vlieger

Aspiring commercial pilot here. I am about to book my medical class 1 in Gatwick, but as I am on Travatan eye drops to keep my eye pressures low (from about 30 I got them down to 18), I was told that I need to send my whole medical file from Moorefield's Eye Hospital to the CAA. I'm a bit freaked out by this as I know that although there hasn't been any significant damage to my optic nerves (my field tests are fine), it does say that I have ocular hypertension in the right eye (no problemo) but also "early glaucoma" in the left eye (doctor said there was very minor damage but that it doesn't affect my vision at all). That may easily make them very suspicious and I can see how I can be denied a pass just on the basis of that file, which was compiled in Moorefield, whose eye tests are much more rigorous, I understand.

Any advice on this? I'm still trying to get hold of my file in the first place, hopefully that won't take ages...

7120

Whether you have "early glaucoma" or not is immaterial. The issue is: do you meet the visual requiremnts? If your visual fields are normal then there is no problem. Do have a look at your files before you trot off to the CAA.
If you have a subtle but minor defect on the field test carried out at Moorfields you could argue that their testing technique is more rigorous and sensitive than the CAA tests and you are therefore disadvantaged.
If this situation arises you should ask to have the CAA visual field test. Do ensure that they have a clear definition of what is a normal visual field and the technique used in testing.
If their standard involves someone stading in front of you and asking when you see his finger wiggling at the edge of your vision - this is known as confrontation testing - then don't worry; you'll pass easily.
Good luck

sam.lk7

hi everyone,

I recently have turned 18 and am ready to start applying to airlines ( i am in western australia), i have been proven to have a mild colour vision deficiency, does anyone know if this will affect my chances of gaining cabin crew employment with QF or DJ (virgin blue) or any other airline for that matter? Any help would be great...

guys i am really scared.

sam

2close

Sam,

Look up Doctor Arthur Pape on the internet and you will find out why (a) Australia is far more liberal towards CVD than any other country and (b) that, you can actually fly as an airline pilot in Australia by day and night even with CVD.

Good luck.

2close

2close

Troops,

I have to be the bringer of more bad news.

There are those of you that think the FAA route may be an option to corporate work in the EU.

Well, the bad news is that the door is to be shut firmly closed by the new powers that be.

EASA Medical regs come into force in Spetember 2009 and they will prevent anyone from flying a foreign registered aircraft that is based in the EU on anything but an EASA medical certificate. So, even if you hold a FAA CPL/IR ATPL or whatever you will still require an EASA medical.

Further, it seems that EASA Flight Crew Licensing regulations, when they eventually come into force, will go one stage further and require pilots of such aircraft to hold EASA licences.

Note, I only mention those foreign registered aircraft that are based in the EU - it would not apply to foreign registered aircraft that are also based outside the EU that enter the EU for scheduled / charter flight purposes.

Assad Spaceship2

Hello, Here's a link to follow:
Association Colours in Cockpit
http://www.vfcev.de/content/eng-index.html

Allow me to wish you all merry christmas & happy new year 2008

2close

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A MERRY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

Well, that should bugger you lot up!

Oh, for God's sake, it say's "Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year to you all".

But hey, I selected those colours myself without ANY help, and after six tons of nosh washed down by 14 1/2 gallons of El Vino Collapso!

Tee Hee.

Seriously, have good one, troops, and keep up the fight!

2close

TelBoy

2close, you are a God, an Angel, you are a giver of colour. For I can see you wishes of merriment for the festive season, I can read each letter and without looking through a red filter. You have brought me colour to a grey Europe, for the CAA tell me I am “colour blind” and I must therefore live a grey life and my dreams must stay as dreams. However now due to your gift of colour I can now visit shops that show SALE sign outside and save money on items marked X I can drive away from a green light and stop at a red one, and indeed when the signal shows yellow I can make great haste with all the others who see colour. When flying an aircraft and having a radio failure I can now enter into a one way conversation with the tower instead of simply phoning them on my mobile – how wonderful the world of colour is.

I thought that Europe was to be forever grey. America is the land of color as the FAA man told me “my son you can see color just fine” I thought that that the different spelling and far away land must surely mean that things look different there and that this was the only county where I am to be blessed with colour, but 2close you now have brought colour to me in Europe.

I must now tell the CAA of their mistake; for I am sure that they cannot want to make me “different” that would be discrimination and I am sure that the CAA would not do anything like that.

I hope that colour will be for life and not just for Christmas.

Witza

Hi, i was wondering if anyone that has been around this problem for longer than me has a list of the type of color exam and the place where one can take it?

Another thing, how much does it cost to take the medical exam in Zurich, or even better, does anyone know if i can go there and have only the color exam to check? (i have done all others, and would not want to pass through all that again just to fail at the color...)

