Hayfever & Career

[HGNK]

I am an Engineer (age 33) with a passion for aviation, considering a career change as a Flying Instructor but with an allergy problem from Sydney, Australia. I suffer from hayfever induced conjunctivitus (usually 2 days every 2 months, since 1999). I have started an immunisation treatment 10 months ago (and have been advised to expect the treatment to take at least 3 years). I am much better since discovering that my particular allergy is caused by a noxious weed called PELLITORY/PARIETARIA JUDAICA, which I now avoid as much as I can (unfortunately Sydney is now full of this weed). Apparently this a common allergy around the world.

I saw an Aviation Medical Examiner recently who surprisingly told me that with a proper course of eyedrops/approved antihistamines for "flare-ups" he believes that this condition does not bar me from a Class 1 Medical, assuming that the medications cause me no sideffects that can interfere with my flying. I am not currently taking these medications and am hoping my condition could improve even more. I have tried a few anti-histamines in the past with little success. I went to this meeting expecting the Doctor to say that I couldn't be a flying instructor, and should try to get a non-flying job in aviation.

My problem is now making a decision - I am able to finance my flying to Commercial Level (full-time without the need for a parttime job) from my savings. I guess my worry is spending $50k with a flying school only to find no-job because of my medical condition. I guess I am also worried about a paying PAX seeing their pilot with sore-red-eyes, even if it is only every other month.

I suspect most in this forum would tell me it would be wiser to seek another occupation. I am also worried that I may not be committed enough to spend the kind of money, and hard-work required to get a Commercial License, medical problems aside.

On the other side of the coin though, my allergy doctor tells me that he has 747 captains as patients who are no worse than me in the allergy department. He doesn't think that it is as big an issue as I seem to. My concern is that common allergy symptoms such as a runny nose/stuffed nose/sneezing (which I do not thankfully suffer from) do not appear to be as serious a concern as sore-red-watery-eyes for piloting a plane.

So now I have 2 doctors telling me that I can do it, and only my inner voice telling me to think before I leap. And yet 99% of the time I am A1 OK. Good vision/don't wear glasses/physically fit.

Any thoughts by Commercial Pilots would be appreciated. (I have 10 hours in a Piper Warrior to date).

Regards
HK

[Too Few Stripes]

I think you'd be amazed at the number of commercial guys out there who suffer from Hayfever etc, at the end of the day if it doesn't effect you in the aircraft then there really shouldn't be an issue. Dont forget the air supply to most aircraft is filtered bleed air from the engine(s) and theres not much pollen at 35,000'.

Go for it and good luck,

TFS ;)

[phnuff]

Sir - I will watch this thread with interest. I get hayfever fairly badly and while at school was advised by the career teacher that even though flying was what I wanted to do, I could never do so due to the hayfever. Some years on, and after my realistic opportunity to do so professionally had passed, I worked for a guy who had worse hayfever than me, and who had flown as a test pilot in the RAF and later flew 1,11's for Court Line. He had had no problems with medicals.

Please dont misunderstand, I am not bitter, I am now a PPL, doing my bit of aviation and getting a real kick out of it. However the little nagging thought remains - 'what if I had got sensible advice from my career teacher'.

What ever you do, I wish you well, and my thoughts are with you.

[HGNK]

Thanks for the response,

Unfortunately at the moment my 2 days every 2 months would effect my performance in an aircraft. I would be effectively grounded. I am hoping that the medication proposed by the AME (ie taking steroid eye drops for 48 hours) may overcome this setback. Unfortunately although the 99% of the time I am OK, the 1% is pretty severe. I do get so bad that I have to literally lie down and shut my eyes from the pain. They can feel like peeled grapes. Of course the rest of the time, I often feel mild symptoms, but not sufficient to effect my day-to-day activities or appearance. In fact my family say that my eyes look perfectly normal all of the time (except for my whingeing they wouldn't know).

I would class myself no-allergy 50% of the time. Mild-allergy 49%.
Severe-allergy 1 %.

Maybe the eye drops could get me over the "flare-ups". At present I am virtually medication free. I have only just started taking 2mg of POLARAMINE a day with seemingly no improvement.

I guess I could always startout, with medication and see how I go. Afterall there are worst things than spending alot of money, such as getting into debt!

I suppose the crux of my problem is CHRONIC CONJUNCTIVITUS. Most people on this forum who mention hayfever problems, don't mention their eyes. It would seem a pretty debilitating problem for a professional pilot.

I would love to know if any professional pilots out there also suffer from allergic Conjunctivitus in there day-to-day jobs.

I guess if an amputee can make it, who knows. My sister even told me about a women who broke nearly every bone in her body and is in a wheel chair (after a flying accident) who flies helicopters for a living.

HK

[[u]]

I also have hayfever (and an allergy for cats).

The docter for the Dutch medical (JAA) said that taking Clarityne or Telfast daily during the 'season' would be fine.

[Smokie]

I would agree with (u) but you can also take a Tincture called
"Echinaforce" it is made from the Echinacea plant and is manufactured by a Swiss company called BIOFORCE.

You need time to let it build up in your system, this can be done in one of two ways :-
1. Take 15 drops, once a week for 5 months then you MUST have a month off then continue as before.

OR 2. Take 15 drops every day for 6 weeks then you MUST have 6 weeks off, then continue as before.

It is very important that you have the break, other wise your body will get a "memory" and if you do take the break much later than you should have then you will probably end up with a severe dose of a flu type condition.

This will help also to boost your immune system aswell and you will find that things like the common cold or flu will become things of the past.

For the record I've been taking this herbal tincture for just over 3 years now and I am very glad to say that I have not had a cold or the flu in all that time.
However I suffer from Hayfever aswell and it has cetainly helped but not completely eradicated it.
If the Hayfever is particularly bad then use the
"LUFFA COMPLEX",(also by BIOFORCE) as a suppliment as well during the Hayfever season if neccessary, especially at the start of the season

It can be obtained from any Herbalist or from one of the larger Chemists.

I hope that this is of some help to you. :)

[HGNK]

Thanks for all of the suggestions,

I have decided to go with PLAN B:

- Start earning a living again (this time a non-flying aviation job)
- Go for PPL Part-time (as it would seem that even blind-freddy can pass a medical for a PPL)
- Then CPL/ATPL Part-time as/and if my health improves

This way I can see if I can get my condition under-control before dedicating myself full-time. I am soon to be 34 and the clock is ticking, but this way I could feasibly get to ATPL status before I am 40, have money in the bank, a job, and a backup should my health not improve.

Unfortunately my condition is out-of-control at the the moment. I consider my chronic 1%-of-the-time-unable-to-fly-condition as unacceptable for a commercial pilot, not taking into account normal sick leave of course. I will try these products you mention (and I am keen to start taking Claritin as I have heard that it has been approved for some commercial pilots). I need a new doctor - 2mg seems too low a dose for any anti-histamine to work properly.

Thanks in particular to Pnuffh, as I can see that PLAN B has been your life too.

I'm off to London UK in 2 weeks to try and get a job in the aviation field. Hell, getting a job as a pilot might be easier at the moment. I just heard that BA sacked 6,000 employees recently.

Regards all and thanks.
HK