BA Trainee eyesight requirement

[Rees24]

Having my second try for the BA CEP (got to FB last time). My eyesight prescription is -3, -3.25, so I think I would just about make the CAA Class 1 (especially with the new -5 rule) but BA quote a "6/24 uncorrected" eyesight requirement which I don't make. Does anyone know how rigorously this is enforced ie. if one made it through the FB and qualified for a Class 1, would BA reject on this alone? Has anyone passed the FB and failed the BA medical?

Ta, Rees24

[flying doc]

E-mail me ASAP

FD

[blackknight]

Hi there Flying doctor, your not from Oz are you????? only joking anyway i am applying to BA having got to Final Board last year, however i now have a class one medical in my pocket. When i did the eyesight bit though, i had to use a different test to the ishihara plates for colour perception because i couldn't see them. But gladly after using the holmer-s-wright lantirn test???? i passed it with flyiong colours. Will this be a problem to BA???

Blackknight

[008]

Keep us posted with the outcome.

[flying doc]

Sorry.. I am afraid that all I can tell you for sure is that you would be fine for JAA Class 1. I think BA do ask you to do the Ishihara plates at Gatwick for your Final medical but not sure (oh memory)

Sorry!

For all interested, see the JAA regs for Class 1 certification:

http://www.srg.caa.co.uk/pld/med/med_information.asp?page=/medical/SRG_MED_jaa_class_1_vision.htm

GOOD LUCK!

FD

[Speedbird59]

Hi Rees24

I am in a similar situation to you regarding my eyesight. In relation to your direct question regarding BA I am afraid I cannot comment directly, but your post raises a number of interesting questions.

Firstly given the litigation culture we live in these days where any form of discrimination seems taboo, how long will it be before this company policy is challenged in the courts by a disgruntled wannabee. If the CAA/JAA have established a limit surely that limit must apply to all companies based in UK/Europe. It would be interesting know the basis for having any unassisted vision standards at all assuming that corrected vision met 20/20 standards.

My next point is that you can improve your eyesight. I have a South African PPL and will be coming back to the UK to get my Class1 medical and continue my training there. I intend to perfect my vision in the next few months. You can do this by exercising the eyes just as your train your body in the gym. There are some very good postings on Pprune as how to do this.

The Bates method is one way to improve eyesight and if you search the net you can find a few sites explaining it. There is also a site called America20/20 or something like that which I found worth a look. I know these exercises work! Furthermore I have improved my eyes by about 0.5 dioptres. The main thing is a healthy lifestyle and dedication to doing the exercises. There are people that may say the above is a load of bollocks but no one has scientifically disproved that Bates and exercising the eyes doesn't improve them.

All the best with BA

[BIG MISTER]

Interesting reading if nothing else !


http://www.seeing.org/intro/faq/faq01.htm

[BigTimeWannabe]

Any thoughts on the topic? Any applicants who passed BA's final medical even though their eyesight were out of the 6/24 limit?

Or any applicants failed this final stage of selection at the BA medical but passed CAA Class 1 medical? (Ever thought of sueing BA?)

I myself fit into the "Within CAA Class 1 but outside BA's eyesight requirement" bracket, and would like to know my chances of the sponsorship with this handicap.

Cheers

[Speedbird 2946]

E-mail me.

SB

[BigTimeWannabe]

Anymore thoughts on the matter from anyone?

[AffirmBrest]

You can't/shouldn't be able to sue BA for imposing their own requirements for entry - though I don't expect that to stop someone from trying nowadays :mad:

You might as well sue them for asking for GCSE grades that you haven't got. It's a selection tool, as well as having a understandable foundation in operational requirements.

eg. you have 2 guys, all equal aptitude and qualifications, one with perfect eyesight, one with pretty thick specs; which do you pick?

BTW am not discriminating against speccy chaps - am 1 myself. Please don't sue! :)

BA aren't the only company to offer sponsorship - but the only one (I know of) with their own strict eyesight reqts. Keep looking around and give it some time before you part with your hard-earned!

------------------
...proceeding below Decision Height with CAUTION...

