gdb1973
9th May 2001, 03:43
Can anyone help me with this?
I really REALLY want to fly for a living, I have a clean enough credit rating to borrow 10 grand and I live near OATS with my parents (So accomadation would be free). In fact, i've worked on that airfield in the past. I fly RC aeromodels and a few hops in Glider and light aircraft have revealed a reasonable natural ability with planes (probably born of many years of practice in my imagination!) So far, so good.
However, a few years ago I had an infection in my left eye that left some slight occular inclusions (read "spicks and spacks") on my retina. Now I can see these if I go looking for them, but I can drive okay with that eye only and the other is unaffected. I can read car number plates at roughly the same distance as my "good", right, eye but reading text in magazine with the left is more of a challenge, but I can do it.
The question is "does slight residual damage to just one eye's retina automatically bar you from a Class one medical?" and i'd also like to know "Is there a "Rule of thumb" test I can can do to give an indication as to how viable a Class 1 is?"
A little more background. Colour vision is excellent, low light vision is also very good, but I have a lowish glare tolerance - (the two are mutually inclusive!) I do wear glasses of medium power. Earlier this year I took a copy of the Class 1 to my optician, he said he could not see any reason why I would not pass but that he did not understand some of it, and other bits were ambiguous. Incidentally, the damage came from an infection brought in on a contact lens, and it was something called "Empi". More i do not know.
I know I can go to the CAA (JAA?) to book a 400 quid medical test, but i'd like to avoid doing that if I have no chance of passing! Is it possible to get a "pre-test" done, without the CAA paperwork to give me some idea if class1 is viable in my case?
If I can't get a "working" licence, then i'd like to take up gliding and 400 quid is a LONG way to a glider rating!
Thanks in advance.
I really REALLY want to fly for a living, I have a clean enough credit rating to borrow 10 grand and I live near OATS with my parents (So accomadation would be free). In fact, i've worked on that airfield in the past. I fly RC aeromodels and a few hops in Glider and light aircraft have revealed a reasonable natural ability with planes (probably born of many years of practice in my imagination!) So far, so good.
However, a few years ago I had an infection in my left eye that left some slight occular inclusions (read "spicks and spacks") on my retina. Now I can see these if I go looking for them, but I can drive okay with that eye only and the other is unaffected. I can read car number plates at roughly the same distance as my "good", right, eye but reading text in magazine with the left is more of a challenge, but I can do it.
The question is "does slight residual damage to just one eye's retina automatically bar you from a Class one medical?" and i'd also like to know "Is there a "Rule of thumb" test I can can do to give an indication as to how viable a Class 1 is?"
A little more background. Colour vision is excellent, low light vision is also very good, but I have a lowish glare tolerance - (the two are mutually inclusive!) I do wear glasses of medium power. Earlier this year I took a copy of the Class 1 to my optician, he said he could not see any reason why I would not pass but that he did not understand some of it, and other bits were ambiguous. Incidentally, the damage came from an infection brought in on a contact lens, and it was something called "Empi". More i do not know.
I know I can go to the CAA (JAA?) to book a 400 quid medical test, but i'd like to avoid doing that if I have no chance of passing! Is it possible to get a "pre-test" done, without the CAA paperwork to give me some idea if class1 is viable in my case?
If I can't get a "working" licence, then i'd like to take up gliding and 400 quid is a LONG way to a glider rating!
Thanks in advance.