Read my earlier posts for the background to this one - it is a long one !
Letter received 30 May 2001 from the Medical Division at the CAA.
'Thank you for your recent letter regarding your colour vision. As you are unable to correctly identify all of the Ishihara plates, advanced colour testing is necessary. Under the old UK rules, the Giles Archer Lantern test was acceptable and as you have passed this test as recently as last month you can have an unrestricted private pilot's certficate which will carry over with 'grandfather rights' to a JAA Class 2 certificate.
As you failed the Lantern used for professional certfication (the Holmes-Wright Lantern test)here at Aviation House your UK Class 2 medical certficate was endorsed with the standard colour vision deficiency limitation. For JAA Class 1 certification we, in the UK, at the present time only use the Holmes-Wright Lantern Test. As you have failed this test already ther is no point in coming again.
Other countries within the JAA use different Lantern Tests and you, therefore, may be able to pass their advanced colour vision testing, similarly the FAA in the United States.
I hope this clarifies the situation for you but if you would like to get in touch please do so.'
Well... I don't know what you guys think but to me this is progress. I have an overseas PPL with night and AFI ratings and was dreading the reply to my initial letter thinking no more night flying etc. My PPL is from a state that hopes to join the JAA soon and it will be interesting to see where the grandfather rights lie then. The next step I have taken is to write back (at 0430 this morning when my little boy demanded feeding!) requesting clarification of the following:
1.Is a Class 1 from another country acceptable to the CAA for the granting of a professional licence ? ( I do hope so as this is supposedly what JAA and JARs are about).
2.I passed the Holmes-Wright to a suitable standard for rotary and multicrew RAF aircraft about 10 years ago..but not FJ which meant no play. Will they let me do it again at Aviation House ?
A confusing point is that they seem to want you to identify ALL the Ishihara Plates - this is not good as there are usually a couple of impossible ones thrown in to make sure you really aren't guessing. Secondly the CAA seems to be advocating going overseas as they only do 'limited advanced testing'. Surely they have a responsibility to cover the full gambit of testing otherwise they are setting their own agenda within the agenda of the JAA ?
People have spoken of harmonisation with the FAA so in the long term the CAA may dopt their more flexible rules including SODAs etcs
Opinions ?????
PS Anengineer - I see you've been getting a bit of a bashing on some of the other threads
[This message has been edited by gijoe (edited 31 May 2001).]