Indian First Class Medicals for Expats

[captjns]

Please refrain from bashing or flaming as only objective thoughts on this subject are appreciated.

Currently, the majority of expats attending the newly established required medical examination in Bangalore have not passed. Unless there is immediate relief or reform or oversight the future may be grim.

Under the current program, pre-medicals are administered at certified local clinics throughout India by certified technicians with detailed reports prepared by certified technicians and a full debriefed by certified physicians. This detailed report is hand delivered by the pilot to their base physician for further review and approval prior to attending the physical examination. The detailed reports are hand delivered to the Air Force Facility by the pilot undergoing the medical evaluation by the Air Force Medical Examiner.

To date, the majority of these reports are being discounted or disregarded as being unprofessional and unacceptable, or not formatted correctly resulting in further retesting by the pilot at the local hospital in Bangalore… thus causing additional angst which is deplorable.

What is the purpose of the pre-medical examination if these results are dispelled or cast aside by the Air Force Medical Facility? There is nothing more demeaning, disrespectful , humiliating, or inhumane for a Senior Aircraft Commander to sit before a medical professional, who is an Officer and a Gentlemen in the Military Service of the Indian Government, treating us as liars despots, or criminals and refusing to accept certified reports from certified Indian physicians who administered these medical pre-tests, at certified Indian clinics.

Most of the airlines in India have large aircraft orders with deliveries scheduled for the near future. With that being said additional staffing will be required. Further if the airlines in India want to at least maintain their current levels let alone increase their staffing need to consider with immediate effect each airline must:

1. Establish oversight by their respective Medical Departments;

2. Reschedule the medical appointments with the Indian Air Force;

3. Engage the services of a former Air Force Medical Examiner who was directly involved with and has first-hand knowledge in the administering the Indian First Class Medical Exam. A list of requirements along with acceptable parameters must be provided to each pilot before submitting for a pre-medical examination under the supervision of the engaged former Air Force Medical Examiner;

4. Engage the services of only one clinic to administer all pre-medical examinations under the supervision of the engaged former Air Force Medical Examiner;

5. The nominated former Air Force Medical Examiner who was directly involved with administering medical exams for the Air Force needs to be part debrief process of the tests administered.

What's going to be next? Personally, I'm tired of jumping though any more hoops. As for myself, my intentions are to:

1. Maintain my Country’s First Class Medical Certificate as required by my country and contract of employment;

2. Submit same to my company as required per my employment contract;

3. Not set myself up for potential failure nor be subjected to the abuse by the Air Force Medical Examiners in Bangalore or Delhi;

4. At this time, not to submit to a medical examination until such time that my company establishes a plan as outlined above;

5. If there is no resolve, I'll be off to my next adventure in aviation when the deadline for completion of the Indian First Class Medical comes to pass.

Any carriers have a plan for salary continuation, and or medical benefits to resolve any deficiencies in place to assist crewmembers if the medical is not successful?

Again, please refrain from bashing or flaming as only objective thoughts on this subject are appreciated.

Good luck to all.


Note to Mods... this thread was deleted from Terms and Endearment. Please advise if this post does not meet the standards of PPrune. Thank you.

[itsbrokenagain]

You should have posted this here http://www.pprune.org/south-asia-far-east/434638-dreaded-indian-medical-expats-has-arrived-2.html

So the deadline is March 24, thats only a couple more weeks you can fly then. What does your company think of your plan... I heard that airlines are writing letters to the DGCA to stop this madness and stupidity, but I think it will fall on deaf ears.

[weido_salt]

Refuse to sit this medical! Refuse en mass and you as a pilot group down there, may have a chance. If you play this one right, you will have them running around like headless chickens.

[sunny441]

Refuse to sit this medical! Refuse en mass and you as a pilot group down there, may have a chance. If you play this one right, you will have them running around like headless chickens. Or you could do it the Indian way - and slip a few greenbacks under the table and be done with it. :ok:

[masalama]

I know it's no solace but just to let you know, the Air Force medical is equally terrifying for the local as it is for the expat. I have been doing it for the past 15 years now and being TMU( temporarily medically unfit) is always expected.

