CAAC Medical
CAAC Medical
I'm thinking of taking the plunge and going for a Chinese airline commuting contract.
A couple of questions re. the medical.
Is there just the one medical for the ATPL? Or is there a company one too?
Do you do the complete selection, medical and ATPL questions included, before you have to resign from your present job?
I'd hate to resign and then find out I've not passed the medical!
Thanks in advance.
A couple of questions re. the medical.
Is there just the one medical for the ATPL? Or is there a company one too?
Do you do the complete selection, medical and ATPL questions included, before you have to resign from your present job?
I'd hate to resign and then find out I've not passed the medical!
Thanks in advance.
Join Date: Jul 2006
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The medical is insane.
Heard many stories from first hand (thus no galley fm) and what CAAC decline applicants from is just stupid.
Not even sure NASA astronauts would stand a chance to pass...
Good luck, and please do not resign before you have the contract in front of you.
Heard many stories from first hand (thus no galley fm) and what CAAC decline applicants from is just stupid.
Not even sure NASA astronauts would stand a chance to pass...
Good luck, and please do not resign before you have the contract in front of you.
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You complete an initial CAAC medical which is an all (or most) day process. I think there is a much less stringent medical for your work Visa later on.
Definitely do not resign until you've completed all the assessments and got a contract in your hand!
Definitely do not resign until you've completed all the assessments and got a contract in your hand!
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The Chinese medical process was (probably still is) a joke. My initial experience took 3 days -- and I passed. The one at the 6 month point was a little saner -- about a half a day. Then, the annual exam was a repeat of the first experience but done in 2 days vice 3. I saw guys from around the world, holders of a first class medical for years -- fail their CAAC exams. No medical = no job ... Damn near impossible to predict.
That being said, in this worldwide market, China isn't the last place I'd go but it nears that position on the list. I left there 5 years ago. Except for the ever present pollution and the multitude of other environmental issues, I didn't mind living there. But, flying there was a whole different thing. I'm guessing that there are exceptions, but my overall opinion of aviation in China is that they lag by decades (notice the 's' ) in aviation safety, infrastructure, oversight, standardization, personnel management .... and, do you really think your contract means anything there? You have ZERO job protection. Your job as a captain (in their minds) isn't to be that last safety stop, to make sound aeronautical decisions, or to exercise good judgment based on your years of experience -- your job is to do what management tells you to do.
Anyway ... My $0.02. Free advice is worth what you pay for it.
That being said, in this worldwide market, China isn't the last place I'd go but it nears that position on the list. I left there 5 years ago. Except for the ever present pollution and the multitude of other environmental issues, I didn't mind living there. But, flying there was a whole different thing. I'm guessing that there are exceptions, but my overall opinion of aviation in China is that they lag by decades (notice the 's' ) in aviation safety, infrastructure, oversight, standardization, personnel management .... and, do you really think your contract means anything there? You have ZERO job protection. Your job as a captain (in their minds) isn't to be that last safety stop, to make sound aeronautical decisions, or to exercise good judgment based on your years of experience -- your job is to do what management tells you to do.
Anyway ... My $0.02. Free advice is worth what you pay for it.
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@commuting pilot: there is one medical for the assessment. We call it the BIG medical and you have will the following done: (I might miss one or two)
1. Ears, Nose, Throat - the easy part
2. Eyes exam - no real issues here. Fairly standard. If you have glasses, bring your prescription.
3. Weight and flexibility - another easy part
4. Chest X-ray - no real issues here normally.
4. EEG: Some brainwave thing. You wear a bonnet with a bunch of electrodes attached. They are looking for epilepsy.
5. Stress ECG.
6. Normal ECG? (if I recall)
7. MRI
8. Blood and urine check
9. Blood pressure check
10. Liver and kidney ultrasound.
If you pass the medical and are offered a job, then there is another medical you will have to do for your resident visa. Regrettably, this will include another chest x-ray. Generally, this is much more forgiving and straight forward.
If you have had any minor surgery from a long-time ago, just put NO in the box that asks. If of course you've had surgery which is impossible to disguise, then don't. Bring along as much documentation that you can.
Tip: 3 weeks prior to your medical exam, stop drinking, liver detox (I recommend Milk Thistle for the 3 week period prior), avoid as much red meat as possible and DO NOT take any Tylenol at least a week prior to the medical - it spikes your ALT (a liver enzyme)! Milk Thistle is highly effective in lowering the ALT/GPT numbers for your liver check.
I hope this helps and good luck.
