FlyinErin

Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some information or guidance as to what I might need to do to keep my dream of flying professionally alive,

I had the dreaded initial class 1 medical assessment this morning and unfortunately failed on one item - my low frequency hearing loss was marked as 40db at 500hz in my left ear (the max' loss is 35dbs at 500hz). In all other parameters i met or exceeded the required standard.

My AME has referred me to an ear nose and throat specialist for further investigation.

I am 38 years old and I've never experienced any problems with my hearing before. I have 117 flight hours logged, after passing my EASA UK issued class 2 medical without any problems.

I have researched the all the information to be found on the CAA website regarding people who don't meet MED.B.080 standards but I am a little confused as to what it might mean for me.

In theory, assuming the ENT specialist discovered nothing untoward, would it still be possible for me to obtain eventually an unrestricted Class 1 medical certificate or will I always now have this marked as a problem on my records? If a Class 1 medical certificate is still a possibility for me, has anyone any experience or ideas on the next steps I should take to achieve this?

I have contacted my AME with regards to the above, but sadly they weren't able to offer me much advice or information. When I had my Class 2 the AME commented that I did have a bit of wax build up in my ears so hopefully it's something simple like that, but it would be good to know if there is a work around just in case.

Thanks awfully.

FlyinErin

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to post an update on this thread just incase anyone else ever has a similar issue in the future.

After my Class 1 Initial Audiogram fail, the Dr referred me to a private ear nose and throat specialist. The ENT couldn't see me until this morning, so in the mean time i'd been using Otex just to make sure my ear wasn't full of gunk that could be causing a problem. I also went to my regular GP who had a quick look in my ear but couldn't spot any problems.

Fast forward to this morning and my visit with the ENT. The Dr was very friendly and after a few general health questions, gave my ears a thorough inspection. Apart from a small bit of wax that they sucked out with their fancy machine, they could see no issues either so sent me off for another audiogram.

This audiogram was similar to the one at the initial class 1. After that, they used some probing device to check the middle part of my ear. Then I had to redo the audiogram with the addition of a bone hearing device behind my left ear, while they played varying levels of white noise in my right (good ear). After all that was done, they checked my results and found that my hearing loss was only at 500hz (middle c on a piano i'm told) with a threshold of 30db. Luckily for me, the CAA's guidance is maximum of 35db so hopefully i've just scraped through! I won't relax until I have a Class 1 in my grubby little mitts though.

The ENT couldn't give me a reason for the hearing loss at a specific 500hz frequency. They reckon it might be something I've had from birth and just lived with happily oblivious to it. After my initial failure, I was worried that I might have damaged my ears myself from loud music in my younger days or even just from flying about in a noisy old Cessna. They said that this wasn't the case as noise related hearing loss tends to be in the higher frequency ranges first.

Anyways, hopefully it's all worked out okay. If anyone else finds themselves in a similar boat in future, don't be too alarmed by the ENT. The person I saw was super helpful and did everything that they could to help.

Next step for me is all the fun of ATPL ground school and what i imagine will be a sturdy invoice from the ENT.

Happy landings everyone!

pilotmike

Middle C has a frequency of 261.6Hz, so 500Hz is almost 1 octave above middle C - in fact a slightly sharp B which has a frequency of 493.9Hz.

Good luck with your Class 1 and ATPL. What will be will B, see! Keep sharp.

1968

I need to renew my Class 2 medical shortly. I have a CPL with lapsed IR. I only require Class 2 VFR privileges. Will I still need to have an Audiogram because I have an IR even though its not current?

kwaiyai

If you are not exercising the IR Privileges and flying IFR in Controlled/Uncontrolled airspace etc etc then you
do not need to have a current C1 audio. If you decide to renew the IR I suggest you get the audio done first.

Regd's.

topoverhaul

Audiogram not required for the IR(R) only required for Class 2 with IR or Class 1.

BigEndBob

Why don't AME's do audiogram on class 2 medicals when they feel a person doesn't hear properly.
Instead they come to me, FE, with a form for me to asses them in the aircraft.
I should not be asked to make a judgement, it's up to the AME to use appropriate equipment to asses the person.
For instance they could use a headset fed with sample radio calls and say morse code.
I am biased, i don't want to lose a customer (flying club) by saying they are ok when they a have obvious hearing problems.

LanceHudson

Hi folks,

I have always wanted to be a pilot but I do have one nick in the way: hearing loss. I sat my Initial CAA Class 1 back in April and passed. Just. My hearing just about sits on the line of requirements.

While I am grateful to have a Class 1 to my name, I am only 23 years old so - no doubt - my hearing will likely deteriorate past the standard in possibly even 10 years. (nb: I was born with this loss, and it hasn't changed since hearing checkups I've had since I was 6 years old).

The AME did warn me, however, if I failed an audiogram & functional hearing assessment the Class 1 would be taken off me - and to take this into consideration before forking out >£100k to become a pilot. Hearing aids do seem to be allowed, but I don't know much about this.

Does anyone here have any experience regarding the CAA and hearing? I'd love to know if, for example, I got a hearing aid at 30 I could continue my career.

Kind regards.

TotalBeginner

And that unfortunately is the problem. It saddens me when I see how many of my colleagues have suffered with hearing loss from working as a flight attendant. After 6 years of short-haul flying, I too have started to suffer with tinnitus and have some hearing loss in the high frequency range.

What's interesting is that our company manual states that in order to achieve maximum hearing protection, flight crew must wear headsets covering both ears and that the interphone should be used appropriately to ensure clarity of conversation between crew members. It's a shame that they don't afford the same kind of protection to cabin crew.

I don't necessarily think that the volume of the noise is the issue (certainly not the aircraft type that I operate), but it's more to do with prolonged high pitch sound that emanates from the slipstream around the aircraft. After a long 10-12 hour day, when I lay in bed in silence, the ringing is stark!

clarkeysntfc

Hi All

Wondering if you can help / offer any advice.

I have a PPL, and recently obtained my Class 1 medical.

From birth I've had a hearing loss which is corrected by the use of (very small) in the ear canal hearing aids. My audiogram didn't quite reach class 1 standards, however I have completed a Functional Hearing Test (FHT) and obtained the class 1 off the back of this.

Under limitations, my class 1 medical states "SSL - FHT required within 3 months of renewal / re-validation medical" Does anyone foresee any issues with being able to obtain a commercial pilot job with this medical?

My hearing is static in respect of loss, with no deterioration in my adult life so far and hearing aid technology continues to progress at an extremely rapid rate, so I do not foresee any issues with future FHT results.

Thanks for your help in advance!