I've been lucky , TMU once so far for eosonophilia(3 weeks) , but friends have been down for 3 months or more and varied reasons like low hoemoglobin ( 12.9 ) , platelet count etc.etc.
The recent rule change for ATPL holders under 40 to carry out medicals once a year as against bi-annually is a welcome change. I wish they could "ease" the standards a bit , but it's going to take a while for that to happen, if at all. In the meantime, FIP insurance for TMU/PMU is the way to go in addition to the company coverage....:(..

sunny 441 said Or you could do it the Indian way - and slip a few greenbacks under the table and be done with it.

I wouldnt try that little trick of yours , especially with the forces , the zeal with which some of the force people take their job could land you behind bars , you have been warned. :ugh:

[Rotorhead1026]

Refuse to sit this medical! Refuse en mass and you as a pilot group down there, may have a chance. If you play this one right, you will have them running around like headless chickens.

Errr, they're already running around like headless chickens.

In fact, there are a lot of folks at DGCA (and others) that want the expats out - regardless of consequences. The net result of "playing this one right" might be an increase in airfares for a couple of days - as a couple of hundred jobless expats hop the next flight home. Be careful ...

[weido_salt]

Rotorhead1026

Yes but they are going to loose their jobs in any event. Sit the medical and fail, he/she will have a "medical history", that will be passed onto the authority either by the licence holder or the DGCA, or both. Then another can of worms will be opened, as they may not have a licence or a job at the end of it!

[PiTrouble]

Clean up the Indian Aviation scene. If u feel f**ked just pack and go.:D

[weido_salt]

"Clean up the Indian Aviation scene. If u feel f**ked just pack and go."

I did!! You know why? I didn't feel India was :mad: I already knew it was :mad:!! :D:D

Just came across this! (http://www.pprune.org/african-aviation/445154-trainee-pilot-dies-after-flight.html) Seems that some air force pilots from other countries should be doing the DGCA medicals also to avoid this tragedy. Would never have happened if he had. :ugh::ugh:

[Rotorhead1026]

... wil have a medical history", that will be passed onto the authority either by the licence holder or the DGCA, or both

I can't speak for other countries, but FAA Aeromedical asks only for visits to medical professionals and whether your FAA medical has been denied, etc.; they don't ask for the results of a physical per se. I'm not sure (no sarcasm intended) if a visit to a DGCA doctor even counts for such a visit. In any case you'd report the diagnosis and the correction. "Excessive ear wax" (refer to the link in post 2) isn't going to cause a big stir in OKC. If perchance something more serious is found - well, it's best to take care of your health first.

Being fired for refusing to take a legally required (overkill or not) medical exam would be the more career limiting scenario.

[weido_salt]

"If perchance something more serious is found - well, it's best to take care of your health first."

We are all, each and everyone of us on "death row". Most of us will probably die of a heart attack or cancer, whether the DGCA/India Military like it or not. Shall we all tear our medical certificates up?? If health is such a huge issue for you, why don't you book yourself in for an exploratory operation, just to see if things are OK within your body?

Each and every expat, will hold a class one medical certificate, issued to prove he/she is fit to operate. Now the DGCA have decided all expat medicals are not worth the paper they are written on. What utter nonsense. I can understand and agree, pilots operating public transport single pilot operations need to be "looked at more closely" Multi crew operations there are at least 2 crew members on board who should be able to get that aircraft down safely, should the other crew member be incapacitated. Maybe in India a large percentage of F/O's are not capable of getting the aircraft down safely should the PIC be incapacitated. I believe this to be a fact. Not their fault as they are not allowed to practice getting the thing down. They even have Captains flying who cant even land the damned aircraft without bending it.

They have taken their eye off the ball. Too busy checking up on the expats and harassing them, now they cant even be sure if any of the local pilots haven't cheated when they were issued their licences! God I would wet my pants laughing if say 30% had cheated. What with that and kicking most of the expats out things would really grind to a Holt. The fact the DGCA have ordered 4000 licences to be checked means they haven't a clue who's cheated and who hasn't.

[PiTrouble]

Serbian Pilot, Late Captain z. Glucia flew 168 Air India passengers to their doom. He was obviously medically unfit.
A good periodic Medical check up is the corner stone of Aviation Safety.
Unfit foreign Pilots can't crowd the Indian aviation scene.

