Bad news time really. I know what it's like to start and then fall down on something minor. I have a colour sight problem, you know the page with the coloured blobs where you have to read the number in it? Well I don't even attempt those, I've no chance. After the AME told me that I couldn't pass the medical because of it I was in-consolable.

However, there MAY be a silver lining. (Not promising though) A lot of people in aviation take the view that the CAA are the enemy. And although the organisation has more nik-names than enough (The Belgrano, The Campaign Against Aviation and so-on) remember this. They are funded by what they can make, there is no subsidy from Government or elsewhere. They even have to make a profit. They can only do this by getting people in the air, within reason! Furthermore, a lot of the folks there are pilots themselves and know just how adictive this thing is, and what it means when you can't take part. Although you have spoken to the optical guy there, make an appointment to see him. It costs about £30. It did for me, I explained my problem, and he gave me an alternative test that I passed no problem and he then wrote to my AME telling him to carry on. Although he can give some afvice on the phone, there is no substitute for him actually having a look. What have you got to lose? £30 in the scheme of things is sod all!!

Reality check though. There is a limit for a very good reason. Although you may have 20/20 vision with your lenses, without them can you see you hand in front of your face, or more importantly, can you see the instruments clearly enough to be able to fly the plane safely whilst you get a spare pair of glasses out? That is the reason for it. Should a contact lens fall out, or you fly through turbulence that knocks your glasses off your head, can you still safely fly the plane until you sort the problem. All medicals endorsed for corrective lenses also state that a spare pair of spectacles MUST be carried.

At the end of the day though, should you fail at this hurdle, have you ever thought of the NPPL? It will get you a pilots licence, and although the PPL is where it stops, it means that you can fly legally on your own, or with freinds. I am not totally sure of the eyesight requirement, but a lot of the standards are lower than the JAR medical. HGV driver medical is the standard to get, and your own GP signs you off anyway. Lets be fair here, as a ppl do you want to fly in the crap anyway??

I do really sympathise with you, and I knd of know how it feels. Don't lose the faith though, stick with it, the CAA will help all they can if you ask. The NPPL is an option. Failing that, at the club where I fly there a couple of old guys that pitch up now and then, both flew in the war. One is now blind, and the other stone deaf. Their licences lapsed years ago, but they just go and fly with an instructor in tow. And they are probably better than you or I could ever hope to be!! They might be tugging an instructor along, but they still get to fly!!!

I can get the class 2 med for PPL, the biggy was class 1 for CPL. I'm thinking about this new implanted lens thingy.
http://www.artisanlens.com/eng/Refrchirg/refchg.htm

I'm not sure if they count this as a correction as it can't fall out or off.

I considered lasik surgery a year or so ago but it wouldnt correct the astigmatism, the eye is still not round whether you use a light sabre on it or not, the only thing to correct astigmatism is glasses or a rigid contact lens and these new implanted ones. Lokking at £5k for the pair though which is kinda harsh but if needs must and all that.

Ben (blind) Coulthard

Ben,

I don't know about implanted lenses, but before you do anything like that check with the CAA. I know they used to be iffy about lasik, although I think that's changed, not sure.

Other than that you have a few options. One is the NPPL, as you've been told. And how about being a microlight instructor, if you want to make your living from flying? You don't need a CPL for that, and I think (not certain) that you can do it all with an NPPL. You could also see if your eyesight is OK for a Class 1 or its equivalent in the USA, where they're a lot more flexible. I've heard of several people who've qualified over there, flown a lot, come back to the UK with a couple of thousand hours and the CAA has given them a Class 1. Do more research, and try a few searches on these topics on here. All is not lost.

I don't know for certain, but since this site is run by volunteers who are often working, it may depend when they get back from Outer Mongolia or wherever they flew to today. :)

Great advice from whirls. I know that the CAA used to still refer to your uncorrected vision, even when taking laser surgery into account. A lot is changing in the medical field though, especially as the CAA got a new medical head a couple of years ago who is shaking things up a bit. I am led to beleive that the EEG and / or the chest X-ray (Cant remember which) are being phased out unless they are actually required for a particular individual.

