question on hearing?

cozmik

hi

I am deaf in my right ear from birth, the left ear hearing is fine.Does this rule me out of ever getting a ppl licence and if so why?

Thank you for the help!

Jakey

No as long as your hearing isnt really bad your fine for a PPL but if you want to add on an instrument rating you will have to do an audiogram.

cozmik

Thanks Jakey

expediateclimb

To get a PPL requires at the least a class 2 medical. So being deaf in one ear could have consequences in your holding one.

cozmik

Thanks expediateclimb

Is it absolutely necessary then to have two working ears to pass a class 2 medical?

cozmik

cozmik wrote: »

Thanks expediateclimb

Is it absolutely necessary then to have two working ears to pass a class 2 medical?

Anyone know?

Jakey

Its not absolutely necessary to have two working ears, all you have to do is pass a basic hearing test, I've heard of doctors covering there faces with a book saying "can you hear me" in lower and lower voices, dont know if thats true or not,

Taildragon

It is perfectly possible to hold a class 2 JAA medical even when profoundly deaf, provided of course that there are no inner/middle ear complications that would affect balance etc. I doubt that the average AME could/would deal with this without reference to the IAA - and that would probably entail a visit to the Mater.

Should you be obstructed on this path, you might like to consider that a JAA medical cert issued in ANY member state is valid in any other. This little "loophole" is a useful way to shop around as different countries have differing attitudes to certain medical conditions and/or disabilities.

If you need to explore this second option then you *may* experience resistance from the IAA. Be politely assertive They signed away their right to make up the rules when they signed up for JAR.

Good Luck

Taildragon

OOPS! My Baaaad

It seems that the JAR requirements were updated in Dec 2006. As I read them now, it would appear that being profoundly deaf *is* now a bar to attaining a class 2 medical.

The good news for you, cosmik, is that the hearing requirement for a basic class 2 is:

JAR–FCL 3.355 Hearing requirements
(a) Hearing shall be tested at all
examinations. The applicant shall be able to
understand correctly ordinary conversational
speech when at a distance of 2 metres from and
with his back turned towards the AME.

Unless you wish to qualify for an IR in which case:

(b) If an instrument rating is to be added to
the applicable licence(s), a hearing test with pure
tone audiometry (see paragraph 1 Appendix 16 to
Subpart C) is required at the first examination for
the rating and shall be repeated every 5 years up to
the 40th birthday and every 2 years thereafter.
[ ]
[ ][(1)][ ][There] shall be no hearing loss
in either ear, when tested separately of more
than 35 db (HL) at any of the frequencies 500,
1 000, and 2 000 Hz, or more than 50 db (HL)
at 3 000 Hz.[ ]
[ ][(2)]At [ ][revalidation] or renewal
examinations applicants with hypoacusis may
be assessed as fit by the AMS if a speech
discrimination test demonstrates a satisfactory
hearing ability

Given that a JAA/IR is obscenely expensive (istr that you now need to have done the ATPL writtens as a minimum barrier to entry) I hope that restriction won't be an issue for you?

Interesting that this piece of ****e legislation is an effective bar to those who are disabled by way of deafness when there is absolutely no reason why a profoundly deaf individual could not be a perfectly safe pilot.

I wonder if this has shown up on the radar at the disability equality organisations??:cool:

Edited to add link to chapter and verse: http://www.jaa.nl/publications/jars/606984.pdf

cozmik

Thanks for the link and info Taildragon


I found someone who has the same problem as me here

http://joepodcaster.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=67620&comments=on

Unfortunately, I was born with sensoneural hearing loss in my left ear, which means that the auditory nerve doesn't send any signals to the brain. Basically, I'm completely deaf from my left ear. However, my right ear is normal, and for all practical purposes, my brain has compensated to dealing with hearing from only one ear.

After speaking to a local FAA medical examiner, I found out that I could still obtain a First Class medical, without any waivers or restrictions, so as long as I could hear an "average conversational voice" from a distance of six feet from the doctor. Even though I failed the audiogram, I passed this secondary method the FAA has allowed. I walked out of the office with a First Class medical, which is what you need to fly as a captain for an ailine.

I obtained my Private Pilot certificate, and am now working towards my instrument rating.

To anyone with any sort of impairment, do not give up on your goals. You won't know unless you try. Never give up!

Regarding the IR I found this story interesting

Deaf Pilot Earns Instrument Rating

By Mary Grady, Newswriter, Editor


Stephen Hopson has wanted to fly since he was four years old, and decided long ago that being deaf would not stop him. He earned a private and commercial certificate, and last week became the first deaf pilot to get his FAA instrument rating, flying a Cessna 172 in Akron, Ohio. Since instrument pilots must be able to communicate on the radio, Hopson explained to AVweb in an e-mail how it works: "The co-pilot's job is to be my conduit, or 'ear and speaking piece.'" The co-pilot listens and responds on the radio, then transmits the information to Hopson using signs and writing on a quick-erase board. Hopson is PIC in charge of the flight and makes all decisions.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/briefs/191666-1.html


Thanks again everyone for the replies you've given me hope and I am very grateful for that.

cheers

cozmik

Taildragon

Hi Cosmik

Glad to help.

The FAA system can sometimes (but not always!) appear to be more enlightened. However I would caution you that an FAA class 1 medical is only recognised as being equivalent to class 2 in JAA countries, and therefore is not valid for commercial operations. Of course you could just work for a US airline

Regarding the avweb article, it is encouraging to see that the FAA allowed the issue of an IR to a profoundly deaf pilot. I suspect however that it was a class 2 or possibly a class 3 medical (the article mentions a Cessna 172 so unlikely to be commercial ops). Also note the reference to "co-pilot". It is perfectly possible to fly as PIC (captain) even in JAA countries if you have a "safety pilot" with a full unrestricted class 2 medical even though you may have a medical condition that precludes you from holding a full class 2 in your own right.

In summary, it would appear that being profoundly deaf is not a bar to getting an FAA medical for PPL flying (but it is now in JAA countries). Having partial hearing loss is not a bar to an FAA commercial licence/medical (but it is in JAA countries).

One of the root problems with the JAA-FCL is that the rules were drawn up by a team of penpushers who assumed that every initial entrant was headed for the airlines.

I still think that this raises an interesting equality question. I can see no justifiable reason for denying an individual (who happens to be profoundly deaf) from flying as a PPL for pleasure.