Class 2 and RAF Flying Scholarship Medicals

[Little Fly Girl]

Hi!

I am close to completing my PPL, and will (obviously) need to ensure I have a valid class 2 medical prior to application of my license.

In Febuary of 2000, I had a medical as part of the Flying Scholarship selection process at RAF Cranwell. All was ok and I was then awarded the scholarship. A while later I was informed that I will need an ECG, a blood test and somthing else that I'm not too sure about... cardio somthing or other I think! (Doh!) :o

Anyway, my question is this... Does anyone know if I can get hold of my RAF Medical documentation? And if so, is it still valid and how long for? The reason I ask is that if I can get hold of these records (and they are going to proove my medical fitness to the CAA!) I will save myself about £75 when I go to a doctor to get my ECG etc.... :)

Thanks in advance for any answers/help offered,

LFG ;)

[Lucifer]

Your flying school at which you did your flying scholarship should have it, indeed you should have signed it as well, as it is required for ANY solo flying as part of the PPL. The class 2 is I think valid for 60 months (5 years), and as far as I am aware you certainly do not need an electro cardiogram (ECG) or blood test, since this is only for the full RAF medical or class 1 medical.

If the school did not make you sign it when you did the flying scholarship, chase them up or give the medics at Cranwell a ring, as I am sure they will reissure you with a replacement one having passed in the first place.

Good luck,
Lucifer

[Little Fly Girl]

Thanks Lucifer. I am positive that you require an ECG and blood test for a class 2 now, I recieved a letter from RAF Cranwell stating this, as I think the requirements for a class 2 changed since my RAF Medical.

I'll be getting in contact with my old flying school then!

Many thanks again,

LFG :)

[Jason2000]

You will definitely need an ECG and a blood test for a Class 2 medical.

[Luke SkyToddler]

All that your Flying Scholarship school will have is a photocopy of your original medical which is kept in your student records - you were supposed to take the original one with you when you finished the course.

I doubt however that a photocopy of your medical will be any use when it comes to getting a new one issued. I'd suggest that you get in touch with Cranwell directly to get all the relevant documentation from the time you did your test.

The 2000 FS medicals were a bit of a cock up all round, the people at Cranwell spent the first half of the year issuing JAA medicals to people that hadn't done the blood test and ECG and no one realized until quite late in the summer, there were panic phone calls all round and we at the schools were suddenly faced with a bunch of cadets that were on courses and couldn't go solo because their medicals weren't valid :rolleyes:

[Lucifer]

Am obviously an oldie regarding ECG and blood test. But the rest of what I said is definitely right.

[rahaney]

This happened to me when i sent off for my ppl.

My flying schol medical wasn't complete i had to have an ecg and a blood test.

My ecg was free at my local docs but it had to be read by someone for my licence which cost around 40 quid.

The blood test was only for haemoglobin levels not anything else. ;)

Any queries email.

:D

[Little Fly Girl]

Thanks for the info guys, its a great help. One thing though, do you have to actually have a completed class 2 medical (i.e RAF medical + ECG and blood test) before you take your GFT? Obviously you cannot apply for your PPL until all the medical stuff is sorted out, but I was hoping to do my GFT next week, and I don't know if I'll be able to get everything else sorted out in time. :eek:

Thanks,

LFG ;)

[rahaney]

Nope i did mine on my class 2 uncompleted from cranwell. i only found out about the extra test when i was sending all my forms of for my licence! They don't ask for it or at least mine didn't.

ps This is your skill test right? A good thing to do is to prepare for the oral on your plane type! It's the last thing you need to be told your having one in 10 minutes! :D

any queries email.

[Little Fly Girl]

Thanks Rahaney!!

Should be okay then, maybe I'll give the beloved CAA a call just to check though! I have had a warning about the aircraft type oral in the skills test, gotta start swotting on my C152 book... :rolleyes:

Thanks again,

LFG. :D

p.s. Rahaney, couldn't send you an e-mail, but sent you a private message instead. Check your inbox! :)

[ 26 November 2001: Message edited by: Little Fly Girl ]

[bow5]

Give Cranwell a call and ask them to send your medical report to your Class 2 doctor. I asked them to send my eyesight test to the doc to save me some money and when I went for my Class 1 later this year at Gatwick I found they had sent the whole lot, bless 'em!!

As for the class 2, you definately have to have an ECG now. Good thing is, it can count for your Class 1, if you decide to get one.

[Rusty Cessna]

First off good luck with the skills test LFG!

Sorry to change the subject slightly here, but if you were to subsequently apply for entry into the RAF as a pilot after having done a flying scholarship, would they still have the medical records on file? Im lucky in that I had done my class 2 before my flying schol medical, so my Class 2 and my flying schol medical should be on file.

Cheers,
Rusty.

[bow5]

As far as i'm aware they keep your records for 2 years (I think). If you (re)apply to the RAF as aircrew i'm almost certain you would do the medical again and more besides.

LFG, good luck with the flight test. It's not so bad and the feeling you get when the examiner tells you you've passed takes some beating.

[Lucifer]

It's not going to make much difference now, but you should hold a valid medical before ANY solo flight: obviously here it is the RAF that would be held to account, but be careful that you are valid, as these are some of the first things investigated if you have an incident in which AAIB is involved.

[Little Fly Girl]

Hello again!

Just to let you all know, (and incase any of you are having a similar problem to mine) I managed to speak to a very kind CAA lady earlier this afternoon. :D

As previously mentioned, she said that the RAF had made quite a major **** up with their f/schol 'class 2' medicals in the year 2000. Consequently, many flying schools (but not all) around the UK who train RAF Flying Scholars refused to let their students solo, due to incomplete medicals. :rolleyes:
However, I have only recently become aware of the ECG/Blood test requirement! So, kind lady said that as my medical was deemed suitable for my solo flights on my f/schol in summer 2000, and by my current flying club for my recent solo trips and qualifying x-country, it is okay if I do my GFT with the current medical and get the ECG etc sorted later on, but before application of my PPL. :)
This all seems well and good, but I was concerned that my solo time may be classed as illegal (unsure of the ins 'n' outs of it all really!) as officially I failed to have a valid medical, even though its not really my fault. Hmmmm... I wonder... :confused:
Basically, the CAA lady said that I am in the wrong, but on application of my license they will consider and accept that the reason I'm in this situation is because of the RAF. She also said that it is at the discretion of the flying club as to wether they will/not allow students to solo on the half-baked RAF class 2!! I guess this is why some people had problems whilst on their f/schols this year and others didn't...

So there you have it, think I'll be okay then! If anyone has any questions re: conversation with CAA medical lady, just let me know.

Thanks again,

LFG ;)

Edited for bad spelling -but I doubt I've fixed it all, so sorry!

[ 26 November 2001: Message edited by: Little Fly Girl ]