this is my first post so u will have to excuse me if i dont know what im talking about but as a coincidence i sort of got the last nail in the coffin for my pilots carear today. im 18 and wannabe a pilot for the raf but obviously that aint gonna happen, but ive been giving consideration to a navigators position, what do u think???

neway if u get glases, i thought u can fly commercialy, so what if your other eye gets lazy, your hardly gonna get blind and if haveing 2 different lenses in each eye means being able to fly, go for it!

ALSO GET A SECON OPINION, IT ISNT WORTH GIVING UP WHAT U WANT SIMPLY ON BAD ADVICE!

Dave

Did you see an optician (one who dispenses glasses) or an opthalmic surgeon (doctor who specialises in eyes)? There are ways and means around nearly every thing. It may cost some money and take some time but sometimes a more pleasing result may come your way.
I don't know what your eye measurements are. However, go to an opthalmic surgeon or better yet, see a doctor that is on the CAA's list of approved medical examiners. Let them tell you that you don't meet the standards. Then sort out a strategy to beat it if required.
Good luck.

Suggest you get hold of a book called Better Eyesight without Glasses by W H Bates.

tas

Hmmm, I would get the book, but I'd have to have met someone who it WORKED on first. I'm still not convinced by holistics.

Do a search in the medical section on PPRUNE. There are loads of postings about dodgy eyesight. Don't give up...the RAF turned me down (twenty years ago) but my eyesight finally stabilised in my early twenties and is now good enough for the CAA (providing I wear contact lenses). The biggest mistake I ever made (aside from getting married) was giving up on my dream for a decade.

Best of Luck

Fried,

Be a navigator in the RAF - if you can get in, that is. Competition's pretty hard.

They don't call them that any longer - they're now WSOs (Weapons Systems Officers). Same job, though.

I was one for 29 years. It was good. I got paid the same as pilots and, on a two-seat aeroplane like the Phantom, Buccaneer or Tornado, there is no question that you do the same job and share the same risks. You're totally interdependant - OK, the nav couldn't do his job withoout a pilot, but in most 2-seaters, the pilot couldn't do his job without a nav either.

Go for it. You'll hear a lot of denigration from pilots with an inferiority complex. Disregard them. Do your own thing.

But it's tough. You've got to be good.

Paul

Indimanana Jones,

I have the book from Bates and I've been using the Bates Method for about 2yrs now. And my eyesight has been improving since then..

Before I was R-6/24 L-6/18, after 2yrs of being patient and practicing my eyesight everyday now its R-6/12 L-6/12. With optical aids its 6/6 for both eyes.

So trust me it works just be very patient. I'm 20yrs old now.

ALL THE BEST

Best Regards,
Herman <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

Don't give up is my advice. Like you, all I ever wanted was to fly. However a RAF Wing Commnader told me I had quote an eye disease unquote when I was 20 and that the end of my dreams - I thought. What he meant was that I was going to be long-sighted and sure enough I am. Okay so I could not go military, but I would have been okay for Class One if he hadn't scared the hell out of me. Three years later I started to wear glasses and my eyes have slowly got worse. But only last month, those nice CAA people gave me a shiny Class One Medical. And what's more, they would probably give you a Class One even if your eyesight was worse than the +/- 3 limits if your prescription will meet the planned limits of +/- 5. And a friend of mine has just had a very similar experience. Please, what ever you do, do not just accept that you might not be able to fly - get specialist advice. Also speak to the CAA: despite what people like to say, they have been fantastic with me (even if #220 is crazy money to issue a PPL). Good luck

Don't give up IJ! I went to a BA seminar when I was fifteen -they took one look at my glasses and just said, "Sorry, pal. We're not taking on pilots with glasses" What they didn't add was that it was a BA decision, and I could have easily gone with another airline!! Doh!

Now that the CAA have increased the leeway to +/-5 diaopta, it shouuld cover a lot more potential Class One applicants with 'poor' eyesight.

My corrected vision with contact lenses has been tested as better than 20/20 (20 being the size of the letters second or third up from the bottom of the eye chart -can't quite remember) Without them my hand at arms length is a blur.

