Class 1 medical

[ashdaman]

Hi
I am going to go to gatwick in a few weeks time for my class 1 medical
I am concerned that when I was younger I had asthma altought it was very mild
I am currently blowing 500-550 on the peak flow test does anybody know what the margins are??
I am 28yrs old and 5.11ft thanks

[pudoc]

The normal reading for somebody of your age and height would be 630, but you are allowed to have only 70% or 80% (can't remember which) of that so that would be 441 or 504.

In other words, you'll probably be fine!

[ashdaman]

Ok thanks. Is there another lung tests and is there any pacific exercises I can be doing to improve this
Thanks

[pudoc]

My guess is breathing exercises to expand lung capacity. Google will return some exercises.

[Chris2012]

Hi Ashdaman,

First of all good luck with your Class 1 medical hope it all goes well for you. I had symtoms of asthma (wheezing barking coughs) as a child, I am of similar height and age to you and my peak flow is the same and I have had no problems with my Class 1 medical. My peak flow on the day reached 600, it must have been my adrenaline kicking in and just blew as hard as I can. You will be asked to take a spirometry test which will check your lung compacity, only tip I will give is to blow out as hard as you can (til you feel like you are going to fall over) as they measure how much air you can breath in. They require 70% lung capacity or more. Also bring any inhalers you use with you on the day and be upfront about everything it can only bit you in the rear if you don't :ok:,

Best of Luck

[ashdaman]

Hi Chris 2012:ok:

Thanks, I'm going to go the doctors before hand for a inhaler and to get a test off him.
Did the caa write on your medical about your use of a inhaler?

[Chris2012]

Hi Ashdaman,

I told the medical team that I grew out of my symptoms and I heard no more of it. I only get wheezy when there's a lot of dust around, I was never officially diagnosed as having Asthma despite similar symptoms I do suffer occasionally from rhinitis which is like asthma but not enough to warrant doing anything about it.

To answer your question there is nothing on my medical mentioning asthma, I do however have a small adenoma (growth) in my pituitary gland just below the brain and that will be on my medical cert for life to get checked regularly, what I'm trying to get at is that having something like using inhaler on your license isn't the worst thing that could happen and I wouldn't worry to much about it ;)

[Nathan747]

Greetings! Re. Class 1 Medical, is there a minimum age for the issue of certificate? Many thanks!

[Dufo]

Under JAR and EASA regulations there is no bottom age restriction for initial medical examination.
There was a proposal for it in NPA FCL-3-21 in 2004 but after that it has not been mentioned anymore.

[gingernut]

Peak Flow - Normal Values (http://www.peakflow.com/top_nav/normal_values/index.html)

I'd expect the ame would be more concerned with past exacerbations, hospital admissions, medication, control and triggers, rather than the peak flow number itself:)

Try a search.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Asthma | Medical | Personal Licences and Training (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=49&pagetype=90&pageid=540)

[Loose rivets]

Deep breathing - really forced deep breathing - while running I found best for lung capacity.

Whatever you do, increase your efforts over a period of time, not like a bull in a china shop.

I was really sickly at school. Excused all sports, but when I discovered judo, and indeed tennis, wanting to do it made all the symptoms go away. People call that, 'growing out of it'. I expect much of it is in the mind when it comes to sudden reaction asthma.

I've often wondered if straining to exhale for (about 40 minute periods each attack) caused my breathing to gain some kind of advantage. By the time I was doing my medical on the old iron machine at the CME - I was nearly pushing the pen off the scale.

Typically 740 over the years, but now, I occasionally get restricted breathing, and I don't know why. It seems people that got asthma when they were kids can find they get it when they get old. Odd that.

I do the same. Use a puffer to open things up, and then really go into aerobics - forcing air in deeply. Seems to work. GP very surprised I got back to a 720 from a tiresome 550.

These simple machine readings are almost unbelievably consistent. Even the plastic take-home ones seem to agree to + - 5 In fact, I think the guys at Praed St, the old CME, were up to mischief. Several of them had me blowing for about half a dozen tests, and my guess is they were trying to make me the first person to blow the pen off the disc. However, the peak was almost - to the thickness of the line - exactly the same. Some of these old bits of kit were very nifty.