Contact lens and medical

requirements change as the size of the pilot pool and the demands of the
airlines for those pilots vary.

with all the approaching 60-65 pilots ready to retire.. the requirements
will change.. all you need is to pass a Class 1 with corrected vision.

BT

"Newps" wrote in message
. ..


Robert M. Gary wrote:
wrote:

Dale wrote:

I wasted several years getting into professional aviation because of

unsubstantiated statements made by people like Dale. I remember
hearing so many times that "Professional pilots have to be 20/20, Major
airlines only hire people with 20/20 natural vision, etc."

All total BS. To get a 3rd class medical, you have to be correctable
to 20/40 (distant vision, each eye). To get a 1st or 2nd class, you
have to be correctable to 20/20 (distant vision, each eye).


To get new hired you generally need 20/20.

Not the case at all. You just need to be able to pass a class 1.

Robert M. Gary wrote:
wrote:
Dale wrote:
I wasted several years getting into professional aviation because of
unsubstantiated statements made by people like Dale. I remember
hearing so many times that "Professional pilots have to be 20/20, Major
airlines only hire people with 20/20 natural vision, etc."

All total BS. To get a 3rd class medical, you have to be correctable
to 20/40 (distant vision, each eye). To get a 1st or 2nd class, you
have to be correctable to 20/20 (distant vision, each eye).

To get new hired you generally need 20/20.

Robert,

Yes, 20/20 corrected vision. Here's how it works Robert: to get hired
as an ATP pilot you have to pass a class 1 medical. To fly as a
commercial pilot you have to pass a class 2 medical.

Apparently the link I provided earlier is proving too complicated to
understand. Do you happen to own an FAR book? Look up the following:
FAR 67.203.

Ok, part 2 - The mythical airline requirement for uncorrected vision of
some sort:

Here's a sample of hiring requirements at airlines that are considered
very desireable to work for, and have a HUGE list of candidates to pick
and choose from:

Frontier Airlines:
Requirements:

* Total fixed wing time to exceed 2,500 hours
* Multi-engine fixed wing time in excess of 1,500 hours
* 500 hours pilot in command
* 500 hours jet (turbo-jet or turbo prop)
* ATP
* FCC license
* Authorized to work in the United States
* Must be able to travel in and out of the U.S. to all
cities/countries served by Frontier Airlines
* Current FAA First Class medical
* Ability to work weekends, nights, shifts, holidays and overnight
trips
* Ability to relocate
* Possess a U.S. passport

Continental Airlines:
The following are the minimum qualifications to apply for a pilot
position:

* 1,500 hours fixed-wing total flight time
* 1,000 hours fixed-wing PIC time, or 500 hours PIC time and 500
hours SIC time in a turbojet
* 1,000 hours fixed-wing turbine time
* 1,000 hours fixed-wing multi-engine time (civilian or military)
or 1,000 hours single-engine military fighter jet time
* A current ATP written exam
* A current first class FAA medical
* A current passport
* A Bachelor's degree is highly desired



Federal Express:
Typical qualifications for consideration as a FedEx pilot.

* Commercial Pilot Certificate with Multi-engine and Instrument
rating (without limitations)

* Current ATP Certificate or written

* Current FE Turbojet Rating or written (FEX or Basic/turbojet)

* Must pass FAA mandated drug screen

* Recency and type of experience is considered

* Meet requirements for and currently hold First Class Medical
certification

* College Degree from an accredited college or university

* Eligibility for rapid visa issuance, issued by offices in the
United States to fly to any FedEx destination.

* Ability to obtain clearance from United States Postal Service for
handling or access to U.S. mail, which includes FBI fingerprint check,
and candidate must have resided in the United States for the last five
consecutive years (except for U.S. military assignments)

* Eligibility for issuance of US Security Clearance

* 1500 hours total fixed-wing time as pilot-in-command (PIC) or
second-in-command in multi-engine turbo-prop A/C or jet A/C or
combination thereof, including a minimum of 1000 hours total fixed-wing
pilot-in-command in multi-engine turbo prop A/C or jet A/C or
combination thereof.
Note: PIC for this purpose is defined as Captain/Aircraft
Commander of record, not simply the sole manipulator of the controls.
Note: FedEx considers only pilot time in fixed wing aircraft
toward minimum qualifications. This does not include simulator,
helicopter, flight engineer, bombardier, navigator, RIO, EWO, WSO, NFO,
or Special Crew.

