Color-blind

Kathy wrote:
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

If I may (I am also color blind -- well, at least I was until
I got this letter from the FAA saying I was ok :-))

Go for it (at least if you are flying in USA, which I assume
since you are talking about SODA, regs elsewhere may not be as
good, except may be Australia thanks to Dr Pape);

If you fail the standard test that the AME gives you (most of
the time the Ishiara test, i.e., these silly mosaics thing),
you'll get a medical with a no night flying restriction (and
no using of color light signals at controlled airports);

Note though that this restriction won't prevent you from
completing the standard private pilot cursus and getting your
certificate since all the night flying requirements is (usually)
done with a CFI. Note that it is also possible to complete
your commercial certificate with the restriction on (I did it
before getting the waiver, there is a trick, let's see if the
readers know the regulations :-)

Now, there are a couple of ways to get a waiver (it is no longer
a SODA by the way). There are a number of alternative tests
that the FAA recognize as valid (AOPA has documentation about
these tests -- join AOPA now if you haven't already); e.g.,
Farnthworth lantern, D15, etc. the trick here is to find an
ophtalmo who has the whole battery of tests (rare -- try the
ophtalmo department of an university hospital); you can fail
them as many times as it takes, all you have to do is to pass
one of them successfully.

If that fails, you can then try the practical light gun test;
I would not recommend that as the first option for a couple
of reasons: one, you can fail this test only once; if you
fail twice, you are done, and won't ever be able to get
a waiver (usually, the first try is done during the day, and
the second one at night, which is easier); the second reason
is that even people with normal color vision routinely *fail*
this test (most people, color blind and normal vision alike,
tend to confuse the white and green lights); if possible
find a FSDO who has its own light gun rather than doing it
from the tower (and try to find one of these light gun beforehand
and play with it so you can see what white or green is supposed
to look like before the test -- I did it and it helps a lot);

if you succeed one of these tests, then you get a letter from
the FAA saying that you have passed one of the acceptable alternative
test, and you present this letter to the AME everytime you renew
your medical (it is valid for all classes of medical unlike a SODA
which can be limited to a given class);

in summary: talk to AOPA and don't worry too much. Oh, and
a good read on the subject:

http://www.aopa.com.au/infocentre/to...lourvision.pdf

--Sylvain