All, I did not intent to turn this thread into a colour blindness thread, but I'm glad that a frank and open debate has ensued.
I know very little about colour blindness, but if there is sufficient evidence it should not be an excluding condition present the evidence,
I recently went to City University to have the colour vision testing done and to take part in their CAA sponsored study into the possibility of changing the colour vision requirements.
Interestingly, I was a total mess at all the "CAA/FAA/JAA approved tests", but when they gave me the practical tests, I was much much better. In fact, the head of department came to speak to me and asked me to describe some magazine covers selected at random from his book shelf. He then claimed that, given the clinical results, he was amazed how well I had done with the magazines and said I was "remarkably well adjusted" to coping with my condition. Apparently, I (and other CVDs) use other clues/cues to discern colours (such as intensity, common sense, etc.)
Anyway... the point was that they then administered a new test which I believe to be in some way linked with the possible proposal to change the CAA testing procedure. This test used just red and white lights (or maybe red and green... it's the white/green difference I struggle with), and I did perfectly well on it.
Plus, I've never jumped a traffic light in my life. (Well, not due to misinterpretting them, anyway!
)
I'm very interested to hear this discussion of doing CPL/IR courses that are restricted to day only. But having said that, I have no interest in flying in class A airspace or in Europe, so for me the IMC is perfect. It would be a shame to have it taken away and replaced with an IR (of any form) which is more onerous to acquire (than the IMC) but which offers me no personal benefit for the kind of flying I do. It would be even more annoying if that left me with no choices because of the draconian colour vision requirements.
Tell me this... how many nav lights am I expected to spot when I'm bimbling around inside a cloud? And how much of my cockpit to I completely fail to understand because of my colour vision?