[Can anyone give recent FC1/MFS Experience?]

On 8/8/2018 at 2:21 PM, JustHangingOut said:

Here is your weekly Flight Physical update.  Below is the list in order of what I did for my physical and a short description of each test.  I will do my best to maintain the integrity of tests and not give an answers away, but also try to give as much detail as I can to help prep you all for your exams.

I stayed at the on base hotel (google maps wright-Patterson inns and it will take you right there) I was in Group 1 which consisted of a combination of civilians, Guard, Reserve, and ROTC folks.  (group 2 looked like all ROTC).  We all rallied in room 100 of building 840 (google maps USAFSAM and it will take you there)(parking guidance is in page 3 of this thread) like everyone else here has talked about.  Yes, there was a TV, VHS tapes, two DVDs, a barely functioning PS2 for videos, and a non-functioning VHS/DVD combo player.  If I would have known half the stuff didn't work...I may have just brought my own Blu-ray player and some seasons of game of thrones and hooked it up.  The staff are super laid back, and probably wouldn't have cared.  Enough of that...let's get into the meat and potatoes of this post

Day 1 Activities

1. EKG
   1. they put probes on your body and take readings.  nothing crazy.
2. Medical History
   1. go into an office and go over your medical history.  This is typically the "shut your mouth" phase of a physical
3. OVT (depth perception and near/far)
   1. I read through all the posts for tips and tricks on this.  I went all the way through groups A-F twice (with different patterns) and can confirm that the tips in this forum are accurate except the "no repeating theory."  If I remember correctly, I had one in each test with repeats.  So keep doing your eye exercises and you should be fine.  I practiced the Magic Eye 3D Books (checked them out from local library), and also practiced the "Brock String" eye exercise (really helpful youtube videos to explain the exercise)
4. Red Lens test
   1. They will have these "glasses" that have two "frames" on them.  The guy will hold a light up in front of a "grid" on the wall with one hand.  With the other hand he positions one of the sets of frames in front of your eyes.  Each set has a red lens and the other is a clear.  One set of frames the clear lens at a different angle and makes you see double.  The instructor will move the light around the grid, while also switching "frames" that are in front of your eyes.  Your goal is to tell him if you see double, or you see a mix of the two.  I didn't get it at first (sounds stupid right), but as said before, the techs are awesome and help you out even when you're a dummy like me.
5. Hearing
   1. you will be put in a glass case of emotion and listening for the most faint beeps and bloops ever.  Leave your cell phone outside...on airplane mode.  Hold your headphone cable and your remote cable from touching the wall.  You are in a sound proof box where it is easier to hear your own heart beat than these beeps they are testing you on.  I have heard of some guys wearing earplugs on the airplane flight over to keep their ears from compressing from the loud sound and pressure change....go for it...I cant confirm this to be effective as I drove to my appointment, but it sounds like a great idea to me.
6. Vitals
   1. blood pressure and heart rate stuff...nothing crazy
7. Eye Pressure/Measurement
   1. this is the..."look here!" and blast your eye with air test...and look into this bright thing so I can take picture of your eye ball!  Again, nothing crazy, just follow directions and you're good to go
8. Dental
   1. Dentist looks at your grill.
9. CCT (color blindness)
   1. so I was told the actual CCT was the old test and they now use something different (which I took). 
   2. You looked at a computer, the tech measured the distance you needed to sit away from it.  You wear a patch over one eye to test the open eye.  The light go out, they hand you a video game controller.  Your goal is to look at the image on the machine and tell what direction it is pointing.  The image you are looking at is a letter "C."  You push the appropriate button in the direction the letter opening is facing (up, down, right, left on the A/B/X/Y pad).  As you go through the test the image will get dimmer and dimmer.  Then it will start over in a different color.  you do red, green, blue.  Then, switch the patch onto the other eye and do it again.  This test is timed.  You get 4 seconds per iteration.
10. Skynet Robot Eye Scanning Machine...
    1. I don't know what this is called but i'm pretty sure I have a serial number on my eyeballs now.
    2. you look into a machine...it looks like a red laser pointer being shot right into your eye.  then a green "star" appears with a dot in the middle.  Focus on the dot while they do their science experiments
11. Lens Topography
    1. Again, bright lights in the eye balls while they do science.  This one makes you feel like you are in the movie clockwork orange, or tron.  They are measuring the curvature of your lens and the thickness.  I was told I had a thicker than normal lens...I got worried...he said it was cool...it's better to be over than under for that one.
12. Psych Battery
    1. This is the 4 hour computer testing where you are answering all sorts of "do you hear voices in your head" kind of questions.  What I didn't read about this test from this thread before taking it was the other stuff that wasn't as silly.  There were lot of "mind games."  It was fun at times.  For example...we will show you a sequence of numbers...you must type that sequence of numbers back to us in reverse order...my trick...don't memorize the numbers...memorize the keyboard sequence....worked for me...okay right, right, up 2, left 1 down 1...
    2. Other things to help you prep for this...practice mental math.  This is timed, so practice techniques for adding/subtracting/dividing/multiplying numbers with 2,3,4 digits.  no scratch paper, pens, or calculators.
    3. short term memory stuff.  You will read a story...then do other tests...then answer questions about that story an hour later.
    4. I think the best thing you can do to prepare for this testing battery is downloading some mental exercise apps like lumosity, peak, or elevate.  These are little games, that are fun and sometimes similar to what you might see here.  like "click this button when you see a certain letter, or type of word.  sequences of shapes, blah blah blah"