Thanks for any help
Green
a litle less green
an ugly green
Red
yellow
pink
white <-that says white...
blue
Damn.... i see color now! lolll, i guess that the exams could be made with crayons... or maybe those guys who design aircrafts could use distinct color instead of different shades of the same one
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR! try not to drink too much

Witza

Thanks for that info Telboy, i think it was a test like that although i cant remember if there were two light one above the other or just one light that changed colors....i seem to have the idea of having a blue light also....is there any test like this or am i confused?

anyway, i am at least a bit pleased to hear that i can take a different test...

I hope you all had a nice new year party , and lets hope that this will be even better.

isi3000

If you take the medical quite a while before starting training for any pilots licence, so before the PPL, and fail it do you have to mention this when you take the test again?

Blinkz

If you also read the protocol for the beynes test, it doesn't seem to be the one the UK is using? I did mine years ago so can't remember exactly. Those of you that have done it recently, is that what they do? I thought the CAA just show you each colour once and that was it? the protocol says u see them a couple of times, and if you only make one mistake your allowed a second run....

Blinkz

Neo, hehe thats quite a lapse in concentration. Cutting it a little fine as well failing 2/3 of the official tests! glad you passed ok though!

2close, I guess you can look at it in that way. However for most people its more a bonus that the dream can actually begin having been told that it wasn't going to happen! Also by the sounds of it the UK HAVEN'T changed their protocol since they are still doing it the way they always did. Question is, why haven't they changed?

mau mau

Yes it's true.
I've never did only one mistake with this test, and I done it at least 4,5 times.
At gatwick I done 2 mistake....and they, to be sure before release 1 class, did the test of lanterns: lights with color orange, red, blue, green and dirty white.

ivierre

Hello all,

Being an airline pilot has always been my dream. One of the reasons stopping me from starting my aviation train is I have the problem of astigmatism of 2.0, and 2.5 in each of my eyes. (or in chinese saying, 200 and 250 degree in each eye respectively.)

I am currently living in Hong Kong and since the HKCAD does not spell out the requirement like JAA (for example) does, I am getting confused on whether I could get the Class 1 medical. I tried to have a look at the JAA visual requirements for reference and their requirement for Astigmatism is 2.0 for initial applicants and 3.0 for renewal.

Does anybody know what the requirements for CAD are? and does anyone know if I have lasik done to cure the astigmatism, and after that 1 year waiting period, do they still need to consider the astigmatism problems i have before lasik?

I am aiming to join CX eventually either as cadet or direct entry pilot, thats the reason why I really want to know about what CAD or CX thinks.

I check with some old post and seemed like SIA do consider the original prescriptions before lasik....

I heard that there are some pilots with similar problems, what they have done is to get their license in a different standard like FAA or CASA (I dunno just for example...but do they have lower standard?) and then later on convert it into JAA, which would be count as a renewal of license? How did it work and have I misunderstood anything?

Thank you very much for help and advice in advance.

ab33t

If you do a CAA 1st Class you will have to do the colour vision again . I dont see any risk involved in doing it. I have sympathy that is why I am going down the FAA route as well .

Loose rivets

Have a good look through with "Search" using words like Lasik etc., there's been quite a lot posted about the initial requirements. There is a maximum correction allowed, and there are other factors listed as well over the last few years.


Set one year in the second box down on the left -- and filter for the medical forum of course.

If you don't get what you need, set the maximum time, (the first one on the list) something like "Anytime"

IRpilot2006

What if I just wanted to do a JAA PPL/IR i.e. a class 2 CAA medical, would they need the CV test again?

I should pass the CV test perfectly okay but one never takes a risk like this.

I have spoken to some people about this and all recommend getting the whole medical done elsewhere in Europe. Airline pilots who think they might have a problem never go to the CAA to have it looked at, in the first place!

When you say there is no risk, ab33t, do you mean the FAA licence is not affected by failing any later medical?

ivierre

thanks very much for reply. Actually i have done looks through quite some old post about it but wondered if those were update. I will try to search for them again.

By the way, could anyone please confirm with me that the FAA and CASA have already dropped the pre-lasik prescriptions limit?

thanks very much

vlieger

Thanks for your reply, 7120.

In the meantime I have done my medical class 1 at Gatwick and guess what, I passed!!

You were right, as long as you meet the requirement the question of "early" glaucoma is irrelevant. Their ophthalmologist even said that he doesn't consider my case glaucoma but just ocular hypertension (contrary to what they said in Moorefield). Their testing didn't involve the confrontation technique but I had to do a proper field test that I had never done before, i.e. not the normal one -- this time it was a so-called "monocular Estermann" test, which basically means a field test concentrating on the very outer periphery. I only had very minor faults so they said it was alright, they checked my eye pressure, which has been brought down from 24-26 to 14 with my daily Travatan drops, and that was it...

I found them to be very friendly and the ophthalmologist is a very relaxed guy who's a pilot himself, we ended up more chatting about which school to go to than about vision

So anyway, if there's anybody else in a similar border case scenario as I am, be aware that there is hope! (and please do get in touch)

Now off to get a visa...