CVD in India
Hey Guys,
After 4 years of dejection and spending over USD70k on flight training, I finally found this post which has surely instilled some confidence back in me.
I have been a target of CVD in India and it has been very difficult for me to convince the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) and DGMS (Director General of Medical Services) that I am perfectly fit to fly as per FAA Class 1 Medicals.
I failed the DGCA Class 1 medicals in 2007 and then appealed against the decision citing successful completion of flight training from USA, provided I prove to them that there is no defect from the All India Institute of Medical sciences, AIIMS (which is considered to be the top Govt medical facility in the country), and by gods grace I managed to pass the test and also take an expert opinion from an eye doctor in Mumbai who told me that I have a mild color blindness but he didn't see any major issue as I only missed out on 2 plates and also passed the lantern test without any trouble. After submitting the above reports I was given an appeal at Airforce station Bangalore where I was put through Ishihara and Latern test both in visually dim rooms and the latern test was conducted under dark room conditions at a distance of over 10 feet and the frequency of switching colors was after every second and I was expected to give the right answer without delay, which found dumb.. I was put through white green and red color identification test and the judgement was passed within 10 seconds that I am permanently color blind.
Since we are given only one appeal and the appeal I got was stamped permanently unfit due to CVD my career as a pilot ended there. However I am confident that I have no such problem and can carry out my duty as a pilot with equal proficiency and responsibility as any other pilot.
I am not sure if anyone from India is facing such a problem but they are then I suggest we collectively submit reports from successful cases to DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation to reconsider our cases and grant us Class 1 medicals.
If there is any help you can provide me with then I would surely appreciate it.
Thank you
Rohit