Chinese medical

[knox]

Hello all.
I would like to know the requirements for the Chinese class 1 medical.
Eg. eye sight, weight, blood pressure, age and general fitness also anything else you can think of.
I hear it is quite hard to pass.

I ask this as my partner is Chinese and dreams of one day having us return to China (not for a holiday, for a change, lol) and the obvious vocation for me would be pilot.

Also, just out of interest, is there a future for the development GA in China? Is there anything happening in this area now?

Thanks

Knox.

[knox]

Wow... no response at all??

Surely someone must have some information.

Knox.

[Fareastdriver]

Because I have posted it before it is no effort to write which is probably the reason why nobody has answered.


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. 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. Three weeks later this is what you get.

http://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. What the do get excited about is any gall/kidney stones picked up by the scanner. Blood pressure is not too bad. I have got away with 140/80 for a couple of years. Other posters have compared it with a Chinese astronauts medical but as long as you are fit and can see properly you are OK. The comment about glasses does not apply to active aircrew, only ab-initio.

After all that you have to do another medical, similar to the first, without the ECGs, to get your Foreign Employment Permit and Residence Visa.

[knox]

Thanks for your concise reply fareastdriver.
It truly sounds like a huge effort. In fact is sounds as though if you wern't fit at the start you certainly would be by the time you finished all the running around.

Knox.

[mingalababya]

I just renewed my CAAC class 1 medical yesterday. The process described by Fareastdriver pretty much explains it. However, in our case, we had the team of CAAC doctors visit us at our base bringing all of their equipment to do the basics. And yes, the doctors are employed by the CAAC .. not designated GPs to perform aviation medicals like back at home.

They set up 4 rooms to do all this and each room has its own doctor .. a doctor to check your eyes, another to look into your ear canal, nostrils and mouth, another doctor to take your blood pressure and listen to your heart beat, and another to check your height, weight and dexterity where they get you undressed to do some routine exercises, like squats, stand on tippy toes etc.

Back in my home country, these sort of things could have been done by one doctor or even a nurse, but in China it takes 5 doctors to do it!! Each doctor had their laptops on the desk ..no, not for data entry, but they were chatting on MSN and/or checking emails, in between patients! LOL! It's no wonder they need 5 doctors to do all this!

The initial medical however was quite involved. Prior to visiting the CAAC doctors, we were taken to the local hospital to take blood samples (some of has had to do this 2 or 3 times for reasons unclear to us), urine samples, an ultra-sound to check your liver and other internal organs and even a brain scan where they attach electrodes to your head and show you pictures to illicit a response. Your brainwaves are then recorded and included in the report to CAAC doctors. And of course, there's also an ECG .. both resting and under-stress where you're jogging on a treadmill where your blood pressure is also checked both on the treadmill and after when you're recovering.

I've heard stories of people getting probes stuck up their anus but after two medical examinations, I've not yet experience this myself.

As for GA in China, well it's still early days yet and there are many problems with getting clearances etc just to do a simple cross-country flight. ATC has limited experience dealing with light GA aircraft in the same airspace as commercial jet transport aircraft. It's common for us to be waiting 20 minutes on the ground to await the arrival of a 737 or A320 that's still some 100 miles away! VFR charts as we know it in Australia do not exist. But the fact that they have an annual or bi-annual GA Forum/Convention (http://www.chinacivilaviation.com/events/gaforum2008/English/index.asp) in China suggest that things may improve in the future.

[knox]

Thanks for the link and info.

Knox.

[BuzzinBreak]

I have a probable chance to get an airline job in China in the near future.
From what I can gather from some of the forums, the medical can be tough.
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few years ago and have been on medication since, I have never had any problem in attaining a class one medical since. Was wondering if anyone could tell me if this disorder will stop me from getting the Chinese class 1.

Thanks

BuzzinBreak.

[purple head]

You are better checking with your airline doctors. I doubt any agency or pilots on here will know this. I know some pilots at my company were allowed to take medication for high blood pressure etc, but for your exact case, something ok in foregin countries will not pass the medical here, but then again somethings that are allowed to pass here will fail in western countries. It could even boil down to the relationship the company doctor has with the CAAC doctor.

[Babablackship]

I've heard stories of people getting probes stuck up their anus but after two medical examinations, I've not yet experience this myself.

I heard from certain quarters that the Chinese CAAC has an obsession with haemorrhoids. Anyone with haemorrhoids would definitely fail the initial medical. Is this true?