1. Ears, Nose, Throat - the easy part
2. Eyes exam - no real issues here. Fairly standard. If you have glasses, bring your prescription.
3. Weight and flexibility - another easy part
4. Chest X-ray - no real issues here normally.
4. EEG: Some brainwave thing. You wear a bonnet with a bunch of electrodes attached. They are looking for epilepsy.
5. Stress ECG.
6. Normal ECG? (if I recall)
7. MRI
8. Blood and urine check
9. Blood pressure check
10. Liver and kidney ultrasound.
If you pass the medical and are offered a job, then there is another medical you will have to do for your resident visa. Regrettably, this will include another chest x-ray. Generally, this is much more forgiving and straight forward.
If you have had any minor surgery from a long-time ago, just put NO in the box that asks. If of course you've had surgery which is impossible to disguise, then don't. Bring along as much documentation that you can.
Tip: 3 weeks prior to your medical exam, stop drinking, liver detox (I recommend Milk Thistle for the 3 week period prior), avoid as much red meat as possible and DO NOT take any Tylenol at least a week prior to the medical - it spikes your ALT (a liver enzyme)! Milk Thistle is highly effective in lowering the ALT/GPT numbers for your liver check.
I hope this helps and good luck.
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From Aviation Week & Space technology...
"A familiar joke in the Chinese airline industry is that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has higher physical standards for pilots than the national space program has for astronauts. But now the CAAC has dropped some reasons for rejecting candidates for airliner cockpits.
The CAAC has relaxed its tough physical requirements for entry into pilot training, potentially improving the availability of personnel who are always in short supply in China. Eyesight requirements have been lowered so 84% of potential students should pass vision tests, up from 28%, the CAAC says. Inadequate eyesight was previously the most common reason for turning people away.
People who have had surgery to fix nearsightedness are now also acceptable, the agency says, adding it has been observing the relevant medical technology for 20-30 years—evidently not believing it needed to make a quick decision.
The relaxed standards will give airlines greater choices in hiring, the administration says, neglecting to mention that the usual problem is not a lack of variety among applicants but simply a lack of applicants, especially for captains’ positions. Although the country is reluctant to permit foreigners to take jobs that locals can perform in any industry, the airlines and other civil aircraft operators have long searched in the international market for pilots.
One curious standard has required that pilots be at least 165 cm (5 ft. 5 in.) tall and have legs no shorter than 74 cm. Those requirements are now abolished, the CAAC says. The average height of Chinese men is 172 cm. For women, the figure is 160 cm. Female pilots are notably uncommon in China.
The agency has long recognized that hiring and keeping pilots is one of the industry’s chief challenges. “The movement of pilots has become a focus of concern in the industry in recent years,” it noted in March in its annual review of Chinese civil aviation.
The new rules came into effect on Sept. 10. Considering the time needed for training and accumulating experience, they will not make much difference in the availability of captains until the 2030s, but the growing Chinese civil air fleet also will need a good supply of first officers.
The CAAC has also cut the time each pilot may spend flying, to 900 hr. a year from 1,000. In principle this could reduce pilot availability, but it is not clear how many Chinese airline pilots have been exceeding the new limit. That rule change was made at the end of August.
Chinese mainland air transportation operators had 14,396 captains and 16,900 first officers at the end of 2016. There were 880 foreign pilots, mostly flying domestic trunk and international routes. The number of pilot licenses grew 10.9% in 2016 to 50,504 at year-end, virtually matching the 10.8% annual average growth in the number of civil transport aircraft in 2011-16. However, only 31,296 or 62% of licensed pilots are flying for air transport operators. The remaining 38% are not working for airlines or not flying at all. Chinese general aviation traffic is minuscule compared with the country’s giant commercial air transportation industry.
In 2016 the typical age of air transportation pilots—not the average age—was 27. The typical age of captains was 33. “From this we can see that in the coming 10 years, there will be a golden age for the number of captains,” the CAAC says.
Seven pilot schools opened in 2016, taking the total to 20. Their total capacity is 3,450 students, the administration says. That is not nearly enough, which is why the airlines send recruits abroad to learn to fly. Indeed, the pilot requirement is likely to keep driving up China’s already substantial share of the demand for flight training in Australia, says an industry executive closely involved in the business there.
Australia has 7,500 flight students at any time and a potential capacity of 20,000, says Paul Ferguson, chief executive of a busy training airport near Melbourne and a director of the Australian Airports Association. About 15% of the current students in Australia are from China, he estimates, adding that their numbers can be expected to grow at 5-10% a year for at least 10-15 years.
Australia is faring particularly well from the Chinese training demand in part because of its good flying weather, English language, excellent safety record and strong regulator—the Civil Aviation Safety Authority—says Ferguson, speaking at Aviation Expo China, held in Beijing on Sept. 19-22.
