NEW UAE BMI Medical rules

[Mountain pilot]

Latest to pass a class one medical in the UAE BMI must be under 30 and waist under 102 cm. Thats going to be a crash diet for me. Help

[White Knight]

And where exactly is this information??? Nothing in the crew portal.......

Besides - my waist hasn't been under 102cm since I was about 15, and it won't ever be again:}

[Khaosai]

Hi,

based on my current weight, i need to be at least a foot taller than White Knight for my BMI to be under 30 !!!.

Rgds.

[DeweyCheatemAndHowe]

How about this...we start our own club...FEPC...Fat Emirates Pilot's Club.:O

[kuwaitlocal]

In the pool and have been told that if I arrive in UAE and my BMI is not under 30 or waste is over 102cm, then I will not be able to continue. As it is I meet both requirements. Info received by e-mail from HR.

[Monty77]

102 cm waist measurement? Are they mental?

My right ankle beats that and I am a hostie for BMI aged 31, so they can jolly well shove it through the escape hatch (sideways, in case it doesn't fit first time).

They ought to be sued for being fattist.

Pork Scratchings anyone?

Editor's note: For anybody who isn't Scottish, Pork Scratchings are a crisp-like snack, in a similar packet. The contents resemble crisps but are much bulkier, on account of the vast amounts of lard that have been injected into them. Imagine, if you will, the lithe Elvis Presley in his heyday singing 'Jailhouse Rock' to an audience of swooning teenage girls throwing their knickers at him as he gyrated his hips on stage. Follow that image with a grossly overweight Elvis many years later croaking on a toilet, alone, clutching a burger, and you'll have a fairly good grasp of the crisps/scratchings analogy.

Thank you. And next time somebody asks for pork scratchings, you should politely decline. You have been warned.

[lalo737]

I Have The Same Email From Hr.
Do They Looking For Pilots Or Models????????
Oink Oink Oink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fart Master]

It's always been the case that you have to have a BMI of <30 TO JOIN, "nothing new here........... move along now".

However regarding the waist measurement I can only assume it has something to do with hip/waist ratio

[fatigueflyer]

Fart Master.....you are kidding, aren't you? If what you say is true and the <30 BMI has always been the case, then many guys at work would have paid off the doctors and recruitment guys to get the job and keep their jobs also! There is not only a large number of expats who do not meet that criteria but a great deal of UAE Nationals would have missed out as well. Been in the company over 10 years and never ever saw that BMI criteria apply to recruiting pilots. Sure the BMI is a measure of weight vs height but it does not reflect the true fitness and health of the individual. The new BMI criteria must have been thought up by some medico at EK when he dreamt it one night. Silly, silly, silly :ugh:

[Bredrin]

Do you know what the SADDEST thing is? No one cares if you are anorexic, but if you are a body builder and therefore your BMI (height to weight) is high then you have a problem. CRAZY! Get out of the dark ages, BMI is just a VERY rough yard stick, there are some big guys out there who are in pretty good shape. AND some skinny guys who have one foot in the grave.

NUFF SAID

[White Knight]

It's all tosh - even if I had a BMI below 30 I would still have well over 102cm waist... My BMI's 32 - the doc said I was fit at my very recent medical:hmm:

[Bredrin]

Depends on who the Dr is, we have had a gym rat told to lose weight here in our corner of the sandpit. Has anyone ever been threatened with grounding based on being skin and bones? Not that I know of and no, I am not a big guy I am one of the boney ones just at the bottom end of the acceptable range. The gym rat is in better shape than I am but....BMI says otherwise.
BMI is just a guide, ridiculous to use it as more than that. The Canadian Forces tried it in the 1980s and it did not work very well.

[millerscourt]

White Knight (alias fatty)

102 cm waist at age 15?? That is 40 inches!! What a chubby young chap you were:D

[Monty77]

Most professional boxers have a BMI in excess of 30.

Height/weight ratio is a very crude measurement and should never be used as a stop/go for aircrew recruitment.

This is because I am an unforgiveably fat bastard who hopes to wedge himself into a flight deck seat near you. I understand the Airbus has a side stick to accommodate a massive slide out tray for the food.

Well listen up, Mr Airbus. It's not big enough. And only has one level.

Jeez.

[Old King Coal]

I've looked through the 'UAE CAR Part II Chapter 5' (MEDICAL PROVISIONS FOR LICENSING - 1 January, 2008) and it seemingly does NOT refer to BMI being a limiting factor.

That said, in the UAE CIVIL AVIATION ADVISORY PUBLICATION (CAAP) 19 - AEROMEDICAL (1 August, 2004) the sections say (nb. my emphasis in red):
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document (UAE CAAP 19) is to provide guidelines for the administration of the Aeromedical Examiner System (AME System) including procedures for designating and terminating the designation of aeromedical examiners (AMEs).

