Deafness is a symptom. Trying to differentiate a sign is fraught with difficulties. It sounds like you've got some snot resting on your ear drum. Advice as per Radgirl above.

Go again in warmer weather.

If deafness is sudden, seek immediate help to exclude an aucoustic neuroma. Which is unusual, it's usually dislodged ear wax.

Hello there, I'm writing on behalf of my son who is 13. Already an air cadet, he has his heart set on being a pilot. Unfortunately, as a result of an operation to remove a Cholesteatoma in his right ear (aged 9) he has lost some hearing in his right ear.


I see on the CAA website that 'applicants shall not have a hearing loss of more that 35dB at any of the frequencies 500Hz, 1000Hz or 2000Hz, or more than 50bD at 3000Hz, in either ear separately'.


My son's hearing test shows that he has loss of 25dB at 500Hz, 35dB at 1000Hz-4000Hz in the right ear. I am concluding that he is right on the line!?


Can anyone advise me on how a Doctor would view these results at a medical? I would rather tell my son early if he is unlikely to pass. Or if he is borderline then it would be good to have a back up career option...


Hearing in his left ear is excellent. I would be so grateful for any information. Thank you

For an initial medical the requirements have to be met. For renewals there is certain lee-way as I know from personal experience. Hearing is extremely important to professional pilots but I wish him well.

Have him enjoy his youth.
Glider flying, summer camps, all the good and fun stuff.
He can't solo on a powered airplane unless he's 16 anyway.
Hearing loss tends to be permanent but you never know anyway.
Lots of fun stuff in aviation he can do.
Airline pilot is just a percentile.
Medical requirements change also.
I'd say it's too soon to be concerned about it.

I suspect one of the first questions an audiologist or an AME popping by might ask is where were these hearing tests done? FIWI my measured losses (mainly in the right ear due to a mispent youth) have varied over the years due to what I suspect were "experimental error" ( e.g.quality of headset, noise exterior to the exam facilities....).

In any event I'd second the advice and wishes given by the above posters..

Thank you very much for your advice and positivity. If you were his parent (I'm his mum) would you mention to him now that there may be an issue with his hearing which may stop him being a commercial pilot, or leave that conversation until later on? Part of me doesn't want his hopes dashed when he is an older teenager...

Thank you Wiggy, the test was done at the hospital but I think it would be useful to have another done by an aviation doctor. Fortunately, his hearing isn't likely to get worse and maybe we can look into reconstructive surgery when he is older.

As a parent I am going through something similar myself. It is not hearing related however the "problem" has been going on now for six months with the AME not saying yes but not saying no to a medical.
As has been mentioned previously medical conditions and standards can change ( so can career aspirations! )

I would encourage his interest in aviation and when he is older and is going to apply for a flying job or that much more difficult job as an Air Traffic Control Officer :-)

I would make him take an independent, possibly private hearing test conducted by an accredited consultant.
You will then have a set of results which may indicate a class one medical is out of reach or you may have a set of results which the AME/CAA will look on in a favourable light.
This up to date report could save you money and more importantly time in the long run.
At the time of writing you need a class three medical to become an ATCO however I do not know if the hearing requirements are the same as a class one medical.

And while we are at it make him do the Duke of Edinburgh Award up to Gold. It will not improve his hearing but it will improve his interview chances!

If the operation was successful his hearing will be static at least until middle age. A hearing test is pretty standard and op says he meets the standards.

So stop being pessimistic. No point paying for another. Go and do the medical expecting the same results and a pass. If it is a just fail hand over the hospital result and ask to retake it.

If it is still a fail then there will be an ENT referral but I doubt this will be the case

Again thanks for the positivity. You're right, as the operation was successful his hearing should stay static. There is reason to hope! Thanks, AyrTC. Agree about DofE and my son also loves cadets and will get so much from the experience, whatever his career. I wish your son luck with the issue he is having and hope he gets a good result in the end.