So, moral is, don't give up. Try the eye exercises, I 've heard they really can work.

Hi all just a little information that I gathered recently.... the RAF will NOT accept vision problems for pilots at all. I called them again last week to see if by chance anything had changed and I got a very blunt NO, and goodbye, not so much as can we interest you in another field. I have done a Flying Scholarship through the RAF and was told at the time that i could not do anything to do with flying, eg, Pilot, WSO, Air Load Master etc etc. (and before anyone asks no I'm not that short sighted). However keep trying, terms are "subject to change without notice" or so I've heard.

Also you probably wouldnt have a problem getting a Class 1 as far as i know, I got mine about 4 months ago without a problem. I wera contact lenses now, however even wearing of glasses is fine. As with regard to airlines, I always wear contact lenses, A: because I prefer them and B: so if they have any slight preference to a "perfectperson" you at least get a chance to show them what type of person you are before they get a chacnew to prejudge you (not saying that all airlines do....but its worth a try if they might be)

So dont give up hope, my heart sank at the age of 16 just as me and the family left South Africa, when I had to get glasses becasue I knew the SAAF wouldn't take people with eyesight probs..... but there are many other opportunities and things are looking up. For example I am trying to get hold of someone at the careers office in the Marines and Navy...try them they might be less stingy, but the last time i tried about a year ago the Navy turned me down as well. Things may have changed though...

Like a few othere people have suggested exercises may and sometimes can help, I had a friend who had a lazy eye and is now fine...but depends ont the extent etc..

Hope this has been of some help to you and anyone else.

:) <img src="tongue.gif" border="0"> :)

PS: Above all things.. NEVER GIVE UP! I f u want it bad enough you'll get it. People have conquered worse things before, so where there's a will there's a way!

[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: RAF TopGun ]</p>

Eyesight...
 

Hi,
Ive been acepted for a sponsorship to become a commercial pilot and I have never needed glasses before. Recently I have reason to believe that my eyesight may not be as perfect as it used to be.

Im really scared about this and would like to know how bad your eyesight can be with glasses to still get a class 1 medical and also should I go get my eyes tested by an opticians now or what?

please help, Im very scared and confused.

Thank you

Wannabe,

Congrats on getting the sponsorship!

The exact requirements for your Class 1 medical can be found here. However, if you've never needed glasses before, I wouldn't worry - I think it's extremely unlikely that your eyesight would deteriorate from not needing glasses at all, to being outside the limits, in such a short space of time.

If you are really concerned, you should contact the CAA at Gatwick for advice. They may be able to test your eyesight for you for a small fee, saving you (or your sponsor) the cost of the full Class 1, or even more, if your eyesight really is outside the limits.

It also seems only fair that you inform your sponsor if you have any worries. If you can't get a medical then you won't be able to complete the course whatever else happens, so you've got nothing to loose by letting them know straight away, but lots to gain in terms of good will.

Hope it all works out for you. And if not, then don't forget that a Class 2 medical is a lot less stringent, so you may still be able to fly for fun whilst finding a different career for yourself.

FFF
--------------

Hi,

Not sure if this helps in any way but: Every now and then I think my eyesight is slipping. So far, I have nailed this down to simply not getting enough sleep. Once I forced my self to go to bed at 22:00 rather than midnight (or beyond) for a few days everything was back to normal.

I understand where FFF is comming from, but I worry that if you speak to your sponsor too soon it may confuse the situation. Personally, I would not say anything until I have had my eyes tested and know for sure one way or the other. But that is me and my judgement, it may well be inappropriate under your specific circumstances.

Just a thought,
HWD.

HWD,

Funny you should say that because I have been going to bed rather late recently, mixture of working hard, playing hard and late night phone calls to the girlfriend!

I really hope this is right as Flyinf for Fun said that it is highly unlikely that my eyes could have deteriorated so quickly.

Not long till the end of uni term so will get some good rest soon!

Thank you both for your help, you have really put me at ease!

Eyesight...
 

