CONFUSED RE: CLASS 1 MED FAILURE !!!

Riddo

Hello all,
I plan to start training very soon -zero to hero but before i start i thought it prudent to do the Class 1 med...

Results: Passed it just about, re right eye is amblyopic (lazy eye), and visual acuity is 6/9 right and 6/6 left. fantastic!!
As i just barely passed the IAA initial it was suggested by a friend that i do the CAA med as a second opinion ( seems futile now), which i did as ill be investing alot in training and want to be sure i'm fit.
Went to the U.K. to do an initial exam and failed because my right eye was 6/12 and could not be corrected to 6/9..
The standards should be the same of course !!! So passed one and failed the other!!
I plan to fly in Ireland (train in U.K./USA) but not sure how this will affect me down the line , i can resit CAA med but at the time had to get specalist while i was there at initial and he failed me..not sure if i'll pass reassessment..
Any advice really really appreciated, has anyone experience of this?

Dave.

Ref initial eye standards: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/49/InitialJARClass1Sep09.pdf

Klunk001

Hi Dave,

You went about it the right way by doing your class 1 med before strarting on your career. It's what I did, and also it's the advice I have given to guys who are interested in flying as a career.

This is a hard position to be in, whether or not to go ahead and spend your hard earned cash.Who knows what is in the future.The fact of the matter is you did pass a class 1 medical here, a pass is a pass.

When I did my initial class1 many years ago a second opinion was required on one item. I wasn't sure what way the decision was going to go (pass/fail). Got a pass and still doing the rounds, touch wood

Kk001.

donkey balls

I failed my class 1 i had the same problem lazy eye i ended up wearing glasses for about 8 months went back and passed.

Also if you do your training in the UK/US i presume it will be CAA/JAR aproved school in that case the CAA recognises the IAA class 1 med when applying for your PPL/CPL.

Riddo

Hi DB and Klunk,

It is a tricky one alright, on the IAA license form it did not give a date for when i must get my eyes re-tested, so i persume its at every renewal for the license i.e.every yr under age 40.. Is this correct? , and what is the normal renewal eye exam?
just eye chart ? testing vusual acuity..
i.ve contacted the IAA but no reply..

Ill be doing PPL in N.Irl , ATPL exams plus hour building..working now and doing p/t to pay off..will see about USA in future.

Donkey balls (interesting name ) my worry is that when i apply to the CAA to convert my IAA license over they will have my initial exam failure on record !! so does this mean they wont allow it..no easy answer to this but it means alot to me cos dont want to fail in the future.. .

Cheers

pclancy

I cant even get a class 2...i'm 6/9 and 6/36+

As above, you did right in testing now early on. Doesnt the fact you passed the JAA class 1 in Ireland and have the cert stand for something?

donkey balls

Hi Riddo,

The class 1 med renewal has to be done each year on my cert it states that i require specialist opthalmological examinations.

As for the CAA not issueing a licence they have to accept your IAA class 1 med while i was in the USA i did a FAA class 2 medical which found that i had to wear glasses were as the irish class 2 i didnt

Riddo

Hi Pclancy,

Sorry to hear about medical failure , it is a total pain alright , can your 6/36 acuity not be corrected to within limits?
Yea the irish license is good but the fact i failed the UK CAA med i am worried as i'll prob be applying at some stage for conversion from IAA to CAA and have failed according to them..humm!!


DB ,
Just wondered that there would be a conflict re CAA license issue..converting from IAA to CAA and it says on there file that i failed initial medical at Gatwick..

Thanks for replies folks.

diverdriver

First off why on Earth did you do the Class 1 twice? You passed the Irish one. What a waste of money, worse still you have complicated things for yourself.

Have a look at the back of the your IAA medical you will note you are required to inform the IAA of any decrease in fitness. In effect by failing the CAA medical that has now occurred and you will have to inform the IAA Doctor. She will undoubtedly suspend your Irish Class 1 pending a re-test with an opthamologist. That is now your biggest problem, not some notional conversion of licences sometime in the future.

The situation right now is that either the Mater got it wrong or the CAA got it wrong. You need to go to an optician and find out. That's the first thing you do. Armed with that information you'll know your fate. If it was the CAA's mistake, go back to them and get it corrected. If not well maybe something can be worked out.

