CAA/JAA Aviation Medical & related issues
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: UK
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That is amazingly extortionate.
How the hell is that justified????
I'd like to see the cost breakdown and reasoning for it.
Consider that the class 1 renewal is $100AUD in Australia and that initial issue is in the area of about $450AUD. Strange how the numbers are the same but the value is completely different.
How the hell is that justified????
I'd like to see the cost breakdown and reasoning for it.
Consider that the class 1 renewal is $100AUD in Australia and that initial issue is in the area of about $450AUD. Strange how the numbers are the same but the value is completely different.
Spicy Meatball
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Liverpool UK
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I guess its to cover the cost of all the detailed examinations they do on you, or perhaps its so that they can all have fat pay packets at the end of the month hmmm the latter seems more of a reason!
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sydney
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Class 1 Medical Certificate
Hello everyone,
I have something to ask everyone regarding to the Class 1 Medical Certificate. Everytime I listen to things with my right ear, it always feels like something is "tickling" it (inside). After a while it goes away, I can hear fine and perfect I'm pretty sure except there's a tickle in my ear for a few minutes, I can hear fine with the tickling but it's getting annoying. Does anyone know if this will affect the Class 1 Medical Certificate? I am currently 14yrs old. Any comments appreciated. Thanks for your time
Jimmy
I have something to ask everyone regarding to the Class 1 Medical Certificate. Everytime I listen to things with my right ear, it always feels like something is "tickling" it (inside). After a while it goes away, I can hear fine and perfect I'm pretty sure except there's a tickle in my ear for a few minutes, I can hear fine with the tickling but it's getting annoying. Does anyone know if this will affect the Class 1 Medical Certificate? I am currently 14yrs old. Any comments appreciated. Thanks for your time
Jimmy
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 43
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Hello,
I think the first thing you should do is get down to the doctor straight away regardless of the Class 1!! It could prove to be something serious and that may cause serious problems in later life. As your quite young now, it would be wise to get it checked and hopefully get it cured as soon as possible.
The ear is an extremely sensitive part of the human body and it needs to be in tiptop condition to get the Class 1 issued. Best of luck and keep us posted!
Cheers,
John
I think the first thing you should do is get down to the doctor straight away regardless of the Class 1!! It could prove to be something serious and that may cause serious problems in later life. As your quite young now, it would be wise to get it checked and hopefully get it cured as soon as possible.
The ear is an extremely sensitive part of the human body and it needs to be in tiptop condition to get the Class 1 issued. Best of luck and keep us posted!
Cheers,
John
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sydney
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Dear Squak,
Thank you, I would've waited till I actually got tested for the Class 1! I'm going to book an appointment now for tomorrow and get it checked. Hopefully no problems, when I come back with the good results :-) I will write again. Thanks for now Squak!
Jimmy
Thank you, I would've waited till I actually got tested for the Class 1! I'm going to book an appointment now for tomorrow and get it checked. Hopefully no problems, when I come back with the good results :-) I will write again. Thanks for now Squak!
Jimmy
Join Date: May 2004
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Went to the doctor today. He said I have no problems with my ear but it would be safer to see an ear specialist. I'm starting to worry :-( Hopefully it'll be alright. I'll post again after I've visited the Hearing Centre!
Jimmy
Jimmy
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sydney
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Went to the specialist today and did not do any tests or anything. He just asked me what's wrong, I told him and he told me to do this often: hold my nose and blow. This is probably the same thing as too_sleepy has said instead maybe using a syringe is easier. But he told me if it doesn't work then go back to him. So hopefully I'm ok. Thanks guys
Jimmy
Jimmy
A word of caution with the "Valsalva" manoevre - don't blow too hard - I did once in 1980 and managed to perforate an ear drum and spent the next 3 months on the ground!
I rarely "pinch and blow" now and if I do so I do it real gently. Nature's way of protecting the inside of the ear is to make it more difficult to allow air in, compared to out, to avoid introducing infection etc.
On the odd occasions where I have not been able to clear ears on descent I have always found that they will (eventually) clear of their own accord.
Good luck with the Class I Med.
I rarely "pinch and blow" now and if I do so I do it real gently. Nature's way of protecting the inside of the ear is to make it more difficult to allow air in, compared to out, to avoid introducing infection etc.
On the odd occasions where I have not been able to clear ears on descent I have always found that they will (eventually) clear of their own accord.
Good luck with the Class I Med.
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ireland
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Excellent news.
I know I mentioned the Syringe job a friend once had done, but he was told not to get it done often. It wouldn't be recommended as a regular way of cleaning those inner canals.