Day 2 Activities

1. Labs
   1. Pee and Bleed...
   2. all you can do to prep is read the welcome letter instructions about staying hydrated before and throughout the testing.  I found myself not drinking nearly enough water on day 1...everyone thought we were going to pee and bleed that day and I was ready to go then...but group 2 went on day 1.  Dont fall behind on water intake and don't drink alcohol 72 hours before or during the physical days.
2. X-Ray
   1. you stand against something...make a funny pose...they take pictures...sounds like a cruel joke right?
   2. I asked if I could have a copy of my x-ray (my dad's a chiropractor so I always share x-rays with him for fun), and all I had to do was ask the front desk for a release of information form and she gave me a CD with my images...pretty cool.  (i'll post them if I can)(also for fun)
3. Flight Doc interview
   1. the flight doc goes over your records up to that point, asks some more questions, makes you touch yourself while he watches....touch your nose...(get your mind out of the gutter)...and balance on one foot.
   2. if you are going to go to IFS, he initiated a FAA class 3 physical for me since I didnt already have one.
4. Height/Weight
   1. some guys in my group did this the first day.  they kind of fit it in wherever.  No big deal unless you are super huge or super small
5. Optometry
   1. they will do another eye exam.  more looking at and reading charts, follow the light, look up, look down, look through this crazy machine...ok lets dilate those babies
   2. then you wait for your eyes to whack out like a crack head.  you have to wait an hour.
   3. I was seen at 1hr 20 min. and then more looking into super bright lights, and reading charts etc.
   4. Here I discovered I have a slight far sightedness...even though I don't require glasses.  The doc said, I may need a waiver, but he couldn't tell until after he dilated me.  Even if I did need it, he assured me that it wasn't a show stopper, they would just process the paperwork like it was no big deal.  After he gave my eyeballs a thorough look over...he said he was comfortable with my numbers and wouldn't need to push a waiver through.

As stated before...attitude is everything.  Enjoy your time there.  Don't make your techs hate their job that day because of you.  Help other people get through the process, carpool, see the museum (if you can even see after dilation), and be a good sport overall.  Another thing, don't worry about it as much as I did.  Prepare...but don't fret.  Go there, do the best you can at things you can prepare for, and understand that everyone there wants to see you succeed.  It is very evident when you are there that they are on your side.

I hope this helps everyone out.  I'm hoping to get the good news in a couple weeks along with my other partners in crime that I shared those halls with.

Thank you to @stuckindayton, @GDAL, and @FlyArmy for your input and the information you provided in this forum to help me and all the other hopefuls out there.

p.s.....sorry for the long post

@JustHangingOut can you describe the medical history/records evaluation? I have a note in eye doctor records from about 5 years ago that I claimed to get migraines (turns out it was just a headache) and I'm curious how deep they dive into everything - and whether I'll be asked about that specifically. 

[USAF / USA / USN / USMC Vision]

Hello @stuckindayton, question for you about an issue in my left eye. I am currently -1.75 in both eyes corrected to 20/10, but my ophthalmologist diagnosed me with a small macular scar in my left eye. He hasn't made a big deal about it since they found and performed some cautionary tests (all came back nominal). The scar hasn't grown or changed in the 4 years I've had it, and I'm otherwise physically fit and would pass any other portion of a flight physical. I'm worried this might disqualify me. Is there a waiver for this kind of condition? Or will it even show up during MEPS or an FC1? My recruiter advised me not to mention it or list it during MEPS because it genuinely has no effect on my vision currently. I hardly notice anything outside the ordinary during an Amsler chart test. 

Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!