On top of that, if you do survive all that. Why do you want to convert to a CAA licence? The IAA one is JAR compliant and doesn't require conversion unless the airline insists on it. Ryanair for example expect everyone to convert to an Irish licence but only because that's their policy.

But that's for the future, your biggest problem right now is holding onto your Irish class 1. If the CAA is right you may be in big trouble.

Good luck.

Riddo

Hi Diverdriver,

I just barely passed IAA med so wanted a second opinion and also friend recommended it to me, now i know what i have to deal with rather than two yrs down the line and 100K gone, i have complicated things alright but its better i'm 100% sure than wondering what might happen..!

I reckon the best thing to do now is go to an eye specalist and get their opinion and long term view and then go back and do the CAA eye exam.
If i pass ok then im sorted..if not ill inform the IAA re same.
Must admit like many a fellow avation nut with a similar situation it is quite a stressful process as am on the verge of changing my whole life to become a pilot and yet it might not happen!!
I appreciate your reply and it has given more clarity..

Riddo

pclancy

You could try somewhere more relaxed like Us or NZ down the line if you can't get JAA certified. Hope it goes well man!

donkey balls

pclancy wrote: »

You could try somewhere more relaxed like Us or NZ down the line if you can't get JAA certified. Hope it goes well man![/quote]

the FAA exam as far as i know is the same as the JAA regarding min reqs also whats the piont in getting a FAA CPL MEIR licence when you need to convert to a JAA to fly for the likes of FR/EI

Mr Benevolent

Riddo wrote: »

Hi Diverdriver,

I just barely passed IAA med so wanted a second opinion and also friend recommended it to me, now i know what i have to deal with rather than two yrs down the line and 100K gone, i have complicated things alright but its better i'm 100% sure than wondering what might happen..!

I reckon the best thing to do now is go to an eye specalist and get their opinion and long term view and then go back and do the CAA eye exam.
If i pass ok then im sorted..if not ill inform the IAA re same.
Must admit like many a fellow avation nut with a similar situation it is quite a stressful process as am on the verge of changing my whole life to become a pilot and yet it might not happen!!
I appreciate your reply and it has given more clarity..

Riddo

Stop it. You passed your medical. Are you going to go back and demand they fail you? Get on with your training and celebrate passing it! Going to do another class 1 was madness frankly. Did you sit your driving test twice as well?

You passed your medical. Get on with it and stop agonising over silly stuff.

If i pass ok then im sorted..if not ill inform the IAA re same.

There is so much wrong with that idea that I don't know where to begin. Do you think the medical standards are the same in each country? They're not. Passes also depend on the doctor's opinion as well. The IAA were correct in giving you your medical. Do you know how cliquey the IAA are? If you go back to them saying you can't accept the medical you'll get a bad rep straight away. You'll be marked for life by the IAA staff. You won't ever be accepted for an Irish medical, not even a Class 2.

If you don't want to be a pilot then admit it. Otherwise start your training. Oh yeah, and learn the rules too. The rules for renewing a medical are far less stringent. Goddamn, I've never heard the like in all my life.

Finally, getting your medical does in no way guarantee a career in aviation.

pclancy

How would you get a "bad rep" for making sure everything's okay? Better safe then sorry.

Riddo

Hi Confab,

I appreciate your replies , i am just nervous as failed CAA because left eye was 6/12..but it was 6/9 in ireland ...if on renewal in Irl i fail thats what im worried about as you know ill spen 100k on heli training..

Also i want to do oil rig flying and employer might seek CAA med so have to send info from IAA to Gatwick, they will have my initial fail on file??
i know ill get over this and am going to start training come jan but just want to be sure you know..
If you want anything in life bad enought you can get it !!

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Book yourself into your local opticians and see what results you get. Cheap, quick and easy!

diverdriver

Confab, while you're right on one level. He should never have second guessed the IAA medical. But he did and the CAA seem to think his eyesight is not is not up to standard. He has no choice now, he is duty bound to report any decrease in fitness. Same as any other medical issue. Effectively his IAA medical is now invalid. That's the legal reality of the situation he finds himself in. Now it could be after further examination there may not be a problem. That in fact happened to me. My medical was suspended pending a retest. It went fine after medication was prescribed and I got it back.

If he spends the next year training and it turns out an error was made. It's all for nought. He needs to know now.

Medicals are not something you bluff your way through, the standards are set for a reason.

Go to an optician and find out one way or another. It needs to be sorted now.