'Hi all'

I've recently been perscribed glasses as i'm shortsighted (really badly in one eye and quite bad in the other). I was just wondering how this effects my chances of becoming a pilot?

I currently work as a network analyst and am 23. I'm so bored doing that, so i've decided to do my PPL and was kinda hoping that if that was succesful i'll progress to a CPL and onwards.

But is this dream pointless if i need glasses?

Cheers

Lew

Find a local AME and get a medical done. If the doc is friendly enough, and all the AMEs I've come across are, they should be able to advise you before you go if your prescription is going to cause a problem. Having glasses isn't a problem. There are many pilots who wear them, myself included :8 (There's even a smilie especially for us!)

Regards
Stoney

you could try going to the caa website, www.caa.co.uk.

If you look in the medical section i think they have the eyesight standards on there somewhere. Class 1 (professional) are more restrictive than class 2 (PPL)

Hope that helps a bit!

I stand to be corrected, but from memory your vision needs to be -5 or better for a Class 1 medical (required for your CPL).

Don't take my word for it though, as already suggested, print off the exact requirements from the CAA website and discuss them with an AME or optician.

I had a similar issue a couple of years back. Went to see the CAA for a Class 1, and fell outside the initial limits. But since my prescription had not changed much in the last 3 or 4 years, they issued me with a nice shiny class 1 medical anyway because my eyesight was within the limits for a renewal. Think it's called the "deviation" route or something.

Hi Lewis,

Like DVR6K my eyesight was outside the limits for an Initial Class 1 medical but inside them for the renewal. Having provided my prescription for the last few years to the CAA to show the stability of my eyesight I was issued witha Class 1 Medical with Deviation.

The deviation is considered on an individual basis depending on your past records and is then removed from your medical once your commercial training is completed as you will then be renewing your medical each year.

Hope it works out for you and good luck!

Eye sight
 

My apologies if their is an earlier thread, couldn't find it. At decision stage at the minute i.e. have my ppl and extra hours, now must decide whether to spend larger amounts to achieve CPL and IR, career change. I have a class 1 medical but do have to wear classes for driving (and flying). Despite having a class 1 medical, am i likely to get over looked by airliners as, without glasses, my eye sight might not be as good as other potentials - to make matter worse i'll be 32 by the time i'm fully qualified.

Not a problem.

Go for the best training and all anyone will care about is your aptitude.

As regards the glasses, the airline that discounted pilots who have full class one medical because they have to wear glasses would be very short sighted!

More important is your aptitude and character!

Aviation law requires that you always carry a spare pair of glasses when fyling, but other than this the fact that you don't have perfect vision irrelevant. A class one is a class one! :D

OK so some companies (well, just the one as far as I know, BA) might have slightly higher standards, but if you have all the qualifications and are "the right sort of person" then I think there is a good amount of flexibility in the requirements.

As an aside, I initially failed my class one due to a muscle imbalance in my eye. I have since had corrective surgery involving shortening the imbalanced muscle, and have attained the required standard for class 1 medical. I am currently studying for my ATPL's on an integrated course.

If you are concerned or unsure, and the information available online (see the links to the medical section on the archive thread) is insufficient then it is well worth phoning the CAA medical centre at Gatwick and asking to speak tot he relevant specialist. I found the opthalmologist extremely helpful, and he genuinely seemed gutted when I first went and he had to decline the medical! A thoroughly nice bloke! He even spent half an hour going through the options with me, and trying to see if there was any chance I might be able to have the class one as was!

Good luck to anyone who is going through the medical process!

Facing the Harse Truth of Employement
 

hey all,

well im new to these forums, names michael and im 17. :}

well ive had one major question on my mind, and that is it more likely for an airline company to employee a person if they have 20/20 vision, over a person such as myself with almost perfect vision ( -1.5 D correctible to 20/20)

I have this notion because it seems only logical if i were the employee to take on a person who could be said is "smack on the spot".
Of course this is dependent on a persons qualifications but,lets pretend both potential employees have have achieved the same qualifications.

what views do you guys n girls have on this?

errr..


possible but if you have a medical - you have a medical!!