I use Audiclean from Boots and it works great:
http://www.boots.com/shop/product_de...ductid=1040289
Good luck with your medical.
I know I mentioned the Syringe job a friend once had done, but he was told not to get it done often. It wouldn't be recommended as a regular way of cleaning those inner canals.
I use Audiclean from Boots and it works great:
http://www.boots.com/shop/product_de...ductid=1040289
Good luck with your medical.
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sydney
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Hey everyone,
Thanks for the replies regarding my ear :-) (which really has nothing to do with you all and you still reply! So I'm really happy that you guys take notice of me!) ;-) Thanks alot.
Too_Sleepy, in my case would using "Audiclean" help me with my problem? Thanks!
Jimmy
Thanks for the replies regarding my ear :-) (which really has nothing to do with you all and you still reply! So I'm really happy that you guys take notice of me!) ;-) Thanks alot.
Too_Sleepy, in my case would using "Audiclean" help me with my problem? Thanks!
Jimmy
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Class 1 Medical Content
For those who are… er… “still thinking about it”, I thought I’d share with you what my initial Class 1 Medical comprised of a couple of weeks ago.
I arrived at the grey-and-glass building (Gatwick) just before 8:00 am, signed in, and was told to sit in the FCL waiting area – right under a red sign telling me that all medical applicants should wait in the main atrium! At 08:40 I was shown to the medical area on the other side of the atrium where I was invited to go to the changing area, take off just my shirt and put on a white robe. Suitably bedecked, I made the first of many associations with the waiting-couch just behind the medical reception area. Wondering what was going to happen first, I whiled away the time listening to the administrators’ all important gossip on the previous night’s telly, etc. Finally, at about 08:50 I was approached by an enthusiastic Optometrist who took me to his testing den. The events then unfolded thus: -
1) Eye test with and without my glasses. The man congratulated Boots for prescribing the correct lenses for me. He told me my eyes were good enough for a Class 1 but only with my glasses (mild prescription). Then back to the couch.
2) Next up, a nice young lady measured my height and weight and then gave me a prick in my finger (must be a joke in here somewhere) to draw a small blob of blood for checking iron-content and cholesterol levels. This was followed by a urine sample which I placed into the requisite hole in the wall, never to be seen or heard of again. Then it was a red-faced lung capacity test, three times. All OK and straight to the next test room.
3) Into a sound-proof booth with headphones on to listen and nod to a range of really quiet sounds. Then off with the cans, out of the booth and a sound probe pushed into one ear at a time. This measured the bounce-back frequencies of sounds injected into my lug-holes; no bull****ting here – my opinion was superfluous as the kit found out for itself if my eardrums were capable of wobbling in sympathy. OK’d and back to the couch.
4) Next room and on to a doctor’s couch for a 21-point resting ECG to check that the ticker was still beating. OK’d and back to you-know-where.
5) Then it was time for the mysterious EEG. Nothing to worry about here as a really pleasant granny scratched clearings in my Barnet, glued 14 electrodes to my scalp and clamped my wrists with heart-monitoring sensors. I was then told that “we” were going to look for my brain’s alpha waves, produced whilst conscious but with eyes closed. This would seek out any pesky tendencies towards stress-induced epilepsy. I risked joking about whether this test could also detect any sense of humour but the absolute silence suggested that the highest contempt was the only appropriate response to such childishness. Having nearly nodded off to the oh-so-soothing repetitions of “slow breathing, eyes open, eyes closed” instructions, we moved onto 3 minutes of deep, fast breathing to create hyperventilation then to rest, and then… WOW! Disco-time! Stroboscopic psychedelic patterns were blasted straight through my eyeballs into the cranium to see if my grey-matter could make alphas at the same rate. Everything seemed OK with apparently text book perfect results. Back to the couch.
6) Next on the agenda was The Doctor who measured my blood-pressure, looked at my palms and pushed me around a bit to see if I could stay balanced on my feet. Then it was down to underpants and onto the couch for some rigorous stomach kneading and a quick look at the plums for testicular peculiarities. Then round to the dark room for a chest x-ray… twice. The first one didn’t work (nothing to do with me having no chest). All checked out OK. At this point, Sir said he would be issuing a Class 1 certificate but best to wait to get the paper in my hands before committing money to theory courses. Wot, no finger-up-the-bum prostate gland searching/feeling? I was anxious to check that he didn’t have both hands on my shoulders at the time. And no blood-taking? And not back to the couch? I felt cheated.
Four hours after kick-off, I was in the lift to the CAA canteen. The whole medical testing having taken about 2½ hours in total to complete; the rest of the time was spent waiting. But then the £422 had to be justified somehow. The medical was done Monday morning and the certificate arrived a week on Wednesday, i.e. 9 days later via 2nd class post!
