Colour Blind - Type of Ishihara at Gatwick and Online Test

[Wiggum75]

Hi,

Anyone know whether the Ishihara plates used at Gatwick CAA medical office are the 24- or 38-plate variety?

I've applied for the ICAO Extended Renewal JAR Class 1 medical. I meet the Canadian minimum standard which is the Farnsworth D-15 test, a series of coloured disks you have to arrange in order from purple to turqoise.

However I routinely fail the Ishihara test, and am trying to "get used" to the plates. If anyone else is in the same boat, the 24-plate Ishihara is online at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/teares/gktvc/vc/lt/colourblindness/cblind.htm

Also, apparently there are (very!) tiny numbers on the real Ishihara plates, from 1-24 in series that match 1-24 on the online test above.

[egbb_2004]

I think it says somewhere on the CAA website that they use the the 24 plate edition, but when I did the test I am sure i didn't do all 24 as I failed some then went on to do Beynes and Holmes Wright.

[Wiggum75]

Thanks! I hope the testing went OK after Ishihara. What are the other tests like?

[egbb_2004]

I actually failed the beynes wright because not knowing that the ere were blue and red lights as well as white and green! EVentually passed in Cologne at the AMC there. Basically the beynes, holmes wright and spektrolux are the same in that you have to sit between 3 and 6 metres away and name the coloured lights, Anamoloscope is where you have to look down this telescope type device and turn the knobs on the side until the two havles of the circle match.

Hope this helps in some way.

[ETOPS773]

Great web page there-didn`t do too badly myself.

This does raise an issue-I`m fairy confident that I could "revise" these plates so I could read out the correct number,even if I cannot see it.However if I did this,having failed the beynes lantern etc a year or so ago,would they accept it as a pass,or smell a rat and possibly put me through the lantern again??

Also,anyone know which plates the aeromedical place at Schipol use???-thats my next stop..I`d do the same thing (revise plates) in order to pass.

[Wiggum75]

Thanks Guys,

That does help. I have the Extended Renewal booked at Gatwick for the end of April. I thought of emailing them to ask re 38- or 24- plate Ishihara but thought they might smell a rat, as ETOPS says. Good luck ETOPS!

[egbb_2004]

ETOPS, where did you fail the Beynes? I failed in LGW back in january but then went to the AMC in Cologne and the Dr. there told me that the CAA accepts their result. Of course you'd have to pass it in Cologne first but they do the test a different way there.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

[Blinkz]

Am I the only person who thinks that learning the ishara plates is just wrong? I'm mean I'm colourblind and so understand the situation better then most, but I don't want to cheat any of the tests. If I honestly can't pass them then I'm just going to have to accept it. I have been to gatwick and have failed all the tests there. I felt the beynes was very unfair in that the colour they called white was blatantly not white, it was a dirty beige. Unfortunatly they won't rest anyone. So I am going to goto Cologne (same as egbb_2004) and take it there as I'm sure I can pass it.


fingers crossed.

[ETOPS773]

Blinkz,
Can understand why you think that learning the plates is wrong,and yes I would agree,cheating isn`t usually the best way to go.

Problem is,all these tests really do very little for us in reality,this has been proved by the cockpit assesment carried out by Qinetiq on B757 & A320 cockpit assesments.Colour deficiencies play very little part in these modern flightdecks,not anywhere near as much as the mighty CAA would have you think and preach about.

However,whats so bad if you do pass doing it.If you think you have such a big problem that you might be dangerous,don`t even try! But I think your like the rest of us,know it doesn`t and need a way around this,hence your going to Cologne.I probably will aswell.

My point being whilst some would frown on this,its how badly you want to be flying commercially oneday.If I have to cheat in order to get to the bottom of the ladder,level playing ground,so be it.I will sleep easy.CPL/IR/Multi/Groundschool will be worth worring about!!

[BlueDog]

I agree cheating at the Isihara tests might be tempting, however, a few things that spring to mind:

1) If the CAA/your employer ever find out that you lied & cheated you would be dismissed immediately, have your licence removed & possibly more. Would this constitute a fraudulent application & be a criminal offence?

2) Depending on how serious your colour blindness is (& I am certainly no expert on this!) you may be ok reading things in the flightdeck but may have problems distinguishing the colour of lights outside (i.e. green & red - is he going to hit us, or is he going the other way?). A potentially serious situation. There may be others.

3) Officers of the CAA probably monitor this website & you have now given away your tactics. They could, forseeably, amend their testing & procedures.

Good luck with whatever you decide & apologies for being so negative!

[harri1888]

cheers there - great website - im planning on doing my ppl but was scared incase i was colour blind and wouldn't be able to take flying any further. Fortunatly i sat that test there and i was totally wrong - scored 100% :D

thanx again - that was a great help :ok:

[craig.wylie]

I failed the ishihara test but passed the lantern tst. So good for me, but the most interesting thing was the discussion with the medical examiner who pointed out that the US had a lower standard of colour vision requirement and they were of the opinion that colour vision was not indicated in any significant number of accidents.

Maybe the requirement will change.:O