7.11 Body Mass Index And Obesity

Body mass index or BMI is body weight (in Kilograms) divided by height (in meters). This is one of the reliable methods of estimating obesity. For adults ages 20-29, the 85th percentile for BMI is roughly 27.8 for males and 27.3 for females.

A 20 percent increase in BMI above the 85th percentile for young adults constitutes a health risk.

The health risks most commonly associated with a high BMI include nutritional, metabolic, and endocrinological disorders. Reference UAE CAR Part II, Chapter 5, 5.4.2.19 an applicant with any of these disorders shall be assessed as unfit. It is suggested that the BMI for all applicants for all classes of medical certificates should be calculated and the following guidelines should be followed.

(a) When the candidate has a BMI of between 27 and 30 he/she would require counselling from the AME regarding diet, exercise and behavioural changes.

(b) A BMI of between 30 and 35 should require an additional battery of tests to exclude the nutritional, metabolic, and endocrinological disorders before the candidate can be deemed fit. The minimum tests required would be Lipid profile, Fasting Blood Sugar, and Thyroid Function Tests.

(c) A BMI of above 35 should require the minimum additional testing as for (b) but also may need the candidate to successfully qualify a medical flight simulator testing and a cardiovascular assessment.

(d) For a BMI of 40 and above a limitation of “Multi-pilot,” or “As or with Co-pilot might be required for the flight crew and could thus disqualify a newcomer into the system. This could depend on the presence of any additional risk factors and it would entirely be at the discretion of the GCAA.


In the above it makes a reference to 'UAE CAR Part II, Chapter 5, 5.4.2.19' which (as of 1 January, 2008) says:

5.4.2.19 An applicant who has undergone a major surgical operation on the biliary passages or the digestive tract or its adnexa, which has involved a total or partial excision or a diversion of any of these organs should be assessed as unfit until such time as the medical authority designated for the purpose by the GCAA and having access to the details of the operation concerned considers the effects of the operation are not likely to cause incapacity in the air Cases of metabolic, nutritional or endocrine disorders likely to interfere with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges shall be assessed as unfit.

5.4.2.20 Cases of metabolic, nutritional or endocrine disorders likely to interfere with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges shall be assessed as unfit.

5.4.2.21 Applicants with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus shall be assessed as unfit.

5.4.2.21.1 Applicants with non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus shall be assessed as unfit unless the condition is shown to be satisfactorily controlled by diet alone or by diet combined with oral anti-diabetic medication, the use of which is compatible with the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges.

5.4.2.22 Cases of severe and moderate enlargement of the spleen persistently below the costal margin shall be assessed as unfit.

5.4.2.23 Cases of significant localised and generalised enlargement of the lymphatic glands and of diseases of the blood shall be assessed as unfit, except in cases where accredited medical conclusion indicates that the condition is not likely to affect the safe exercise of the applicant’s licence and rating privileges.

blah blah blah etc etc etc....

So, does anybody have further updates on this and / or have the above been superseded by new GCAA Regulations or Advisories?

[Fart Master]

All done so the wan**rs in management can save a bit of cash on our medical bills, they couldn't give a sh*t what weight we are.

I mean look at TCAS, if he goes over about 6 kgs in weight his BMI will be about 40:}

TCED only has a BMI of about 15 as he is missing his brain.:ugh:

Kn*bs, the lot of them, the whole thing is a crock of sh1t, and I'm surprised how well-educated pilots get so worried about it:confused:

ps My BMI is >30

[Escape Velocity]

Is there more to calculating the BMI? I ask because I checked mine based on the formula shown above and came to a figure that, based again on above, I probably should not even have been issued a medical, and probably should have been referred to a casket salesman!

My figures (forgive the inches/pounds, some of us still use real measurements!):

195 lbs./2.2046=88.45kg
70"*.0254=1.778m

My BMI is . . . . . 49.75

Further, if I reverse the calculation to see just how much weight I must lose to rid myself of what can only be classified as gross obesity, and keeping in mind that I am no longer a spring chicken of 20 - 29, but using this as a basis, here goes:

1.778m*(85th percentile)27.8BMI=49.43kg, or 108.9 lbs!! Are they f*ing insane?:ugh: Or do I need to retake college algebra?

By the way, I do meet the waistline requirements by a large margin - 86cm - have a 60 bpm heart rate, 110/70 bp, and still exercise regularly. I am actually 10 lbs lighter than my college football playing weight (although some things have shifted a little!), I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, can't stop speeding locomotives, and I'm just not well equipped enough to apply for a position in the adult film industry. I blame that on heredity; diet and exercise don't seem to help there. Flying airplanes seems to be what I am suited for. I seriously doubt that I could do any of the above if I weighed 110 pounds!

So is there more to this, or has the local medical community lost their collective minds?

