Aviation Medicine

If I am going for a pilot slot in AFROTC, what are the odds of getting a waiver for color some color blindness ?

I am in a tough situation and would really appreciate any and all advice that I can get, so thank you in advance for taking the time to read this post. I got sponsored by a reserve unit for the June board this year. Went through MEPS, and submitted my paperwork requesting my FC1. My recruiter came back and said that I failed depth perception, got a "PASS C", and that I am DQ'ed, that there is no waiver, and that I am done and cannot be a pilot. I find this very hard to accept as I have devoted everything in the past few years to achieving this goal. Luckily my sponsoring unit has not dropped me, and they are asking around to see if there are any solutions. I have tried lo…

I got my FCI physical yesterday and everything went good except for the pressure in my eye was a little higher than normal. I have never had any problems with this and there is no history of glaucoma in my family. I now have to get a consultation with an opthomologist. Has anyone here had the same problem. If so how was the consultation? Any help would be great. I have my consultation tomorrow and I am a little nervous about the whole thing.

Well I guess this is something you can't fix. Atleast as far as I know. Anyways, I NEVER get car sick, sea sick, or air sick. Never. I'm a roller coaster freak too. Usually I tend to just go on one, get off, and run to the next one. After more than a few rides it starts to disorient me, make me wouzy. I don't care, I keep riding them until I can't bear it anymore. Hell sometimes I'll come home feeling wouzy but it's always worth it. Anyways, I guess when it comes to those things my stomach will tend to be a ###### every once and a while. You guys think I'll have problems at UPT or worse yet in a fighter?

Hey guys, long time viewer, first time poster. I am a pretty small guy around 5'3", and I'm just worried this will affect me when I go for a pilot slot. I'm about to be enrolled in ROTC so I know a have a couple years, but I really don't think I'm going to grow that much b/t now and then. I am just curious if any of you know anyone this short and if they have had any problems. Thanks guys

Flight Doc, I'm not sure if I have a hernia or what, but I've had an ongoing soreness and slight swelling in my groin area (between my right leg and bellybutton) for a week now. This started after lifting some heavy boxes. Could I have a hernia or what? I'm worried about going to the flight doc because I don't know how long it would take to come off DNIF for a hernia repair surgery if I do have one. If I don't decide to go in to the doc, can I fly with it or will I end up causing something more serious? dude1

My question is simple. I know that having migraines disqualifies you for a pilot position, but I also read that if you have not had a migraine in over a year you can be considered for a waiver. Is this true and have any of you heard of someone receiving a waiver although they have had migraines in the past? If anyone has any info about migraines and waivers or knows anyone how has info about migraines and waivers please let me know. Thanks for your help!

I'm in a bit of a fix! I always wanted to be a military pilot when I was young, but I gave up those dreams because my vision was just too bad. Now I've had PRK and am going for my PPL and then applying to OTS. After getting into the process I found that asthma was an issue. My problem is that I was diagnosed with asthma as a child, but now that I've been studying up on A.F. and general medical diagnostic criteria, I think I was misdiagnosed! After telling my recruiter my whole story, he thinks it's best that I don't go through a MEPS examiner and just go straight to the nearest base for an FC1. I think he figures a flight doc will be more likely to not just see the …

I have a fairly unique question... I have been healthy my whole life, and currently hold a 1st class medical certificat, Private Pilot Certificate, and have never had any history of mental illness... however, I went to college as a freshman last fall and had some problems adjusting to living away, then on top of everything my girlfriedn who I had been with for 2 years broke up with me. I left the school because I didn;t like the flight program. I then attended a community college near my house and went to see a psychiatrist to see if I had anything wrong with me. He concludd that I just had an adjustment disorder and I asked him if i could go on medication, and he s…

I was told that one must have their wisdom teeth removed before Brooks; Is this true? Shermanator

I am currently in the ANG (4+ years) and am in the process of submitting a package to the USAF for pilot selection. My recruiter is telling me that I will have to take the MEPS physical again. I don't understand why because I am already in the military. Any ideas?

April 27, 2005 This thread will serve as my personal diary to help me follow my progress in improving my vision with the help of eye exercise introduced by the See Clearly Method program. I thought it would be a good idea because it seems there are many on these forums who wonder a lot if this stuff really does work. I haven't been to an eye doctor in over a year and a half so I can assume my vision is somewhere in between 20/50-20/70 with slight astigmatism. Last time I checked it was 20/40 but it probably got worse by now. Whatever it is, by the end of this year I will correct my vision to 20/20 or better, with no astigmatism (this program claims to be able to correc…

When i took my FC1 the first time I was called back to retake another cholesterol test. I was told it was "higher than what the AF likes to see". Anything over 200 and you need to come back. I had 224. I retook it a week later and it was 199. Today, 7 months later, I tested myself with some kit I bought at Walgreens and it was 234. I'm off to OTS in Nov and SUPT soon thereafter. Is this something that could get me in trouble at Brooks or OTS?