Now the hard work really kicks in. Good luck to all you fellow gonnabies – go for it!
Tango49
I arrived at the grey-and-glass building (Gatwick) just before 8:00 am, signed in, and was told to sit in the FCL waiting area – right under a red sign telling me that all medical applicants should wait in the main atrium! At 08:40 I was shown to the medical area on the other side of the atrium where I was invited to go to the changing area, take off just my shirt and put on a white robe. Suitably bedecked, I made the first of many associations with the waiting-couch just behind the medical reception area. Wondering what was going to happen first, I whiled away the time listening to the administrators’ all important gossip on the previous night’s telly, etc. Finally, at about 08:50 I was approached by an enthusiastic Optometrist who took me to his testing den. The events then unfolded thus: -
1) Eye test with and without my glasses. The man congratulated Boots for prescribing the correct lenses for me. He told me my eyes were good enough for a Class 1 but only with my glasses (mild prescription). Then back to the couch.
2) Next up, a nice young lady measured my height and weight and then gave me a prick in my finger (must be a joke in here somewhere) to draw a small blob of blood for checking iron-content and cholesterol levels. This was followed by a urine sample which I placed into the requisite hole in the wall, never to be seen or heard of again. Then it was a red-faced lung capacity test, three times. All OK and straight to the next test room.
3) Into a sound-proof booth with headphones on to listen and nod to a range of really quiet sounds. Then off with the cans, out of the booth and a sound probe pushed into one ear at a time. This measured the bounce-back frequencies of sounds injected into my lug-holes; no bull****ting here – my opinion was superfluous as the kit found out for itself if my eardrums were capable of wobbling in sympathy. OK’d and back to the couch.
4) Next room and on to a doctor’s couch for a 21-point resting ECG to check that the ticker was still beating. OK’d and back to you-know-where.
5) Then it was time for the mysterious EEG. Nothing to worry about here as a really pleasant granny scratched clearings in my Barnet, glued 14 electrodes to my scalp and clamped my wrists with heart-monitoring sensors. I was then told that “we” were going to look for my brain’s alpha waves, produced whilst conscious but with eyes closed. This would seek out any pesky tendencies towards stress-induced epilepsy. I risked joking about whether this test could also detect any sense of humour but the absolute silence suggested that the highest contempt was the only appropriate response to such childishness. Having nearly nodded off to the oh-so-soothing repetitions of “slow breathing, eyes open, eyes closed” instructions, we moved onto 3 minutes of deep, fast breathing to create hyperventilation then to rest, and then… WOW! Disco-time! Stroboscopic psychedelic patterns were blasted straight through my eyeballs into the cranium to see if my grey-matter could make alphas at the same rate. Everything seemed OK with apparently text book perfect results. Back to the couch.
6) Next on the agenda was The Doctor who measured my blood-pressure, looked at my palms and pushed me around a bit to see if I could stay balanced on my feet. Then it was down to underpants and onto the couch for some rigorous stomach kneading and a quick look at the plums for testicular peculiarities. Then round to the dark room for a chest x-ray… twice. The first one didn’t work (nothing to do with me having no chest). All checked out OK. At this point, Sir said he would be issuing a Class 1 certificate but best to wait to get the paper in my hands before committing money to theory courses. Wot, no finger-up-the-bum prostate gland searching/feeling? I was anxious to check that he didn’t have both hands on my shoulders at the time. And no blood-taking? And not back to the couch? I felt cheated.
Four hours after kick-off, I was in the lift to the CAA canteen. The whole medical testing having taken about 2½ hours in total to complete; the rest of the time was spent waiting. But then the £422 had to be justified somehow. The medical was done Monday morning and the certificate arrived a week on Wednesday, i.e. 9 days later via 2nd class post!
Now the hard work really kicks in. Good luck to all you fellow gonnabies – go for it!
Tango49
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Muscat, Oman
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wow ... one helluva ride just reading that one .. lol .. freaked out at just having to get mine soon. 
Anyways, would just like to ask.. what is the validity preiod of a Class1 medical ?
Anyways, would just like to ask.. what is the validity preiod of a Class1 medical ?
But you don't have the entire thing every 6 months, just fill out the form, pee into a bottle, have the ECG, height, weight and BP from a nurse, then off to the quack for confirmation of the eye test (it's invariably AECONHTL!), the usual groping and poking, end of finger prick, part with about £180 and that's it. Every so often you have to huff and puff into the tube thingie or listen to inaudible beeps, but not every time!