Civil Class 1 Medical

[Alfie Stenloop]

Chaps,

Any suggestions on the best Mil establishment to get an initial civil class 1 medical done and any idea of price?

Regards

Alfie:ok:

[Bernouli's what?]

You shouldn't have to go far! I had mine done at Aldergrove for 50 quid to the charity of the SMO's choice. That was about 18 months ago now so not sure if the same Gp Capt is still there doing the same thing.

[Fareastdriver]

As far as I am aware an SMO cannot issue a Class One medical certificate unless he is a CAA approved AME. He can however,do it, send the completed paperwork to the CAA and they will issue the medical certificate.
You can have difficulties, however, so just go along to a CAA AME and pay the bill.

[Specaircrew]

Brize Norton, a renewal costs £70 so an initial will be slightly more.

[Sy Clic]

I've recently done mine at RAF Cranwell. Total cost £60 (two cheques) which includes the MO's fee and an ECG (that is required to be sent to be sent to the CAA). The best bit however is that the MO has access your CAA details via your ref number, such you can receive your signed Class One there and then. If you are travelling to Cranwell-Top tip, do all of your pre-med george (bloods etc) with your local sickbay before you book in and then self carry your med docs, thus you'll only be with the MO for 30 mins ish.
Other places-RAF Benson, High Wycombe and RNAS Yeovilton (not sure whether the MO is still at Yeovs now though)

[timex]

I did hear recently (rumour) that fairly soon ALL Class 1 initials will have to be done at the CAA and only renewals could be done elsewhere? Anyone else heard this?

[Triple Matched TQ]

As of June 2008 initials cannot be given by any military establishment, only renewals. (More money to the CAA).

Sy Clic - Doing your Class 1 medical eh Not thinking of leaving :D

[BEagle]

As of June 2008 initials cannot be given by any military establishment, only renewals.

This seems odd. I shall make some enquiries and let you all know what's what....

[spekesoftly]

From the CAA's website:-

"The initial medical examination (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=49&pagetype=90&pageid=2188) must be done at the UK CAA Aeromedical Centre (AMC) at Gatwick (see address below). The whole examination takes half a day."

[BEagle]

That has always been the case, except for QSPs.

[Fareastdriver]

Class One Medical.

For those, as I was, familiar with renewing a Class one medical in the UK here in China there is a slightly different system. Predominately because there are no such things as GP AMEs.

The first thing you do is go to one of the nominated hospitals for an all round check accompanied by an interpreter. Chinese hospitals all have one thing in common. They are spartan, normally with zero English and in the middle of some major refurbishment programme.

The first thing you do is pay the bill. RMB 185, just over £14, then off to the Matrons office, (they still have them) where she puts your details into a computer and it prints out a load of little stickers with your name and a bar code. You given an empty stamp sheet and off you go. Each check has it own department so you are travelling up and down and all over. There is no privacy in any of the checks so when you have your chest X ray there are a load of faces pressed up against the office window looking at the screen to see what the inside of a foreigner looks like. You do the whole gambit. Chest X ray, ECG relaxed and on the treadmill , echogram of you nether regions, urine, two blood samples, a general poke about and the hearing test. On my last hearing check they did make allowances for the rock drill demolishing a wall behind me. Every time you complete a stage they take one of your stickers, read it on their computer, stick it in your stamp book and chop it. When all is done you take it back to Matron whose computer then checks that you stamp sheet is kosher. Three days later you pick up the paperwork.

In China all aviation related medical work is done in the various CAAC hospitals scattered around the country. This includes any operations that may affect your licence. (Sounds a bit like HM Forces several years ago). For big organisations like Air China, China Southern etc, the medics go to their units to do them en masse but for us it’s a two hour ride to Guangzhou, normally on a Tuesday, which is the examiners at-home day. Our company doctor accompanies us, a pleasant lady in her thirties and also our previous, now retired, doctor for reasons that will be revealed.

On arrival at the hospital there are similar arrival formalities and as it is now all on one floor you all wait in one waiting area. Tuesday is aircrew wannabes day so you sit there surrounded by a dozen or so absolutely gorgeous Chinese wannabe air hostesses all desperate to practise their English on you. Your turn comes and they call you in.

The first thing they do is check your blood pressure.

Then they put you in the corner behind a curtain and fifteen minutes later they try it again.