[Lucifer]

Or the RAF in which you need better-than-perfect vision at the start of your career.

[HWD]

I'm a BA Trainee (started in early 2000). I know of one person on my course (of 16) and one on an earlier course that failed the 6/24 eyesight requirement at BA's in-house medical (but got their class one) and made it onto the scheme.

So obviously it IS possible to make it as a TEP without 6/24 vision, but I don't know how many people BA rejected that failed that part of the medical.

(By the way, 6/24 is an initial requirement only - my own eyesight was better than 6/24 when I applied, but is now below that).

[Sprawler]

I thought BA had reduced their eyesight reqs?

[Speedbird 2946]

Official News is that BA have now 'reduced' their eyesight to the new JAA standards. I know this for a fact so the 6/24 rule no longer applies. Stick by the JAA regs on www.srg.caa.co.uk (http://www.srg.caa.co.uk) and you should be fine.

SB

[BigTimeWannabe]

I'd like to thank everyone for the useful feedback. It's all a great confidence boost.

This also means that I can keep my BA sponsorship hopes alive (providing I get through the assesment etc)

Thanks

BTW

[Domeby]

Speedbird

How do you know that BA have dropped their
eyesight requirement?

That's great, I'm just outside 6/24.

Thanks

[Speedbird 2946]

Domeby,

I am living proof!!

GOOD LUCK!!

SB

[Rote 8]

Would just like to query whether or not any of you out there have actually applied to BA for the CEP scheme whilst in possession of a Class 1 Med Certificate but with eyesight that does not actually meet the requirements stipulated within the BA literature.

There have been a couple of posts on this topic in the last few weeks/months, none of which garnered much excitement (fairly understandable given the alternative appeal of ripping the piss out of ronconker)

However some of the reply's implied that BA had relaxed their position on eyesight provided that the candidate was in possession of a Class 1. After reading this I wrote to BA to query the position and received a little leaflet on the programme which was not much help but which did re-iterate that BA's medical requirements were in some areas more restrictive than those imposed by the CAA.

Can anyone out there in PPRuNe land actually say that they have applied to BA having been in such a position and if so how did they get on.

If what has been said has any truth in it then given my age I will get 1 crack at the whip.

Hope someone can provide a definitive truth on this.

Cheers

Col Blink!

[cessnaman]

A friend of mine got through all of the essential exams and passed. But was declined due to his eyesight. I can let you know when I find out more, but he also applied for Air Lingus and they accepted him but he decided there would be no point in continuing as he would only get to the end to find out that they would decline him for his eyesight.

Probably no use to you but I thought I would reply.
cessnaman

[jlms]

Rote 8, what stricter criteria does BA specify for eyesight?

Cessnaman, what specific problem with his eyesight does your friend have?

Thanks.

jlms

[Rote 8]

JLMS

I cant remember the specifics off the top of my head.

The gist of it however is that the CAA have requirements in terms of the maximum stregnth(if that is the correct term) of your correction but no requirement for unaided visual acuity.

You must have a visual acuity of at least 6/9 in each eye seperately or 6/6 using both eyes together but without your glasses or contact lenses you do not need to meet a particular standard.

BA however insist that irrespective of the standard you can acheive corrected you must have a visual acuity unaided of (I think) 6/24. This means that without your glasses you are capable of reading a letter on the chart from 6m that a baseline eye would be capable of reading from 24m distant.

If this has not answered your question fully or if you need more specifics feel free to e mail me.

Cessnaman - Thanks.

Cheers

[crazypilot]

I had heard that BA have now dropped their own 'restrictive' requirements regarding eyesight and now as long as you can pass a Class 1, you can get through the BA medical aswell (well the vision part anyway).

Hope this helps.

[jlms]

Quite clear Rote8, Thanks.

[Speedbird 2946]

BA have firmly and definitely dropped their 6/24 rule and are now entirely in line with the JAA regs. Proof in the pudding?... I'm a cake with custard..

Drop me a line for more info

SB

[Rote 8]

Thanks Speedbird

Such a dessert was exactly what I was looking for!