When i was interviewed they didnt ask if i was on the boundary to wear glasses or not....:8

legally, it is not their buiness.and they don't have access to your files!so you can tell them whatever you want to make them happy!
as long you have a medical, you have the right to fly.

For a pilot position, as long as you hold a class 1 medical thats all that matters :ok:

I done just that ^^^^. Wanted the airline pilot thing badly, it was in my blood stream from a very young age, i thought to myself i should hold out 3 more years and get a degree under my belt, doing computer science at the moment, enjoying it, having a good time playing cricket at a high level now, and getting some life exposure away from home. I have spoke to some very good guys off this forum, who went direct to flight school, so you can still make it without the whole degree thing, it was just a personal decision for me.

ahwell we well see in a few years what will happen, touch wood I will be flying high one day :ok: I don't mind not living the fancy life and having loads of money, having enough to get me by with some extra left for personal use, would suit me just fine. Id rather be in that situation and flying rather than having loads of dosh and not flying.

Getting a degree as you said, is what im really focusing on for time being, and i hope ill be able to go to university after my A-levels and take a course such as Avionics or possibly some other realted course.

And on the exprience part you were talking about, for the time being ive been trying to get a work experience placement or even a part time job at my local airfield.
____________________________________________________________ __
cheers for the feedback everyone, atleast now the eyesight question ive been thinking of is now set aside:)

Hi there

I am 19 and currently require glasses one with 0.5D and the other 1.0D.

Does this automatically disqualify me from the RAF?


Regards
PPL152

hi, i'm just a passer-by but would really liked to know more about the requirement to be a pilot. If a person experienced some difficulty in comparing the colours ( you can say it is colour blind, but still manage to differentiate yellow, red, green, blue and some 'simple' colour), is it a gap for him/her to become a aviator in the future?? Sorry, if i made it too difficult to understand.

What are the renewal specifications for class 1?
 

Hey there, i was just wondering what the renewal specifications are for the class 1?

Im 17 i wear glasses and i am just out of the boundry on one eye.

Basically what are my chances, i mean i feel like up to now iv been sacrificying everything to be a pilot.

Im studying Aerospace engineering, Airline and Airport Operations at college.

Could i get it on the renewal, or should i have the laser treatment.

ACPT747

You can check on the JAA website or the CAA for Civil Medical Requirements.

PPL 152 Go to the Military Aircrew forum, look through the sticky on RAF recruiting.

Unicorn Colour blindness is not acceptable in a pilot. As far as I am aware, there are no exceptions to this for commercial licences.

Scroggs

I'd highly recommend the laser eye, But it isn't for everyone. Visit one and have a chat, the major ones are very professional.:ok:

Hello Wannabes. You might like to do a search in Medical Forum for discussion also. Eyesight http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=220545 (about 400 posts on the topic).

scroggs Thanks for your advice. For the passenger's safety concern, i think it's time for me to let go and search for another possible career. But it's hard to do so, IT IS... thanks anyway.

Concidering an ATPL career: please advise!
 

Good day!

I am 26 and have been envolved with commercial aviation since 20 but only in the office side of the job. I am concidering a career change and would like to train to become an airline pilot.

I am in good health, but I have a rather poor eyesight: -4.75 and -4.5
I heard that nowadays they allow people to fly with corrective lenses/glasses even if your sight is not 100%. But I'd like to know from experienced pilots here if there is a limit to how bad your eyesight can be? Or do they now accept as long as you have 100% sight in corrective lenses? I wear soft contact lenses for over 8 years now.

I need to know this before I go for official med exam. Any advise?

Thank You.

I guess you can check in the CAA website and as far as I know the limit is +/-5. Not sure though.

Also, you might wanna check in the Medical Forum here at PPRuNe.

New eyesight limits...
 

The CAA recently announced that there had been revisions to the eyesight requirements for Class 1 Medicals. I believe you can now get an initial medical with -6 dioptres (there are limits on anisometropia) and get a renewal with NO lower limit on eyesight.

HTH