Hello,

I just suddenly have this idea to help with my fellow wannabes who share the same inborn issue with me so they wont be so desperate like I was.

First, you should know you need to know if you can pass the Ishihara color plate test or the color dot test, if you think you can pass this test then you can skip reading this post.

If you are not confident in passing the color dot tests, dun give up yet because there is an in-house lantern test in CX(I dunno if they have it in KA) which is called Edridge-Green Lantern. It is a very old lantern test which you probably cant find any information about it on the internet. In this test, you will be sitting 4-5m away from a machine, when the test starts, the room lightings will be off and then you will be shown a few light beams of different colors , one at a time and you have to tell wt color it is . I dun quite remember what colors they have but it is unlike the lantern test that I am going to mention later because there are more than 3 colors(red ,green and white) in this in-house lantern test of CX. I think they have also blue and orange and maybe some more.

After a few days of the medical examination you will be probably informed the result of the test, if wt you receive is not on the bright side. DUN GIVE UP again because you have another chance of taking the lantern test in PolyU which is OPTEC-900, it is a very similar test to the FALANT or farnsworth lantern test. This time you do the test with normal room lighting. Each time there are two light beams being projected from a machine, they can be any of the three colors - red, green or white. I am sure you can get more information on this test if you do enough research on the internet. One thing I can share with you here is the white looked like yellow to me so it is not that kind of pure white you are expecting. Also I think the intensity of the lights is quite weak so again its another reason why I failed it.

Most people would give up already if they failed the test in PolyU. However, there is actually one last way to prove you are color-safe for the job. I am not saying it with no proof, a doctor in CX told me one could actually get "A pass on the Practical Airfield Signal Light Gun test as applied by the FAA, provided that the pass is properly certified by an FAA Flight Standards Inspector. " as he said.

However, the signal light test(SLT) has been changed in recent years and there is this Medical flight test(MFT) you need to pass too beside the SLT. I wont describe much about the tests are but for the MFT you need to be the flying pilot so general beliefs are you must at least have a PPL to take the tests. I am one exception because I got a special permission to do it with a flight instructor. So dun think you cant do it with no flying experience because there is always a way.

I just got my 1st class FAA medical along with the approved result of the SLT + MFT in July. Hoping my application could proceed in CX, but there was a misunderstanding in the medical department and I just have to wait until Jan to reapply.

Hope it helps.

bear bear,

I have very similar sitution.

How can I contact you personally,
Mark

nice to meet you guys.

I have similar problem too.

I've been always stucked at particular color plates during the Ishihara test or the color dot test during medicals. I was told to be having a yellow-green color confusing since young. However, i was able to pass a Australian CASA class-2 medical check back in 2007. after then i somehow stopped flying due to short of fund.

2011 march, I'm self-sponsoring a PPL course in the Philippines and have the medical check done in Manila today. i still have the same problem, then the examiner came up with the light beam projection thing markrob mentioned. The colours were red, yellow and green and they set up 2 of the 3 each time and asked me to identify. i got 3 out of the 8 trials wrong.

After this i was asked to do a visual perception test, in which there are A to H rows, each comprising number 1 to 6. The nurse told me that each row has a distinct number who seemed to pop up a bit compared to the others. honestly, i hardly see any difference in every single row. she asked me to focus. i've tried my best but i failed to spot it. Then my instructor just sneaked in and told me the answers. :ugh:

I feel bad and worried. If i encountered the same situation i could have been failed the eye test in my home country, where i dreamed to be a pilot of any of the local airlines. i'm depressed and dont know what to do.

anyways, good luck to you guys for your flying careers!

Trust this information will be informative.
It is probably the end of my relationship with Cathay and only because I had born with color vision deficiency.
I have USA license and I have been working as flight instructor for the last 3 years. In the state I passed the OCVT(SLT) & MFT.
With Cathay I passed the 2 first stages easily the problems started once I try to get my medical.
Cathay recently acquired the CAD same as the use in England CAA. I guess it can be either easy or difficult depend on YOUR color vision. I found that rather hard and fail that. Please note that it has nothing to do with the Demo you can find in the internet(I can see the whole demo).
It seems this test become the final authority!

Good Luck - Mark :(

Thanks I really hope you will have a better luck.
Where are you doing your CPL?
Cathay using the CAD as secondary color vision test did you try it before?
Anyhow the lantern can be done as well but I haven't met too many guys were able to pass it.

Good luck - Mark