Hi folks, I am planning on getting back to flying here in Korea at Osan, though I need to go get my FAA med. done first. My question is about eyesight, I can not always see 20/20 with my right eye. Sometimes I can, sometimes on a bad day I can not. However I don't want to get a restriction on my license because of something that could be pseudomyopia or ciliary spams, I am planning to get an through eye exam done here on post and order contacts, though can you wear them for the FAA exam? As far as I know, for a first class, you need to have 20/20 corrected or uncorrected, if it is corrected, then it has to go on your license. I was wondering if anyone out there h…

Four months ago I seperated my shoulder playing football. The clavacle is still seperated (level 2/3 seperation), and i have gone to three different orothopaedic doctors and they all agree that my shoulder should heal without sugery, but the bone will stay out of place. Can I still pass the FC I with my shoulder in such a condition?

Does anyone know the policy as far as eczema goes for a pilot? I've heard it is an automatic DQ if you currently have it but what about if you might have had it as a kid?

I am a Cadet at the Air Force Academy and I recently had my vision tested for pilot qualification. I passed all my tests with flying colors except the Red Lens Test which I failed. The docs told me to come back for in-depth testing of my depth perception (which is a more thorough examination then the Red Lens Test) since I failed the Red Lens Test. The depth perception test was the one with the circles etc. I passed that one with flying colors as well. The docs then retested me on the Red Lens Test at the end of the depth perception test and I failed it again. The docs said they are going to try and get a waiver for the Red Lens Test and my myopia. The docs said that I pa…

Hello all, I have a heart murmur that's due to moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. I did not have to request a waiver to get my class I FAA flight physical. It's an asymptomatic condition that does not require treatment. Is that condition waiverable to be a pilot? Is a waiver even needed? Thanks. Alex

F16PilotMD, Had my FC1a done today. The examiner said that I had a "borderline" EKG and the flight doc reiterated it. Does "borderline" terminology indicate a specific abnormality or just that one of the electrical returns came close to regulation max/mins? The way they used the term "borderline" made it sound like it was medical lingo for a specific EKG abnormality. If the term indicates a specific problem, what are the chances, if any, that it will be a disqualifying condition? Thanks for the help. [ 15. February 2005, 22:45: Message edited by: Critical Mass ]

I have in the past had surgury to repair a broken right elbow. I now have 4 titanium screws in that elbow. They are not needed now and I could get them taken out if need be. Is this something that could disqualify me from UPT. Should I have them removed before my FC1. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

Is melatonin approved for use by aircrew without the permission of a flight doc? Also, if anybody knows of a list of approved (if any) "herbal" products that can be used by aircrew, let me know. Thanks!

Flight Doc: When I went through the physical at MEPS prior to enlisting the doc had us all do the valsalva (sp?) while he look in our ears. I was'nt able to do it in one of my ears and he said that it was okay as long as I wasn't going to have a flying position. Now that I'm aiming to get a pilot slot I'm thinking I need to be able to do this. I've heard that it can be mastered with practice but I haven't been too successful. Any help is appreciated.

Background; I got back from a mission and on the third day of my crew rest I was in the ER, discovering I had a kidney stone. I tried to pass it for 3 weeks but wasn't able to, so they went in and got it. However, during the pre-op CT scan, they informed me that I have "multiple stones in each kidney." They (Urologists at a nearby Army hosp) obviuosly needed more tests to be done but I had to wait a month to recover. During this time I did my research and found the Waiver Guide on Brooks web page. I gave a copy to the docs so they knew what tests to do for my waiver request. Present; I have completed all of the tests needed for waiver submission. Here's the interesti…

What is the reg on braces during OTS and Flight Training and are the invis-align braces allowed?

Hey guys looking for some info on this peculiar situation. I was fortunate enough to be picked up for a UPT position by an ANG C-130J unit back in February of 2022. Today at MEPS I was deemed disqualified due to my Refraction Error in my left eye being a 3.25 (3.0 Refraction Error limit). This came as a surprise to me because in April of 2022 at my civilian Optometrist, my vision prescription was a 2.75 Refraction Error astigmatism in each eye (please see attached photo). My astigmatism has also never been above a 3.0 Refraction Error for 10 years have worn contacts. I was told by the Optometrist Technician at MEPS that this drastic deviation is because t…