By the way, my most recent AME was 2 inches shorter than me and outweighed me by at least 40 pounds. I wonder what his BMI is??:eek:

[kuwaitlocal]

EV

Your BMI is 27.99

[Kamelchaser]

Formula not as simple as listed in the doc above

BMI = weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2)

or weight (lb) * 4.88 divided by height squared (ft2)

Jeez, I really must get a life.:O

[grizzled]

You've got yourselves all worked up for nothing. "BMI" is simply a new medical term that replaces an old one. It means Basic Mental Index and replaces the term "IQ" which is no longer politically correct. It uses the same scale and values as the former "IQ" index, and is only being used to screen senior managers in the aviation industry in the UAE, hence the requirement for a test result of less then 30. It's as "simple" as that.

Grizz

[mini cooper]

If they impose BMI limitations on the management / office bods I'm sure most of the snack bars / restaurants in the EGHQ would have to close or just sell lettuce!!!

Like me anybody who has ever played rugby will most likely fall into the 'fat b*stard' category as the whole scale is based on the 'average'. I have a BMI of 28-29 depending how tall they think I am!!! You can't win, the fitter you are the more muscle you carry and muscle weighs more than fat hence BMI goes up!!!!

Having said that I was told by one of the EK docs last year that they are more concerned that your weight is stable ie not increasing year on year, also they don't want you to have a big 'gut' as that has been proved apparently to put extra stress on the heart. I have seen a number of people at the EGHQ both pilots and office workers (not forgetting the immigration boys AND GIRLS sat on their considerable bottoms) who should be concerned.

If you want to join EK however and you are stout, plump, rounded at the edges and you haven't seen you bits in years (except in a mirror) then don't expect an easy time at the joining medical.

Typical scenario: join skinny, party a lot, meet someone, get married, forget about where the gym is, get fat, spend rest of life trying to lose weight to please the doc!!!:)

[Fart Master]

Thread creep.............. but I do have a good chuckle at some of the customs people who have 5 bars on their weedy shoulders, oh the joys of Dubai:ugh:

[Khaosai]

Hi,

for all those rugby types, 5ft 8in 100 kg, dont worry. They realise the BMI formula on its own is not an exact science, so they will be checking your body fat too.

Most boxers dont have a BMI over 30 !. Ricky Hatton is renowned for gaining weight between fights, thus his BMI range is probably 23 to 28.

Rgds.

[Old King Coal]

The nonsense of this GCAA BMI thing is that I could start smoking (which would help me loose weight... on the reverse of the principle that smokers nearly always gain weight when they stop, eh?!)... I'd then be nicely svelte, for which the GCAA would tick the BMI box. :rolleyes: Righteeho, so who's got the matches and the Woodbine's ?! :eek:

Imho, the folks you've got to feel sorry for are those who drop dead whilst running a marathon; With hindsight I'll bet the silly sods would rather have walked down to the boozer, tucked into a Ploughmans, downed a few pints... and then they'd probably still be here; instead of looking ever-so-trim in their coffins, eh?! :E

Cheers and good health! ;)

Ps. Khaosai, wrt boxers BMI, have a look at the last 6 fights of Joe Bugner (http://www.britishboxing.net/boxers_13373-Joe-Bugner.html) (which is apt, as today - 13th March - is his birthday) :

49 yrs of age, BMI 33.2, beat Levi Billups in the 9th round (the latter was disqualified)
49 yrs of age, BMI 31.8, beat James 'Bonecrusher' Smith (who was 20lb heavier than Bugner!) in the 1st round with a technical knockout!
49 yrs of age, BMI 31.6, beat Bob Mirovic after the full 12 rounds based on a split decision
48 yrs of age, BMI 31.8, beat Colin Wilson after the full 12 rounds unanimously on points
47 yrs of age, BMI 33.2, beat Waisiki Ligaloa after 7 rounds with a technical knockout
46 yrs of age, BMI 31.6, beat Young Haumona after 5 rounds with a knockout!

Whilst he'd obviously be classed as too fat to pass the GCAA medical... I'd rather be buggered than get in the ring with 'fatso' Bugner !

[Khaosai]

Hi,

fair point about Bugner, but during his career when younger he would have been closer to 100 kg, rather than the 120 or more you mention. The cruiser/heavy weight guys who are 5ft 10in or smaller will be more likely to be considered overweight/obese.

The GCAA introduced an additional Opthamology exam not so long ago, thats now gone i believe. Lets wait and see where this BMI rule goes over the next year or so.

For the time being i will endeavour to loose some weight and refrain from calling sick !!.

San Mig light is a nice beer by the way.

Rgds.

[mini cooper]

San mig lite goes well with a chicken vindaloo, keema nan, lentil dhal, umpteen popadums don't forget the samosa and bhajees (and before you even think about it I don't care if any of that is spelt incorrectly (spelt - look in the oxford english dictionary!!!).
Also bubbly beer + curry = bad smells = time off sick????? SKC (sick curry) SKF (sick farting)

[White Knight]

Millerscourt (alias small dick)

No - I wasn't a chubby young chap, just a fr1gging giant of a man:} even in my teens........

And I still am:D:D