As I said earlier, talk to the CAA. They don't bite, and are really quite helpful if you ask. Their interest is having something to administer, and now in the days of EASA, we are about all that's left, but taking away the synical attitude, they are genuine and there to help. And they will!!!! Call them!!

Ben, I'm gutted for you. I understand the frustration as a deterioration of my eyes stopped my first attempt at PPL donkeys years ago. I was ecstatic when the NPPL medical declaration came to my attention. I have a bus licence which is current thanks to 'grandfather rights' allowing me to wear my specs. I just did my declaration with my GP and he tested my sight with my glasses on as the NPPL allows your sight to be corrected to the required standard. So, all is not lost. The cost of that fancy implant thingumy could fund an NPPL. Worth considering ?

Pardon if I've mis-read or mis-understood something but I have short sight and astigmatism and I wear specs all the time. I got a class 2 PPL medical in 2002. Have things changed?

No if you read my posts, i said i can get class 2 but not class 1 but everyone seems to have misread it.

I meant I got a class 2 medical without a restriction.

Kev.

Yeah it depends on the level of your astigmatism, apparently i'm in the 1% of the population with it over 3.00. If you have up to 3.00 you are ok. I guess you are under.

Ben

OK Ben.
Just to clear this up, you can get a class2 but not a class1, right?
To put this into context a little, where do you want to end up in the pilot world? PPL on a Nice Sunday, or ATPL in the left hand seat of a 747?

The airline job has its glamour, I know, I would still die to get there, and the financial rewards seem to be excellent.

Now for the reality check. Do you want to be an airline pilot because.....

The money is good?.. According to Pilots Job Network starting pay,(At a certain Coventry based airline) if you can get the job is £17000. I fancy that if you can afford to fly then you are making a load more than that already, why leave a stable job for something as fickle as working for an airline>

The Girls Will Fancy You?.... Chatting up any woman and you tell her your'e a pilot and they wont believe you.

Not a lot of hours worked.? True, the 900 annual limit equates to about 17 hours a week. Remeber that this is flying time. Time spent briefing or sat on the ground doesn't count towards it. The shifts can be more than horrific and the hours can be long.

It's a good career? Well, no, not really. Airlines come and go, the ones that stay are either fly by night operations or have a waiting list as long as your arm. And unless you have at least 1000hrs, most wont look at you anyway. Remember that a lot of airlines count in "factored hours" SO if you have, say 100 hours in a piston single, in other words hours building in a cessna post ppl, then for example, Easyjet only count each hour as 0.3. That means that your 100 hours is only worth 33.33. Hard work if you need to get to 1000!!

In general aviation there is a difference. Don't like the sight of that black cloud, dont go. Not an option in the airline world. See some wonderful sights, even without leaving the UK. Meet some fantastic people. Become part of a highly exclusive club (less than 1% of the population have a ppl). All good stuff.

All that said, if someone offered to sponsor me tomorrow I would jump at it, but then my job is pretty ropey at the moment anyway. You see I work for a company that supplies a service to airlines, and the cost has been cut so much that there is little money in it anymore.

Let us know what your motivation to fly is, and then we might all be able to give you the right advice from the start.

My reason for wanting a CPL is that I plan to move to Thailand in a few years and I was hoping to get a job over there as a pilot. In Thailand you don't stand any chance of a good job unless you have qualifications. Unfortunately I'm full of experience but no certificates to prove it.

No worries anyway, for now I'll concentrate on my PPL.

I have another lesson tomorrow morning, I've also booked a radio course over 2 days(sounds like a short time to learn a foreign language!)

Running PPL expenses
£168 radio school

£1647.62 Total so far @ 5:15 hours flying

Ah, now, radio, this I know about.

I know they say that English is the international aviation language, and that it sound sod all like it! Like a lot of things in aviation, tradition means that some things don't change, take the Q code for instance.