[A69]

The DGCA medical standards are ape**** ridiculous. Where else in the world will you get an Air Force standards check up for civil pilots?
:*

[sunset_contrails_10]

Captain Gluscia's Fatal Flight Must be Prevented
Would have been prevented if all the expat first officers weren't run out of India.

Instead, an Indian First officer with more than four thousand hours, doesn't have enough experience to take controls from an incompacitated commander and prevent the death and destruction of that fatal flight.

But your fresh pimply faced two hundred fifty hour first offficers will..hmmm

We need to place blame where it is due. If the commander is sick I would expect the first officer to at least be able to get the plane safely on the ground.

I am glad I dont fly in India.

[itsbrokenagain]

If the JAA and FAA etc standards are so bad and are the root cause of accidents how come the papers are not filled with air crashes daily..... :ooh:

Now back to regular programming...

[captjns]

Isbrokenagian, your own DGCA, SWIP and IPU need to clean their own houses before attacking others with such tripe.

I would like western countries to obtain advance notices of VT airmen operating VT registered aircraft within countries outside the land of VT countries to ensure those airmen from the land of VT have valid legitimate and airmen and medical certificates. Another form of APIS if you will. More SAFA inspections at airports outside of VT land is a must too!

Where are the guys from ICAO when you really need them!?!

What do think about that idea Isbrokenagain? I mean expats have to have their records validated before a FATA is issued. It is apparent that the Indian DGCA does not have a handle on how many illegals of in their own country are operating VT aircraft. Now that it in itself is a disgrace!!! Would you also not agree???? Isbrokenagain???

[yash]

Flying fit abroad, but are unfit here - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Flying-fit-abroad-but-are-unfit-here/articleshow/7666680.cms)

[doubleu-anker]

ICAO?

Excellent question. They will be doing nothing of course. Too busy protecting their own jobs and a:mad:s to even think about levelling up the playing field.

When the expat FATA "filth" is cleaned from the face of the subcontinent, what are they going to do about the crews of say BA, LH, KLM, AF etc., etc. who will fly into Indian airspace without DGCA medicals? Without military medicals??!! OMG it doesn't bare thinking about. We are all doomed!!

[itsbrokenagain]

@ Captjns can you educate me, I really have no clue as to what is "SWIP and IPU"

Also I dont get your rant, I am not supporting the sillyness of the Medical for foreigners, hey I think the whole aviation medical system needs a huge overhaul for all the local pilots sake!

You do need to really learn about aviation some more, you seem to think the ICAO is some super aviation police force.... let me educate you with the excerpt from the Chicago convention....

The Chicago Convention set down the purpose of ICAO:

"WHEREAS the future development of international civil aviation can greatly help to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world, yet its abuse can become a threat to the general security; and WHEREAS it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that co-operation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends; THEREFORE, the undersigned governments having agreed on certain principles and arrangements in order that international civil aviation may be developed in a safe and orderly manner and that international air transport services may be established on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically;”

ie they arent going to come in and slap wrists and put the Indian DGCA in order.

[Rosiemoto]

DGCA Testing – what are the parameters? :8(pass fail - too low vs too high)

Stress Test:

Bruce Protocal Maximal – Treadmill Test

Bruce protocol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_protocol)

This is a maximal test - which means that the individual must continue until they are fatigued :eek: Needless to say in a clinical setting, other parameters (such as blood pressure and ECG readings etc.) are used to determine the end of the test.
Biomechanical Tests
(i) Hb TLC DLC
(ii) Blood Urea
(iii) Serum Creatinine
(iv) Lipid Profile
(v) Blood Sugar Fasting & Post Prandial
(vi) Serum Uric Acid
(vii) Serum Bilirubin
(viii) SGOT/ SGPT

here are some parameters (not DCGA)

Blood Test Optimal Reference Ranges

Chem Panel Optimal Range
Glucose 80 - 100
Carbon Dioxide 26 - 31
Sodium 135 - 142
Potassium 4.0 - 4.5
Chloride 100 - 106
Phosphate 3.4 - 4.0
Calcium 9.4 - 10.0
Magnesium > 2.0
Serum iron 80 - 100