Now this is advice from somebody who doesn't have children....
In general early teens need to be made aware that life comes with disappointment and that we want it doesn't mean we have a shot at it.
Right or wrong, fair or unfair.
Being an Olympian, concert pianist or world famous spy, all of us have dreams.
I would keep that to myself right now and let him enjoy his youth.
But he does need to be taught about unfairness of life and dealing with emotional blows. In general not specifically this. One day a girl will break his heart too...guaranteed.
He'll need to deal with that also.

OP asked for medical advice on his son's hearing, not a lesson in child psychology. The young man can be reassured he is ok to pass. Why do certain people always post the same depressing reply with put downs and tough luck comments? As someone who tries to help people it really depresses me.

Hey sunshine, how's your reading comprehension?
And it's her, it's his mum
Has nothing to do with being positive or negative.
It's fact.

Not really an issue on this side of the pond as long as one's willing to wear a headset. (assuming one flunked the conversational test at 6 ft facing away)

Hi all,

Has any body got any experience with Referrals to an ENT from an Initial Class one? My left ear tested at 1000 Hz with a 45dB loss, exceeding the limit of 35dB. Other frequencies and losses are fine, for both ears. I'm just wondering what the process would be at my specialist appointment, and the expected time frame from there. Previous hearing tests do show a trend with a mix of achieving the 35dB limit and sometimes exceeding it again. An help, guidance, or words of wisdom appreciated.

Thanks!

Hello everybody,
I was informed a couple days ago that I passed the compass and invited for an interview. In the meantime, I went 6 days ago to get the medical 1, in one of the AME centers in the country. I had a cold the days before and even now. I know that you have to avoid going to the exams if you have a cold, but the timelines are really strict.
So I failed for 5db, in one of the frequencies. The Ent examined and told me that everything seems to be fine, but you have to use otrivin and some salt water in your nose for a couple of days, and then you will come here and pass, or not. In the meantime, I went for a detailed exam to another doctor (not an AME), because I felt really bad, and I had no more of 20db losses. I still feel that my ear has some water in it, and when I do an Eustachian Tube exercise, the sound I hear is very loud. So I have 2 questions:

1)If I fail again, do I have the opportunity to go again, or to go to the another AME center?
2)If the company call me, and I go to their AME center, I am already registered in the system? I mean the other exams are marked as passed except for the hearing test? I may have the opportunity to do all the tests again?

Thanks very much in advance.

What are the rules for Class 1 Medical 'hearing'? When I had my initial class 1 medical in the UK, I was told one ear had some hearing loss, but was within the limits. What would happen if one of my ears went out of the limit? Am I able to pass the class 1 medical? Thank you.

Hallo Gents and Ladies,
I am EASA Swiss ATPL holder between 30 and 35 years old.
Since the beginning of my career I had hearing loss, because of which I have to go thru the audiometry every yearly renewal. Unluckily it seems worsening slowly towards the standard audio limits and it is suspected to be an otosclerosis.
I would like to try to know what to expect in the next years and plan accordingly.
Can someone kindly answer to these following questions?

A) Considering the hearing loss only, what are the limits and what happens if I am going to be above those limits?

B) Talking about the otosclerosis, can it lead to a medical loss by itself?
What if I go thru a stapedectomy surgery?

C) Is the FAA medical less conservative on this topic (I am considering to take an FAA licence to continue flying abroad if necessary)

D) what is the medical requirement if I decide to take a SFI rating?

E) Considering that this problematic is known since the beginning, is the insurance going to pay for the loss of licence?

F) How can I get in touch with the medical authority without digging my own grave?

Please answer only if you have direct experience or knowledge about any of the previous questions.

All the best!

Hello guys and gals

Please help!

I had my initial medical class 1 two weeks ago and I had negative pressure in my ear. I was advised to wait until the pressure goes away. I checked it today with my local doc. The pressure is still -100 daPa. Generally, this is in the normal pressure range but do you know if I should have perfect zero pressure to get my medical?