Can you get a job with crap eyes

[DH98]

Ahem, ladies and gentlemen of the jury I have a well worn but nonetheless pertinent question for you all.
I am a 38 year old male, UK national (currently in HM Forces, due to leave in 3 years) who has always wanted to fly for a living. Problem is my eyesight is so poor that I can't even get a JAA PPL (left eye -8.5 dptr and right eye -9.5 dptr, and thats with out the astigmatism that pushes the figures up to -11 dptr for both). Now, when corrected my eyesight is 6/4 which means it's damned good, not that current JAA regs recognise this. Therefore the only route left is the FAA who check vision corrected (unless anyone knows of other aviation regulating bodies that do the same), what is the liklihood that if qualified with the requisite licences I would gain employment. I must add that airlines are not for me, my chosen field would be AG/Bush flying. I have sounded out a few specialist schools who all assure me that if I can get an FAA class 2 for CPL then I'll be ok, but then of course they'll say that, they want my custom! One has even assured me that he'll give me a job as a flying instructor if I get the requisites. Am I wasting my time and be better off channeling my energies elsewhere, flight dispatcher for example, or is there a chance that I could realise a life long ambition and and pursue a career in crop dusting, bush flying, I will be willing to travel anywhere around the globe to do this by the way, and believe it or not my wife supports me in this.
The floor is all yours.

[inverted flatspin]

To my knowledge only the airlines and then only the major ones actually have a company physical exam. If you apply to a company and they fail you because they have different standards than the FAA you have recourse under the Americans with disabilities act.

Realistically if you have a 'static defect' that has been cleared by the FAA then they will have no option but to employ you.

i.e poor eyesight, poor hearing, a physical handicap , poor colour vision and many others would be considered static defects as they are not likley to get worse while you are employed.

On the other hand if they find a progressive condition then the company will be able to deny you a job on medical grounds using the argument that they are going to invest heavily in your training and will not be able to recoup their investment.

examples of progressive conditions are

Cancer, HIV, MS, Motor Neuron disease etc

American Airlines has got a captain flying for them with only one eye

Hope this helps.

[calgary]

theres always the option of eye surgery, which, for the price your paying for the surgery, is worth it if you want to have a career in flying.

and if they screw up your eyes then you sue them for a couple million dollars and retire.

[niknak]

Dependent on your corrected vision with either contact lenses or spectacles, you shouldn't have too much of a problem.
I understand that there has been much muttering within the JAA medical bods about such things, and they now accept that providing your corrected vision meets the requisite standards for the relavant medical, you can beissued with the appropraie certificate.

Be very careful about eye/laser surgery, it's very expensive and gives no guarantees, also, the UK CAA demand a year's grace between surgery and medical examination before they'll even consider issuing a medical certificate.
Much has been said about it on the medical and health forum.

[fcom]

You could always become a piano tuner.

[gana.b.a_pilot]

I know plenty of pilots that wear glasses. most of the old fuddy duddys in the big planes wear glasses because as thay get older there eyes clap out. I say follow your dreames and knock down any obsticles that get in your way. Think of it as a chellange, not a brick wall. :cool:

[DH98]

thanks for the replies so far everybody.

I have been watching with interest the PRK/LASIK over the last 7 years,and am still not convinced. Additionally the minimum starting point for acceptable surgery is still higher than my prescription.

I regard this venture as a business proposition, a risky venture that could result with industrial strength egg on my face if it all goes wrong. Even though my better half supports me in this, I still have grave doubts about the long term viablity of entering into a troubled industry at the abbo stage at the ageof 40 carrying a significant handicap.

I know it sounds churlish, but youngsters still at school can easily advise you to chase the dream, they have very few if any responsibilities, I on the other hand have all the handicaps of a man in his late thirties, except snappers. I am not unwilling to jeopardise my house and future on a silly venture if, after spending all my savings I find I am in fact unemployable; most probably in my case through not having right to work or residency, as WILL be the case vis an FAA cpl. However does anybody know what the requirements are for a Kenyan class 1, I know the SA requirements are virtually identical to the JAA model for example, so I am wondering if Kenya is the same.

Keep posting everybody as I am sure there are plenty out there who would be interested of this gen themselves for similar reasons.

[mgthomas11]

DH 98,
I have the same problem as you regarding the JAA/CAA and their lovely regulations regarding eyesight and, because of this have been looking further afield for flight training opportunities.

My left eye is -6.75 and my right -0.25, meaning that the anisometropia, (difference between the two eyes), is too great (limit +/-3 dioptres) and, apart from that, the uncorrected vision is also beyond their limits.

I might have some information that you could use about this and, if you want, feel free to e-mail me: [email protected]

Hope everything works out for you. As gana.b.a_pilot says: keep trying - if that's what you want to do, then it'll happen!

[DH98]

mgtomas11.

Yeah, I know what you mean! Having thought this one through ad nauseum for the last 8 years or so, it has become clear that the only limit on your ambition is yourself. If I want to fly I will, I have the opportunity through the FAA. I know it all looks rather grim from the outside, but once you're in at least you can start to network. Even if it means flying chickens in Belize in an Islander at least it's flying. Anyway I like Belize and the Caribbean. One thing 20 years in the military does for you is give you an inate ability to take a lot of cr@p and mix easily.

I'll email you to swap notes.

Mosquito.

[PAXboy]

My nephew is a Captain and has no 3-d vision but it is a static condition. He has never been able to see in 3-d.

It means that he has some difficulty in establishing what is infront and what is behind. However, as he has had it from childhood he, like many others, has developed his own way of determining distance.

One night - whilst still in r/h/s, the cpt said, "This approach is tricky at night and I don't have 3-d vision, so you had better take it." The F/O politely informed his Captain that he too, did not have 3-d vision .....

The cap had previously flown for the military, although not in the UK.

All the best.
The only smiley with glasses :cool: