
Best of luck with your class 1. BTW I understand they're lowering the requirements to 5 dioptres so i may yet "get lucky".... See you at the opticians, maybe?
self tapper
22nd Jun 2001, 04:58
Chaps / Chappettes,
Is it true that the initial Class One medical can be done only at Gatwick.
I'm in Australia and need to do one reasonably quickly. There are DAME's/AME's here that can do a renewal, but no-one is allowed to do the initial.
I hear that it can be also be done in Switzerland, Holland and Denmark, but have no details at all. Would anyone have any info on this, much appreciated .....
alibaba
22nd Jun 2001, 05:04
"Groove Champ" you should be ok for now but I would keep an eye on it privately with audiograms say once a year.
There are many differant and complex prob's that can happen with your ears. Alot of the highest causes of hearing losses in people are inner ear or sensoryneural losses.
These can be caused by any number of things; A few to many and a bouncer not taking to kindly to you chating up his girlfreind! Virus's such as Mumps with fevers, have been known to attack the Auditory Nerve. If a DR. doesn't know what caused it he normally says that it is idiothatic=genetic(just blame it on your father). It's an easy get out for Dr's, most of the time it's wrong though. Most inner ear losses are stable but some do slide from the high freq range to the low or the other way round and these can be progressive. This looks like a diagnle line across your audiogram graph.
10dB is not alot though to be honest with you. A very large proportion of the population in fact do have some kind of loss. It could even be just a cold, bunged up and all that(middle+outer ear). What I do say to you though, is to have a look at what BALPA say about cockpit related noise, to do with hearing loss. Doing a preflight next to a 737-100 could also be fatal without defenders.
Most Aviation authorities are concerned with the 1000hz,2000hz and 3000hz frequencies. This is where speech and voice recognition are, so that is there main concern.
I hope that helps a bit? cheers alibaba.
[This message has been edited by alibaba (edited 22 June 2001).]
[This message has been edited by alibaba (edited 22 June 2001).]
leftrudder
25th Jun 2001, 19:08
Fra,
Just make sure you dont see both the Doctor's hands on your shoulders when you get to the finger poking session. Cheers and good luck to you.
mad_jock
26th Jun 2001, 14:30
Self tapper it all depends which country you intend to do the ATPL through. The intial is always done in the issuing country then after that you can get them done at any AME.
But if you already have a IACO intial class 1 medical you don't have to do the full medical. But check this with Gatwick before you comeover.
Fra don't worry you are on the bench when they do it. Whens your medical anyway?
MJ.
Tarmach
28th Jun 2001, 18:23
gdb1973, wouldn't glasses correct your sight?
Do the doctors at the class 1 ask you about self-abuse by any chance?
Well all, some interesting information above, many thanks to all.
Earlier, the question was asked as to cost, and the answer is £400.00 if it's your first.
The medical is at the end of July, but was told that the results will take 2 wks. That's going to be 2 wks of hell, have I passed, or I failed. Oh dear I feel a song coming on.............
FYI, the booking period is currently 4wks, so all you wannabes, talk with your instructor for a guesstamate on your solo flight and book early. Don’t be like me and wait, then book cause I'm now going to have about 13hrs in the log instead of 9hrs before getting the P1.
Doh...
Wish me luck
Guys I have just done my class 1 and it was a breeze, honestly nothing to hassle about.
The eyesight thing is probably the most strict but not so that it's a panic attack. The lady is great and very accomodating, she answers any questions you may have. I kept quizzing her for updates on the tests which she gave me.
I did not receive the dreaded "dip check", quite relieved about that. The Doctor was a chatty, young guy from the RAF and we spoke more about flying than medical items.
The only bit I did not enjoy was the needle in the finger thing for a blodd slide, but then I am kinda averse to pain!
Granted I did not do the EEG as I hold two licenses already, but the rest of it is the same. The cost is indeed GBP400 straight up and they are about a month booked up.
The trick with the whole thing is to try and relax, you will only fail if there is something drastically wrong. Talk to these people too, keep their minds active, it helps to keep the air calm.
Hope it all goes well with you. If there are any questions just e-mail me.
mad_jock
2nd Jul 2001, 18:11
Boo Hiss.
Why did you have to them.
:)
MJ
Constable Clipcock
4th Jul 2001, 09:30
gdb1973:
One very simple solution is to get yourself an FAA (US) Class 1, get a US Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument Rating, and you'll be legal to fly N-registered aircraft in the UK.
As you may have already learned from other threads — and possibly other sources — there is no refraction requirement at all here in the US. Provided your distant visual acuity is correctable to 20/20 or better — in each eye separately — then you're good to go.
Shop around, because there are FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiners in the UK, as well as FAA-certificated Ground/Flight Instructors and Designated Examiners who can get your training and testing sorted out, probably without even having to leave the UK.
Funkie
21st Jul 2001, 00:54
Well all,
Had the med, and it's not all that bad, only thing is I now have to wait 10 days for the results.
If anyone has any q's on the medical I'll try to help where I can
I'll let you now if I pass or fail???
Thanks to all for the advice.
regards
Fra :confused: :confused: :confused:
Tarmach
21st Jul 2001, 01:58
Fra,
Glad to hear that the medical went ok. Ive got a few questions. What was the worst part then? I thought you only had to wait about 2 days for your results to come by post? Did the doctor tell you that everything looked ok anyway? What order did you do things in, for example, eye test, cough and wobble, EEG etc.
Did you have a chest X-ray and just for interest sake, was your pulse higher than usual?
Many thanks!
[ 20 July 2001: Message edited by: Tarmach ]
Funkie
24th Jul 2001, 01:59
T
In discussion with the CCA, the processing of your initial Class 1 will probably take 10 days.
In all honesty, none of the sections are intimidating in anyway, but...
They do not come in any specific order as there is only one person that does each section, so it works in a rotation.
Yes, did have the x-ray.
By the sounds of it you have not had your medical, if this is so, book it now and get it out the way. There is nothing to be intimidated about.
Apart from the 'just relax' note, the next thing you might asked is 'would you just like to remove your underwear and roll over onto your front' just ask yourself how well you showered that morning......
Good luck all and have fun!!
Fra :mad: :mad: