IIRC there were pilots who faked cheated tests when blind in one eye and even Bob Hoover qualified when his medical examiner told him he would test his eyesight reading the line second from bottom and left him alone for 10 minutes to memorise the eyechart.
Deserving a fine, yes, but Lao indicative of a wish to serve and fly.
And high blood pressure isn’t the most dangerous of conditions at that age - easily controlled and I’ve suffered with it for over 40 years.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...y-helicopters/
Royal Navy officer tampered with records so he could fly in helicopters
A Royal Navy officer tampered with records in order to get back to flying in submarine hunting helicopters, a court martial heard.
Lieutenant Owen Holton, 31, an observer at 820 Naval Air Squadron, used his officer rank to access and change spreadsheet entries from red to green, falsely stating he was qualified to return to the air after being medically downgraded.
Bulford Military Court heard that Lt Holton, whose squadron flew Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol Merlin helicopters with
aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, tampered with the Fleet Air Arm document in July last year.
The court was told how Lt Holton had obtained his wings in May 2020 and was due to achieve a certificate of competence as an observer in August 2021, before he was diagnosed with a blood pressure problem.
As a result Lt Holton was medically downgraded in May 2021 and was undertaking refresher training when an admin “oversight” listed him as able to take part in a flight, despite having out of date training.
Commander Matthew Rees told the court: “Knowing he wasn’t permitted, Lt Holton went into the tracker and amended it to show he was medically fit and was in-date for medicine and drills.
“Having made these amendments to the facts, Lt Holton took part in four flying sorties on July 25, Sept 1, Sept 7 and Sept 15. These took place without him having the correct medical qualifications.”
The court was told that Lt Holton then lied to his commanding officer when challenged about discrepancies in the military database.
Cdr Rees added that while there was little “risk to aircraft or crew” during the first three flights, this was not the case for the fourth.
He said: “The instructor saw Lt Holton was on edge and had to be calmed down. During the flight, Lt Holton had sole control of the winch with someone suspended 40ft below the vehicle.”
The court heard it “wouldn’t have been possible” for the supervisor to intervene if something had gone wrong.
Having had to reassure his superiors before each flight, Lt Holton’s commanding officer called a meeting to investigate why this admin error had not been rectified.
In the meeting on Sept 20, 2022, Lt Holton was said to have lied about the training he had completed, resulting in a ship investigation.
On Lt Holton’s motivation, Cdr Rees added: “This wasn’t done for any financial gain, it was to accelerate his progress back into flying. There was no harm, but it did incur increased risk of safety.
“There was an intent to mislead and deceive his commanding officer.”
In mitigation, Bob Scott said: “Lt Holton felt under pressure to get himself back to flying. Over the last three or four years he has experienced anxiety and is nervous about being constantly assessed.
“That pressure is what caused him to make a stupid decision.”
Mr Scott said Lt Holton, who has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, recognises he had committed a “breach” of trust in the service.
Lt Holton admitted tampering with an official document and conduct prejudicial to good order and was given a severe reprimand and a £2,500 fine.