BUN 10 - 18
Creatinine .8/.9 - 1.1
Uric Acid 3.0 - 5.5 female
3.0 - 5.9 males

Cholesterol 150 - 220
HDL > 55
LDL < 120
Triglycerides 70 - 110

Total Protein 6.9 - 7.4
Albumin 4.0 - 5.0
Globulin 2.4 - 2.9

Total Bilirubin .1 - 1.2
Alkaline Phosphatase 70 - 100
AST (SGOT) 10 - 30
ALT (SGPT) 10 - 30
LDH 140 - 200
GGTP 10 - 30

WBC 6.0 - 7.5 (5.0 - 8.0)
RBC 4.0 - 4.9
(3.9 - 4.5 females, 4.2 - 4.9 males)
HGB 13.8 - 14.9
(13.5 - 14.5 females, 14.0 - 5.0 males)
HCT 37 - 45
(37 - 44 females, 40 - 48 males)
MCV 82.0 - 89.9
MCH 27.0 - 31.9
RDW <= 13.0
Platelets 150,000 - 450,000
Basophils 0 - 1%
Lymphocytes 24 - 44
Neutrophils 40 - 60

[weido_salt]

Tread mill? What for??

Why not induce cardiac arrest and be done with it?

I go to the Dr. to try and avoid a heart attack, not get him to try and initiate one.

[UpFirst]

Why rave & rant about a Medical. Just go and become FIT. It will be good for everybody in Aviation.
JAA doctors in India have been awarding Med Fitness very easily eg. Late Captain Z. Gluscia of Serbia flying the ill fated Air India Express flight in May 2010

[Rosiemoto]

you are 26 and live in Delhi, wait until you have been flying for 20 years, commuting, with a wife and kids and a mortgage, if you are still in great shape I'll be impressed

[doubleu-anker]

UpFirst

Get your facts right sonny. There are no JAA AME's based in India.

You got a licence? How did you get it? By cheating or did you buy it?

[itsbrokenagain]

Curious... has the AI Express crash been blamed on the pilot not being fit to fly ?? Did they find something about him that was caused by him only holding a JAA medical ??

Come on :=:=:= , everyone is pounding on the poor dead guys coffin, but I cant find the fact that the crash was caused by this guy medical, actually I dont think there is any findings at all yet is there ??

[IAC_Pilot]

No Sir Broken not yet.

It is likely to be blamed on the FDTL rules, they are taking time to make sure people to blamed for lax FDTL have ample time to destroy the evidence of thier involvement.

[Silly Pilot]

Being subjected to sub-standard medical practices is the biggest problem with ex-pats taking these exams and the fact that the results mean nothing with the license that the ex-pat operates on.

[rdr]

its very simple, all holders of Indian licences, should be banned from flying internationally until this fiasco is sorted out. let them kill their own people domestically.

[captjns]

Look... we can all agree that there should never be a medically unfit crewmember in the cockpit.

If we able to turn the clock time back to when we were in our early 20s, this medical would be a non event for most too. However we are not. The majority of the expats are in their late 40s and onward. Now this medical becomes a fearful event and in most cases doomed to failure.

Perhaps leveling the paying field may not be such a bad idea. Members of SWIP, and Indian Airline Pilots Union, precipitated medicasl for expats.

OK here's one for them. All Indian pilots age 45 and older resubmit to the initial medical and satisfy the requirements of an initial First Class Medical as administered by the Indian Air Force.

Now for the reality check... the DGCA will not come to their senses and have expats submit to the same renewal First Class Medicals as those in India. So the Expat Pilot Inquisition is here for the foreseeable future.

At the end of the day... as more expats continue to fail their medicals in these dark days of the Expat Pilots Inquisition, will result in less qualified crews. Less crews, grounding of aircraft.

As for the delusional Microsoft Pilots to think... the are of the opinion an auotmatic upgrade to the left seat is in their immediate future... think again. Here's one for the Microsoft F/Os... is the term LIABILITY INSURACE part of your vocabulary??? In this economy... the liability of a Microsoft Pilot in the left seat is not worth the risk of insurnace to the insurance company.

The private carriers will have to demand immediate relief or reform if they want their respective carriers growth plans to continue.

Just a thought... you know what they say... supply and demand??? too many F/Os and not enough captains??? the "F" word... can you say furlough?