The rest is fairly routine except the eyesight test. No charts that you can memorise, they have a fiendish machine that is unfoolable. There is a screen that shows something similar to the male sex symbol that points in eight segments at random. You have to stand there waving your arms in the right direction as it gets smaller and smaller. This is done from five metres and as the Chinese are naturally short sighted its sad to see some young wannabe struggling to see something which is blindingly obvious to you. The same rules for the first medical as the RAF maybe still has, if you need glasses, tough. After you have stumbled your way through the clouds of cigarette smoke at the ENT department you have finished. The CAAC examiners and your doctors(s) then go through the results behind closed doors. (This is where the old boy is useful, he has known us for years.) After that then comes the whole point of the expedition.

LUNCH!!!!!!!!

The doctors know where to go. A gigantic palace with a multitude of tanks shimmering with every fish or shellfish known to man. Prawns, crabs, lobster, oysters, scallops, who cares, the company is paying, all washed down with several bottles of Tsing Tao. Then you are poured, stuffed, bloated and eyes dot-crossing into the bus and two hours later you wake up outside the heliport. Three weeks later this is what you get.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/scan0002.jpghttp://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/scan0001.jpg

The names and DoB have been withheld to shield the guilty.

I have to suffer this every six months.

[Gnd]

Just got mine done at Cranwell, very helpful, but I think it is stopping in Jan 09 NOT Jun 08. Not a medical type so will need better people than me to help on that one (the MO at Cranwell wasn't aware that the Mil dispensation was stopping at all???)

[Alfie Stenloop]

Gents,

Thanks very much for the information, I will avoid China!

Regards

Alfie:ok:

[CirrusF]

Conversely here in France all civilian pilots get their medicals done by the military, and the exams are the same. I have a French ATPL, so every six months have to go down to the French navy medical centre in Toulon, and get my Class 1 alongside the military pilots. If the mil guys want a civilian class 1 licence, they just have to ask for it.

[AYTCH]

Dude,

Went to CAM Henlow last year to get mine and a mates initials done at the same time. Wg Cdr Hurley was the doc qual'd for initial class ones but he may have retired since then?? Sure there will be someone else there that may be able to help. Ext 8050 if you want to ask. Cost £60 and a bottle of Chateau-Neuf-Du-Pape for fitting me in at only a weeks notice! Bargain compared to approx £600 for the same med exam at Gatwick!!!!!
Got an ECG done at my RMC to take with me and borrowed the F Med 4 for the day and all was done in about 30-mins, followed by a very nice lunch in the mess. May not help as I am guessing you are nowhere near Henlow.

[Tiger_mate]

I have had an initial one done in the last 4 days at a military establishment. The move of all initial ones to Gatwick is being driven by our european brothers and will cost about £350. The date given to me by the examining MO was the end of the year, so it is safe to assume that from Jan 2009, all initial CAA Class 1 is to / are to be done by the CAA at Gatwick.

Mine was for service reasons and still cost the £27 ECG diagnosis fee and will cost what the eye doc charges this coming week. Assuming that to be £25-30 the minimum you will get away with now if you wear specs is around the £60 mark and none of that is for the SMOs pocket or chosen charity.

Still much cheaper than the CAA itself though, and as has been alluded to, renewals will still be done by the chosen few around service Medical Centres. Morale of the story has got to be that if you need an initial one in the foreseeable future, get it done soon, and before Christmas 08.

[Alfie Stenloop]

Chaps,

Once again, thanks very much!:ok:

[BEagle]

I have been making enquiries and the RAF Flying Clubs' Associaton has now obtained an answer from CAA medical.

Basically, an RAF MO who has been through the relevant CAA course and has been granted AME status, may continue to conduct Initial Class 1 medicals for RAF pilots and navigators provided that he/she has full access to all their RAF medical documents.

It is possible that this may change under EASA part-Medical (in around 2012).

[XL319]

if you know a good AME ;) then you can get a good deal. My class 1 inital was £302, but subsequently £35 and £80 (which by all accounts would have cost £172 at Gatwick).

[AYTCH]

Not an initial I have info about as was requested at the start of this thread but having renewed the Class One todayI have some good gen. For those oop North this seems a good forum to let you know of a top CAA qual'd Dr in Newcastle. Dr White at Molineux Medical Centre (just round the corner from Byker Grove!!) only charged me £60 as I was paying myself :D:D:D. Would have been £148 if a company was paying so a great saving. All done very quickly and efficiently with a fine dose of banter throughout. He can be contacted through their reception 01912 755710 where they will take your contact details and he gets back to you pretty rapidement. As it is done outside his normal clinic times you get treated as if you are a private patient (get to fill in the form in a side office away from the coughing wheezing geordie proles [I am allowed to say that as I am a Geordie myself]) before he gets on with said medical. Top job all round :}

Aytch