* All certificates and ratings required to be U.S.A. FAA issued
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've posted my evidence, what say you Robert and Dale's of the aviation
world?

In article .com,
wrote:


Dale-

Go read the FARs on this. Next time you post a statement like that, do
us all a favor and make sure you know what you're talking about.

Well hell, I thought I did. My apologies if I misled anyone.



I wasted several years getting into professional aviation because of
unsubstantiated statements made by people like Dale.

I think perhaps you wasted several years because you relied on what
people said instead of putting out the effort to get the facts yourself.
Don't blame me or people like me when it was you that screwed the pooch.
G

Dale wrote:

I think perhaps you wasted several years because you relied on what
people said instead of putting out the effort to get the facts yourself.
Don't blame me or people like me when it was you that screwed the pooch.
G


Which is what I said (although it was kind vaguely put, I admit)...
You're right, I have only myself to blame for missing out on a couple
of years. Fortunately I didn't miss out on too much. But I've seen
others that have and I think it is very unfortunate.

The reason why I jump all over people that so easily hand out incorrect
information on this topic is that it is so prevalent - thus making it
less likely that someone with an interest in commercial aviation will
go for it if they wear glasses.

If even people like yourself, who are current pilots, so easily accept
the incorrect notion that there is some mythical requirement than
pilots have a certain uncorrected vision requirement than perhaps you
can understand how those with no aviation experience can so easily
"screw the pooch" as you say. After all, if it is a given that you
can't become a pilot, why research it?

There are in fact limits for vision beyond just being correctable. If a
person requires high correction they may in fact need a SODA. The FAA exam
form requires examination with and without correction.

So, just correction to acceptable limits is not enough.

JN, MD
FAA AME

"Dale" wrote in message ...
The suggestion to not wear the contacts for 24 hours prior is to allow
the eye to adjust to not having them in. Not sure with newer lenses,
but with hard lenses they reshape the eye somewhat.

I don't know if it was coincidence or if the contacts caused me to lose
a considerable amount of distance vision.
Before I wore contacts I could see clearly up to a distance of 30ft
away and right after I started wearing contacts (early 80's) my clear
vision dropped to arms length and has stayed that way ever since.
I'm over 40 now and still wear the same prescription for distance
viewing and I still don't require any correction for reading, go figure.

I also find that I can spot things at a distance much quicker than my
non-correct vision pilot friends... What's up with that?

David 8 )

FLAV8R writes:

I don't know if it was coincidence or if the contacts caused me to lose
a considerable amount of distance vision.

It depends on the type of correction the contacts provide. If they
compensate for poor accommodation (e.g., presbyopia), their constant
presence may encourage the loss of accommodation power since your eyes
need no longer strain to see objects at certain distances. When you
remove the correction, you find that things that might have been clear
before without contacts/glasses no longer are.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

I regained quite a bit of my distant vision by wearing reading glasses
on top of my contacts when working on a computer or reading a book.
The next time I went for the eye exam, the power had dropped by 0.5.
This makes sense to me. Reading things up close with distant vision
glasses is putting the same strain on the eyes that caused you to
become nearsighted in the first place.



FLAV8R wrote:
"Dale" wrote in message ...
The suggestion to not wear the contacts for 24 hours prior is to allow
the eye to adjust to not having them in. Not sure with newer lenses,
but with hard lenses they reshape the eye somewhat.

I don't know if it was coincidence or if the contacts caused me to lose
a considerable amount of distance vision.
Before I wore contacts I could see clearly up to a distance of 30ft
away and right after I started wearing contacts (early 80's) my clear
vision dropped to arms length and has stayed that way ever since.
I'm over 40 now and still wear the same prescription for distance
viewing and I still don't require any correction for reading, go figure.

I also find that I can spot things at a distance much quicker than my
non-correct vision pilot friends... What's up with that?

David 8 )

Andrew Sarangan writes:

Reading things up close with distant vision
glasses is putting the same strain on the eyes that caused you to
become nearsighted in the first place.

Myopia is not caused by eyestrain.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Reading things up close with distant vision
glasses is putting the same strain on the eyes that caused you to
become nearsighted in the first place.

It's not clear to me that becoming nearsighted is related to "strain" on
the eyes. My understanding is that it is due to the eyeball being the
wrong shape, and that presbyopia (needing reading glasses as we age) is
due to the lens hardening (and becoming unable to change its focal length).

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.