[ilovfly]

Somewhere on PPRuNe I have seen a post running down an Indian Doctor for being strict while conducting FAA medicals. The Medicals at Indian Air Force now make me feel that the FAA Doc in Delhi is a Saint. He diagnoses problems without much ado & also helps get rid of them or tame them in quick time so as to enable award of Medical Fitness in a short-time.
I think more and more of us should go to him (the Delhi FAA Doctor) before we face up to the Indian Air Force Medical exam.:ok:

[Rosiemoto]

you could be right

[Fibreglass]

Dr. Bhalla is at it again I see. :}

[ilovfly]

@ Fibreglass
Thanks for the name.
I only meant to say-if rap* is inevitable why not relax and enjoy it? Dr. Bhal will only help find our Medical problems and set them right so that we can in turn get an easy fitness from India Air Force.
It will be a win-win situation for us and for Aviation in general.

[captjns]

There is no easy pass from the Indian Air Force for the older generation that is subject to the same requirements of those who are age 21.

No age leeway given for the fogies:{.

With the large number of downs, the next two weeks should prove interesting. Perhaps the non state owned companies will step up to the plate and demand reform. Or they will resign themselve to the fact that jets will may have to be parked in the future due to unqualified staffing.

The older generation remembers what happens when there is overstaffing too:{.

[itsbrokenagain]

rumor has it there is at least 1 or more globals parked now due to this requirement.

I also know of another brand new just delivered jet that is sitting idle as they cannot get a expat in, (apart from a short term contract pilot on huge daily rate who is exempt from the medical!) its also the only of its type in the country so there are no qualified locals... sad situation for aviation as a whole in India

[captjns]

All brought upon by the unions.

[HiAltFlyer]

AKSHAYA BHALLA MD
Phone Number: 911124507558
Mailing Address: HEALER'S CLINIC, K-37, SOUTH EXTENSION PART 2
New Delhi, India

this FAA doctor is a crook who sells the medicals. So cut the nonsense.
I personally know some Indian pilots with Indian medical and he still tried to extort them when they went to renew the FAA medical.
Cheers

[HiAltFlyer]

Up First must be a Student Pilot or Captain of a C172

[NephewBob]

You mean a repeat of the accident must be prevented(?)

The final (COI) report has not been disclosed publicly, only released to the minister, therefore you are speculating as to the cause, and the PIC's health status.

If you are privy to the final report, let us know.

Here on this forum would be fine.

[beachbunny]

Capt, you done the test yet? Heard they were extending the deadline till end of next month. ;)

[weido_salt]

Well this guy ain't gonna sit it I can promise you.

[beachbunny]

That makes 2 of us. How many more out there? :D

[itsbrokenagain]

OK, I have now done my Indian Fata medical and I have to say , there is no big deal and problem with it at all. I went in thinking it was going to be an astronaut medical, but its far from it and wasnt over the top or ridiculous at all. It was surprisingly easy!

It did take all day, and I mean all day from 7am to 4.30pm, a lot of waiting for the next examination, but there are nice waiting rooms (take reading material, newspapers etc is my suggestion, there are a lot of coffee table magazines around though).

The Officers are super nice , friendly and helpful. You respect them they respect you, dress respectfully also, I suggest in your work pants, a button up shirt and leather lace up shoes.

I have had JAA, FAA, CASA and Sth African CAA medicals, and I think the JAA and Sth African medicals are harder than this one. It was also nice of them to suggest ways to lower your cholesterol and help you with any problems which we all get in our Captain era years!

I did see a totally disgraceful display from a JAA license holder today, and I distanced myself from his shocking behavior as far as I could, he really was giving us expats a bad name. Thankfully he left and wont be in India much longer.

So go on do it , its no big deal, its a long day(your getting paid to sit and do nothing all day so who cares!), and like they told me they are not there to fail us they are there to help us get medically fit, the IAF Officers understand the need for expats .

I did do mine in Bangalore, I do know a fact that Bangalore is much more realistic and practical than Delhi, but saying that people are getting through in Delhi also.

[weido_salt]

Well done indeed and congratulations.

Agree with you, there is no need for misbehaviour at the medical centre and the AME's are only doing their job.