The radio is nothing at all to worry about, I found it the easiest of all the exams I have done so far.

The best advice is (wait for the lawyers to come out now, quoting the wireless telegraphy act 1949, don't bother, I know it!!) is to get a scanner and tune in. Don't pay particular attention to what is being said, more listen to how its said. Listen to the big boys for this, not your local grass strip where a lot of them aint got a clue. I am often criticised by instructors as my RT is more like a commercial pilot, that is because I work at MAN and deal with it all day long, I am used to it. And that is the best way to learn about it, listen in.

I first took control of a light aircraft in 1983, I did my PPL three years later and I don't think I've spent that much to date.

J.A.F.O. you need to share you're money saving tip from McDonald's with the rest of us.

Lesson 5 today, started off bad, I just wasn't with it. I took off fine(my 1st grass take off) climbed and leveled off. All good so far, then he says climb us to 3500ft, at this point I just banged the throttle to full and pulled back on the yoke, no lookout, no checking carb heat and mixture and not even a glance at t's n p's. :ugh: I felt pretty stupid cos I know this stuff:O , so after a bollocking I made sure I was awake for the rest of the lesson.
I think this may have come from only flying once a week, so I decided to have an hour on Thursday morning too. Might as well while the weather's nice.
After the initial screw up the whole lesson went well, medium turns, lots to watch for on climbing and descending turns but I think I cracked it.:D Still letting go of the throttle every time I adjust it though. Might get a big rubber band that allows me to reach for the trim wheel then springs my right hand straight back in to place.:)

I'd like 2 seats to Aero Expo if anyone is flying down from up North please give me a shout. Else there will be a spare seat in my landy for any of you car less out there(unless I buy this sweet S-type Jag I've seen, then there'll be 2 or 3 seats depending how close you like to sit)

Ben (2 hands on the wheel and not the throttle) Coulthard

Ben

At no point did I indicate that I wouldn't have liked to have spent more.

I was quite lucky, Auntie Betty paid for the first thirty odd hours and in those days you only needed 38 for your ticket. She also used to pay for my holidays but since she started paying tax I seem to have had to stump up for my own leisure pursuits, ah well.

I've never been much good at making money and I'm even worse at holding on to it so it's not a case of knowing how to save, more a case of having none to spend.

Hello

a special day for my PPL training.

The Day of the Beast (06/06/06) didn't start well... had a little car crash on my way to work in the rush traffic. Nothing serious, but now I've got a dent in my bonnet and a sore neck !
Went to work late... went to the flying club after work.
40 minutes dual circuits and then we land. Instructor says "now I'm gonna get off and you do another couple of them !"
So I went for it. Everything ok, nice gentle westernly wind, first approach fine, first landing not too bad but a bit bumpy. Touch 'n go and away again.. second approach not bad, landing absolute greaser :-)

So here I am, not a virgin anymore. It does happen eventually. I struggled quite hard with landings so I guess the revenge is even sweeter :-)

Oh by the way, for the record, it all happened after 14 hours.
Happy flying to all !

stop it, just stop it, teasing me with your solo nonsense:}

just make me jealous cos i'm still all over the place on approach, too busy checking my rate of descent to remember to line up with the strip:O

i can see it in the paper "the pa28 landed near the airfield, following a perfect descent"

Ben "close, but not close enough" Coulthard

Only read part of the thread but I spotted this:

Not sure how bad your colour deficiency is, but the "lantern test" could be an option. ie. Can you spot the difference between a faintish white, red and green light at a distance. I always had a bit of trouble with the Ishihara plates but I've held a Class One medical for 11 years.

As for laser surgery, the CAA take quite a dim view of it (if you'll pardon the pun) so I'd be extremely careful and seek official advice before you proceed.

Ben check your PM's.

Ta

Human Factor. Don't take this the wrong way, but if you'd read a little further, you'd have read that a trip to the CAA sorted it out. It cost me £28 for a lantern test. £10 per colour near enough, not bad work if you can get it!!!