I was a little worried going into my class one and in fact I failed the audiogram fairly spectacularly. My hearing was considerably outside the initial limits and just a little outside the renewal limits. I was stunned! I took the test three times that day but there was no improvement.
The IAA took my case under review and granted the medical on the basis of my flight experience. I suppose they figured that if I had gone as far as I had (I have over 1,000 hours - all in the US and I have held a valid US Class 1 for several years), that I must be able to hear something....
If you are concerned, I would advise having a audiogram done prior to the class 1 medical. Take along the JAR requirements and the audiologist will be able to tell you whether or not you meet the requirements.
I can tell you that the requirements are tight. I feel as though I can hear perfectly well and I never miss radio calls in the cockpit.
[ 26 July 2001: Message edited by: seatrumpeter ]