Why did those 6 patients get blown out down there at BLR in the course of a 2 week period? Wax in their ears, eyesight imperfections, etc., etc., I hear. They had ICAO medical certificates one would guess, so why fail them? Why not blacklist the whole authority FAA, CASA, JAA, for e.g.., rather than select one aspect of their licencing requirements, as the DGCA think that authority doesn't know what they are doing? I makes no sense at all to me. I walked before i was pushed and I haven't learnt anything from down there that has made me regret my decision.

After passing the military medical will that make you immune from an accident? Of course it wont.

Just out of interest, are you required to sit an IAF medical every 6 months?

[itsbrokenagain]

Yes you must do it every 6 mths if you want to stay in India, BUT you dont have to do it at Delhi or Bangalore. You can do it at any of the other 4 centers... still IAF centers.

I dunno about the dirty ears etc, I just new to make sure my ears were cleaned as that stupid audiometry testing I have done before and got into trouble with dirty ears in Australia. I also went to an optomitrist and got my eyes tested and got a really weak pair of specs made and I took them as I know that eyesight test is stupid and you have to read a eyechart about 30 feet away.

One weird thing is all the stamps they put on your medical certificate like "You must monitor your weight and lose weight", one guy had a stamp that said he always had to wear hearing protection devices... I got a hand written note to go back in 6 mths to get my liver blood work tested again to see if its improved.... ie Kingfisher beer is bad for you liver it seems... who knew!

[masalama]

itsbroken...

Congrats on the medical and another six months of hassle free flying.:ok: It's good to see a fair and objective post from an expat on the medical situation.

Weido, the DGCA have nothing to do with the medical in India other than keeping the files(PMR) and issuing of an assessment once the medical is done. It's the IAF all the way. If it's any consolation, the IAF are equally tough on us Indians as they are on expats. That's the air force way , they can be a bit quirky but that's how forces work ,btw the medical we all do is not the medical required of the air force pilot, which is much more strict in requirements...especially the fighters...makes sense.

Throwing fits at them will not help either . They have their requirements and u're either fit/ unfit. The one time I was TMU for eosonophilia , the doctor was quite good at explaining the requirements and no big deal really...came back after 3 weeks and got the fitness certificate. Also, the tests that you do outside before the medical are more a company requirement to ensure you should pass the AF medical but it's no guarantee. Our company requires us to do the tests outside and get it certified by the company doctor...but the IAF will not over-ride their findings unless they've asked you to bring these results from outside.

Can it be made simpler , for eg. the FAA or JAA way? Sure, but I guess the big worry for DGCA is the corruption that we Indians love to practice will quickly seep in to it and there's always the unscrupulous doctor who'll clear you for a few thousand in the civil world. So it's going to be the airforce for the foreseeable future .I sometimes wish the forces take over running the country for a while...they can do a better job than these &^%$ .....:ugh:

[Dragon 83]

Thanks kindly "Itsbroken" for the feedback as I await my turn. The only thing I don't understand is what tests/exams are done there all day? I spent two days at a separate Hospital getting all the prelim tests completed, which were comprehensive for an over '60 guy, and all were OK including stamped by company doctors.

Do I go there again to repeat all these tests or do they review results with different specialists? I am confused as I don't understand why it takes all day.

Thanks.

[itsbrokenagain]

OK here is how the day progressed, typing quickly excuse the spelling and grammar......

Get there for start at 0745, go in with your Indian escort (from your company)... make sure your company has confirmed your PMR file is there and you have a security clearance.. You sign in your cell phone and leave it at the gate, you can bring in a bag, but no computers allowed or cellphone or cameras.

0745 to 0830, get the forms and fill them out in duplicate, present your tests for the company or local lab doctor, they are inserted into your PMR file. This guy also did the hearing tests, and helped me and the other Indian pilots throughout the whole day

0830-0900 Now you go across the hall to get your documents rechecked and then they are witnessed and verified. this guy is a paramedic and really nice. I didnt have a chest xray, no problem they can do it there for Rs105!!!
You get told where to go and what to do next.

0900-0945 We go to the pathology lab, after a wait of about 20 minutes for the lab tech to arrive we all pee in a test tube , give it back and they take more blood. The results from this lab test are given before the day ends and seem to just backup the test results you got outside.

0945-1015 Pay the 1060 bill for the medical and the missing chest xray

1015-1100 Get chest xray done, there was about 9 coast guard pilots in front of me, super modern equipment used or the chest xray, and the tech is really professional.