Ferguson’s airport, Moorabbin, provides an example of the Chinese influence. Growing traffic from use by Chinese students has helped push the facility ahead of Sydney Airport as the country’s busiest, with monthly aircraft movements of 28,000-29,000. Eighteen training organizations at Moorabbin account for 75% of that activity; three of them are at least partly owned by Chinese interests.
About 15-20% of the students at Moorabbin are from China, typically trained under bulk contracts negotiated by Chinese airlines that want them ready to fly as first officers when they come home."
"A familiar joke in the Chinese airline industry is that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has higher physical standards for pilots than the national space program has for astronauts. But now the CAAC has dropped some reasons for rejecting candidates for airliner cockpits.
The CAAC has relaxed its tough physical requirements for entry into pilot training, potentially improving the availability of personnel who are always in short supply in China. Eyesight requirements have been lowered so 84% of potential students should pass vision tests, up from 28%, the CAAC says. Inadequate eyesight was previously the most common reason for turning people away.
People who have had surgery to fix nearsightedness are now also acceptable, the agency says, adding it has been observing the relevant medical technology for 20-30 years—evidently not believing it needed to make a quick decision.
The relaxed standards will give airlines greater choices in hiring, the administration says, neglecting to mention that the usual problem is not a lack of variety among applicants but simply a lack of applicants, especially for captains’ positions. Although the country is reluctant to permit foreigners to take jobs that locals can perform in any industry, the airlines and other civil aircraft operators have long searched in the international market for pilots.
One curious standard has required that pilots be at least 165 cm (5 ft. 5 in.) tall and have legs no shorter than 74 cm. Those requirements are now abolished, the CAAC says. The average height of Chinese men is 172 cm. For women, the figure is 160 cm. Female pilots are notably uncommon in China.
The agency has long recognized that hiring and keeping pilots is one of the industry’s chief challenges. “The movement of pilots has become a focus of concern in the industry in recent years,” it noted in March in its annual review of Chinese civil aviation.
The new rules came into effect on Sept. 10. Considering the time needed for training and accumulating experience, they will not make much difference in the availability of captains until the 2030s, but the growing Chinese civil air fleet also will need a good supply of first officers.
The CAAC has also cut the time each pilot may spend flying, to 900 hr. a year from 1,000. In principle this could reduce pilot availability, but it is not clear how many Chinese airline pilots have been exceeding the new limit. That rule change was made at the end of August.
Chinese mainland air transportation operators had 14,396 captains and 16,900 first officers at the end of 2016. There were 880 foreign pilots, mostly flying domestic trunk and international routes. The number of pilot licenses grew 10.9% in 2016 to 50,504 at year-end, virtually matching the 10.8% annual average growth in the number of civil transport aircraft in 2011-16. However, only 31,296 or 62% of licensed pilots are flying for air transport operators. The remaining 38% are not working for airlines or not flying at all. Chinese general aviation traffic is minuscule compared with the country’s giant commercial air transportation industry.
In 2016 the typical age of air transportation pilots—not the average age—was 27. The typical age of captains was 33. “From this we can see that in the coming 10 years, there will be a golden age for the number of captains,” the CAAC says.
Seven pilot schools opened in 2016, taking the total to 20. Their total capacity is 3,450 students, the administration says. That is not nearly enough, which is why the airlines send recruits abroad to learn to fly. Indeed, the pilot requirement is likely to keep driving up China’s already substantial share of the demand for flight training in Australia, says an industry executive closely involved in the business there.
Australia has 7,500 flight students at any time and a potential capacity of 20,000, says Paul Ferguson, chief executive of a busy training airport near Melbourne and a director of the Australian Airports Association. About 15% of the current students in Australia are from China, he estimates, adding that their numbers can be expected to grow at 5-10% a year for at least 10-15 years.
Australia is faring particularly well from the Chinese training demand in part because of its good flying weather, English language, excellent safety record and strong regulator—the Civil Aviation Safety Authority—says Ferguson, speaking at Aviation Expo China, held in Beijing on Sept. 19-22.
Ferguson’s airport, Moorabbin, provides an example of the Chinese influence. Growing traffic from use by Chinese students has helped push the facility ahead of Sydney Airport as the country’s busiest, with monthly aircraft movements of 28,000-29,000. Eighteen training organizations at Moorabbin account for 75% of that activity; three of them are at least partly owned by Chinese interests.
About 15-20% of the students at Moorabbin are from China, typically trained under bulk contracts negotiated by Chinese airlines that want them ready to fly as first officers when they come home."
