Medical

[Kelburn]

You must all be tired of me asking these similar questions but,
what exactly happens in an aviation medical? What do they test, what do they do to you etc?

[Daniel]

They test your general wellbeing and see if you can fly safely with no medical conditions affecting you.
They do an examination and assess most areas of the body and you also have to have an eye exam, hearing exam, ECG,Spirometry, lipids/CVD risk,and MSU.

Anyway have a look at this site
http://www.caa.govt.nz/medical/medical_home.htm

[Alex]

For the Class One, they do a couple of eye tests, urine sample, take some blood, spirometry (respiratory function), hearing, reflex test (hit you on the knees and your leg goes up etc), check your ears aren't blocked up (f..? tubes), feel around for hernias, electrocardiogram, blood pressure... thats most of the ones with the doc I think (although your blood test might/probably be off-site).

Then you go off to an optometrist and they put you through the works there. More tests, they put a solution in your eye that makes your pupil dilate so they can have a look around inside etc etc.

Alex

[Daniel]

QUOTE

Then you go off to an optometrist and they put you through the works there. More tests, they put a solution in your eye that makes your pupil dilate so they can have a look around inside etc etc.[/quote]

I've already gone through that. Someone I know in aviation said that is something you should do before you start training as being colour blind etc can blow your chances if it is bad.

[Anthony]

QUOTE (Alex @ Jul 30 2008, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For the Class One, they do a couple of eye tests, urine sample, take some blood, spirometry (respiratory function), hearing, reflex test (hit you on the knees and your leg goes up etc), check your ears aren't blocked up (f..? tubes), feel around for hernias, electrocardiogram, blood pressure... thats most of the ones with the doc I think (although your blood test might/probably be off-site).

Then you go off to an optometrist and they put you through the works there. More tests, they put a solution in your eye that makes your pupil dilate so they can have a look around inside etc etc.

Alex

Sounds like fun. All fairly routine though.
For colour blind testing they use the standard plate test with red numbers in green circles and stuff. I have failed that test at school once and passed another time, but I'm not colourlind.
If it's not too severe then you can get alternative tests which can often give you a positive result.
I heard about one pilot who got his medicals and turned out to be colourblind, he took another test with control tower lights and they said he was fine and said he was FPP (fit and proper person) after that. I think this story can be found on the internet somewhere.

[victor_alpha_charlie]

QUOTE (Alex @ Jul 30 2008, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

feel around for hernias,

QUOTE (Anthony @ Jul 30 2008, 06:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like fun.

Whoa man...

[pois0n]

QUOTE (Alex @ Jul 30 2008, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Then you go off to an optometrist and they put you through the works there. More tests, they put a solution in your eye that makes your pupil dilate so they can have a look around inside etc etc

They test the fluid pressure in your eye and just general seeing test, i didnt have a pupil dilater thingy. Just a numbing thing while he put the machine on my eyeball... lol not comfortable

[victor_alpha_charlie]

Yeah apparently the Pupil dilation fluid thing isn't as common now. Who's the best to go to in Wellington for one? I'm about ready for solo in a couple of hour's flying time apparently.

[Alex]

QUOTE (victor_alpha_charlie @ Jul 30 2008, 06:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah apparently the Pupil dilation fluid thing isn't as common now.

Oh ok, the chap did it to me, but said that he probably could have done it without the solution anyway (more for older folks?) - just following procedure?

[Kelburn]

do they stick a needle in your eye (as they sometimes do as a medical test for certain diseases etc. but not sure if they do it in this case...)

[Alex]

...they didn't to me, it'd freak me out a bit if they did.

Alex

[TimG]

QUOTE (Anthony @ Jul 30 2008, 06:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like fun. All fairly routine though.
For colour blind testing they use the standard plate test with red numbers in green circles and stuff. I have failed that test at school once and passed another time, but I'm not colourlind.
If it's not too severe then you can get alternative tests which can often give you a positive result.
I heard about one pilot who got his medicals and turned out to be colourblind, he took another test with control tower lights and they said he was fine and said he was FPP (fit and proper person) after that. I think this story can be found on the internet somewhere.

I heard about that person. I think that was for his class 2, but I think the requirements are just the same for the class 1. About two of the number plates are a bit hard for me to read, but I'm sure I'm not to badly colourblind for the medical because I have never had any trouble identifying colours .

[Daniel]

QUOTE (Kelburn @ Jul 30 2008, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

do they stick a needle in your eye (as they sometimes do as a medical test for certain diseases etc. but not sure if they do it in this case...)

Heck, I wouldn't want to have the eye exam if that was the case
I'm pretty sure they don't do that, well I haven't had that done.

[pois0n]

QUOTE (Kelburn @ Jul 30 2008, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

do they stick a needle in your eye (as they sometimes do as a medical test for certain diseases etc. but not sure if they do it in this case...)

Haha not quite

They test for glaucoma like this..

http://home.zonnet.nl/jcamps/glaucoma_test.jpg

[A185F]

Look its no big deal. All they do, (the main testing) is crank on a big elbow length (or is it shoulder...) rubber glove and say "open wide" (and they dont mean your mouth).......

[Anthony]

QUOTE (TimG @ Jul 30 2008, 08:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

About two of the number plates are a bit hard for me to read, but I'm sure I'm not to badly colourblind for the medical because I have never had any trouble identifying colours .

Yip that's about the same for me.
I think you have nothing to worry about, if you're fairly healthy you will probably pass.

[HardCorePawn]

There is one of those colour test plates that you're NOT supposed to be able to read... the guy was flicking through the plates and I'm going "7, 12, 6, 23, 18... errr WTH?!?!? I can't see anything!"... the eye doc was like "excellent"...

[Alex]

QUOTE (HardCorePawn @ Jul 31 2008, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is one of those colour test plates that you're NOT supposed to be able to read... the guy was flicking through the plates and I'm going "7, 12, 6, 23, 18... errr WTH?!?!? I can't see anything!"... the eye doc was like "excellent"...

Hahaha yea, that one got me as well.

Alex

[FunkymonkeyNZ]

the whole medical is a piece of cake! just makes it a pain in the ass when you have to run around to different specialists, CAA Dr, Audio, Optometrist. the only bit i say was uncomfortable was the fluid in the eye...stings a bit and feels like some one continually poking you in the eyeball! when they dilate your eyes its takes about 30mins to kick in so they make you wait so i sat there and read a magazine but aft6er a while i just say there like a chump cause i couldn't even make out the pictures

[HardCorePawn]

Not sure what all this fluid in your eye business is all about... I have only ever had to read the eye chart... and then for the class 1, the doc just put my head on the frame thing and looked around the inside of my eyeball... and then made me use some weird binocular contraption and tell him what number the red arrow was pointing to, to test if one of my eyes was more dominant than the other...