[JotaJota]

My A$$ was never checked :} :ok:

[Jetney]

Not sure about CAAC in the People's Republic of China but I have heard of AMEs in Taiwan ( Republic of China ) having a thing about hemorrhoids as bleeding hemorrhoids could lead to anemia. I was told that there were pilots who did not make it past the initial medical when it was discovered that they had piles......were the Taiwanese AMEs really being anal ? :ugh::ok:

[BuzzinBreak]

Thanks purple head.

Starting to wonder, whats with all the a$$ entries in this thread??

Sorry couldn't resist :)

But seriously, anymore input on the hypothyroidism issue? really need to get this sorted.

Thanks

BuzzinBreak.

[Checkerboardhk]

If it is possible to do the test privately to see if I can pass the test before taking the real test?

Thanks!

[PROBEUSMC]

I just took the medical a few weeks ago. They said you cannot be on any medication and fly in China. None. Also if you have a kidney or gall stone, you need to get rid of it as they do an ultrasound.

I did a "practice physical" before I quit my last job. It was at least double what the chinese did, especially lab work. I did it in Saigon and it was cheap - 400 USD. I don't know how expensive it would be "in the world". My guess is very expensive.

Do they test for medication? I don't know.

[sulkair]

Buzz,

Did you ever get any answers with regard to your hypothyroid question?

[Jaz and the Fat Man]

#1 There are no tests for medication or drugs at this time

#2 It's kind of like dealing with the "Tax Man", do you really need to tell him everything?

#3 It's true about stones, get checked and get rid of them before you go

Get a full blood screen, ex. cbc panel, cholesterol, etc. Make sure all parameters are normal, like blood pressure. If not, take care of it before you go.

[chopper2]

Does anyone know if it is possible to get a Chinese CAAC Class 1 aircrew medical anywhere other than China? What about Singapore, Vietnam etc etc?

Rgds

[Fareastdriver]

No, it is not possible. Chinese aviation medicals are done by CAAC medical staff in China, period.

[chopper2]

Hmmmm - Thought that might be the case.

My problem is that I have a hearing deficit in my right ear and I have the feeling that the Chinese may be totally inflexible and simply say no to a class 1 medical.

What I was hoping for was a test centre that would consider that fact that the hearing deficit happened in 1977 and I have had a long successful aviation carer since then. I also hold a Class 1 JAR medical without restrictions and an FAA Class 1 medical with a "statement of demonstrated ability".

Is there anywhere in China that you can recommend where I can investigate how best to proceed .... I.e. discuss the matter in English and find out what, if any, my options are?

[Fareastdriver]

Difficult. On the whole medicals in China are organised by the company that is going to employ them. The only good thing is that audio tests are not done by CAAC, (look at previous posts in this thread) and then the results are gone through with the CAAC and your company doctor. However you still have to have a job to go to before you can start the process.
Should you get a job they might accept the JAA opinion but again they may not. They are not as bad as some people think, they kept me flying until I was nearly sixty-nine years old.......

[hickslf]

I just got told I have bile sludge in India and my contract is about to expire. I have an oppertunity in China and am planning to have surgery gallbladder removal. any idea how long between the surgery till I can do the China medical? it was 60 days in India.

[hickslf]

I noticed the glasses comment. I have 20/25 vis will they allow glasses for a type rated FAA ATPL?

[hickslf]

any feed back on Deer Jet?

[flyingdog00]

If you have correct glasses that can help you pass the exam, it will be ok.

[Mafae]

Hey everybody,

Sorry to interrupt the conversation but I am looking for info. Anybody who has experience as an Expat Pilot in China. What are your experiences, the good and the bad ones. Lot`s of Job opportunities in China nowadays, I am very interested but would like to know how to overcome the Cultural differences etc.....

Thanks in advance,

Mafae

[ttse1]

Are they testing for drugs nowadays?
Hair test or urine test?
Thanks in advance.

[falcon10]

Anyone know if there are cholesterol limits on the CAAC medical?

[inbluskyz]

They do a urine drug test equivalent to the nida 7. They do have cholesterol limits. Mine was slightly over the limit but I passed anyway. Maybe because my ratio was good.

[de facto]

Are they testing for drugs nowadays?
Hair test or urine test?
Thanks in advance.

Yes they do as they want crack heads..:eek:

[KAG]

would like to know how to overcome the Cultural differences etc.....You don't overcome them, you just adapt or don't.