1100-1130 Wait for and conduct the hearing tests in the silent room, luckily the guy does the airforce pilots first, then me as the expat. He then walks me up to the 1st floor for the rest of the testing, and gets me in the line

1130-1300 Lots a waiting now....

First go into the head surgeon, he does the quick physical, strip to your undies, he pokes and prods your stomach, makes you breath a lot, does a weird hold you hands out exercise and follow his finger whilst standing, without falling over test. Super nice guy, put clothes on , back to waiting room.

About 20 min later go to the ear nose and throat lady, within 5 minutes she processes the 3 of us, looks in our ears, looks up our noses and we say ahhhh and stick out our tongues.

At each step you see the test results also and if there is a issue the doctor says so.

20 min more and into the eye doctor, there is 2 Dr's in the same room, its like a factory processing everyone. First is the eye chart on the wall, about 30 ft away ! Then the easy color blindness cards . In the FAA world I dont need glasses, but I went and go my eyes checked and found I have one slightly weak eye, I am telling you to do the same. Its cheaper and easier to carry a set of glasses with you( if you have a ipad or iphone download the eye test app 'EYE CHART PRO' and "COLORTEST", it will let you know, also the hearing app for free called "uHEAR" replicated the same test they give, my results were the same as the ipad app!!). They also check your focus etc They dilate your eyes, this takes about 15 min to take, then he looks inside your eyes. I noticed the junior guy was strict and questioning things but the senior guy was like ...its ok no problem.... I did see the other Indian civil pilots got a easier eye test than me, I had to read the whole chart, after they read 3 letters if was ok to go... the IAF pilots got a really really full on eye exam, one guy was actually crying as his eyesight had deteriorated.... was really sad.

After this, a 15 min wait for the heart peoples.

In the heart lab, they take your blood pressure. No ECG as you already had a stress test I am told. You take off your shoes, he weighs you less your clothes weight, then measures your height. This guy now goes thru your test results, transcribes them into your application file, highlights the bad things and tells you how to fix them. He uses the paremeters of the hospital to figure out whats good and bad. My total cholesterol at 230 to me is bad, to them it was ok. Then he calls the pathology lab, no blood work results back yet, so he says go have lunch and come back for 2pm. Its not 1pm. We went down to 100ft road and get some super nice italian food.

1400-1530 We wait for the head surgeon to complete your file and give the OK. You know its going to be ok, as throughout the day you have seen your file progress and mostly the doctors have talked to you about it. You also carry it between places and can read it , they dont care.

1530-1600 We wait for the same guy we saw to start with to finish his work and return to the starting office, he then goes thru the paperwork tidies your file, gives you a copy of the receipt and prints your medical certificate.

1600-1630 Wait for the head of the whole department to see you and sign your medical form, she is really really casual and nice. Talks to you about your health and how to fix it before it kills you... give you a medical certificate and its done.

[Dragon 83]

OK many thanks --that's a great explanation although I'm still baffled why we had to go thru all the same pretests before.

Anyway appreciate the info----cheers

[sky jet]

My experience was very much the same with one exception. I am over 45 and was required to have an ultra sound. Unfortunately they found a gall stone that was causing me no problems so I had no clue it was there. I was told that I would be declared medically unfit and that I would be unable to fly for 12 weeks after the surgery. I really don't have a problem with the Indian medical as a gall stone would be a grounding item anywhere in the world. I also thought that the IAF people were friendly, competent and wanted me to pass. This was in BLR. I can't say what DEL is like.

Jet

[itsbrokenagain]

We all do the ultrasound, and the blood work, the Indian Pilots have to do this also. I just missed the chest xray requirement. Its all written on the forms under medical on the DGCA website. This guys website has a lot of the information about it all in one place is you want to read about it, DGCA Medicals & Aeromedical Consultancy (http://dgcamedicals.in/)

I think one of the reasons for the tests outside the IAF center is to make the testing quicker, and get you the results and passed on the same day, plus to find out any medical conditions like gall stones. In my case I have a fatty liver, thats passable but needs corrective action before it kills me.

My company doctor went through all the results with me before I came here and put me on Cholesterol drugs and told me all about the diet/lifestyle changes to fix my fatty liver. I also am in the obese BMI range , but they didnt really care about that.