Can I get a PPL if I am colorblind?

[Guest]

What are the vision requirement? I can tell red lights, but green lights appear white to me. Will this prevent me from ever being able to fly?

[Geofa 108]

I have a friend who is colorblind that got his. He had to take a special light gun test if I recall-but he was able to get his.Go for it! :-)http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

[Guest]

Thanks Geof...glad to know it's still possible even if not certain.

[Guest Joe]

I remember something about demonstrated ability waivers...but, it's been too long since I poured over the regs.Maybe they have done away with Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) Found this...http://www.badania.enter.net.pl/aopa/colorvis.htmJoe Sumrall[big]B[/bIG]USH [bIG]F[/bIG]LYING [bIG]U[/bIG]NLIMITED ...at home in the wild

[Guest]

Well, I read a while back that there is a woman that is captain on a FedEx Cessna Caravan who only has 1 arm! I'm sure you can get you're liscence with just a measly colour blindness!

[Guest]

I have just a slight amount of color blindness, and have my PPL.I was told by my physician who was doing the testing, that if I would have had a more acute case of color blindness, there would have been a restriction on my PPL...I would not be able to fly at night.Good luck,Tony in Miami

[ejoiner 21]

My son is slightly colorblind and we worried the same thing when he started his PPL training. However my wifes cousin is a USAF fighter pilot and he fails the same test that usually catches people (that one with the dots and the embedded numbers.) Waivers can be had even in the military. My wifes cousin is a AFA grad and is now a full colonel at the pentagon. Flew F111, A10, F16.Eric

[Guest]

If you're colorblind your PPL license will have a "no night flying" limitation on it until you pass a light gun test.If you lose communications a tower will flash a light gun at you (green/red/white lights) to communicate.MEI/II

[Guest]

Firstly any colour blindness you have wont get worse as you get older.Second it depends on how colour blind you are and whether you want to make a career out of your flying or remain a PPL.If you go the commercial way you would end up with a night restriction meaning that you would be limited to daylight flights only.This would make you an unnatractive package to a potential employer.If you intend to just keep to ppl fun flying then a day restriction wouldnt be a problem especially in a single.It depends on the degree of colour blindness. there are more practical tests than reading numbers and letters from a book full of dots and if you can pass those tests chances are you wont have any restriction at all.Try posting in the medical advice area of pprune.com or go and have a medical or to an opticians to check where your at with your colour blindness.Good luckPeter

[ndflieger 54]

Most certainly you can get a license, without restrictions.When I went for my first medical waaaayyy back in 1977, I miserably failed the color test. My student pilot certificate had noted in the limitations section: "Not valid for night flight or by color signal control". I contacted the local FSDO (GADO back in those days) and set up a practical test with an FAA inspector. This involved him and I standing in the parking lot at varying distances from the control tower. The tower personnel would flash a light gun at me and I'd indentify it's color. Piece of cake...Now I have the "Statement of Demonstrated Ability" that I show to the AME if he has any questions about my color blindness.The FAA accepted the waiver without any problems when I got a 1st Class medical also.Regards,ScottCFII/KJMS

[Guest]

ScottMakes you wonder how practical reading the numbers and letters from books is anyway.There was one channel of thought that some people ignore what they see and try to see something else believing they are making a mistake.Okay! if you are going for a job reading dots from books all well and good but how indicative are these books of the practical ability to differentiate solid colours....very little I would think?Peter

[Geofa 108]

I just took a hundred mile car trip with a guy who unknown to me was colorblind. He had to ask me at every traffic light if it was yellow, green ,or red!!I never understand why the FAA grills us pilots and the greater danger-car drivers anything goes.What is it-45,000 deaths or so by cars a year vs. about 500 for airplanes!http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

[Guest]

This thread jumped out at me....At age 10, (1972) during a routine school medical, I was "diagnosed" as being "colour blind". The examiner informed me that I could never become a printer, electrician or pilot. And a whole raft of other ocupations that would be ever bared from me. That alone has an impact on a 10 year old but, I was already a confirmed avation buff and what else does such a young lad want to be when he grows up...a fighter pilot. I was gutted, my dream snatched away from me by some strange act of fate. Having got over this by age 16 I joined the Royal Air Force & became a Load Master.It was not until I had my Forces medical that I discovered that there is no such thing as "colour blindnes" as such, to be colour blind is to see NO colours at all, black & white. It is known as Colour Perception or CP. CP1 being perfect, CP2, CP3 ect. I am CP2 (slightly off on red & green)& was told that this would have been NO bar to having become a pilot! F0%

[Guest]

Hithe simple answer is yes you can get a UK PPL with colour blindness.The main area of concern is with Red/green blindness and you would be restricted to PPL and would not get to CPL level.Things have just been made easier in the UK with the issue of the NEW NPPL .. National Private Pliots License. This has greatly reduced levels of medical fitness. To sum it up simply1. To fly in UK airspace solo ( no passangers ) you need your local Doctor ( not CAA Doc ) to sign a form stating that you are fit to drive a car.2. To carry passengers in UK airspace you need your doctor to sign a Form saying that he would pass you fit to drive HGV (class1) vehicles.This Licnce was only introduced in the middle part of last year and has opened the door to a lot of people to either return to flying after a medical hiccup or allows people who could not meet the JAR ( European ) medical standards to get a licence.This move by the CAA followed work that showed very very few accidents had been caused by medical reasons. It was lobbied for by major Aviation bodies.Hope this helps. You can find the forms for your doctor etc on the CAA Website look for NPPLRegardsJohn

[Guest]

I'm a UK flyer who is colour blind-I'm not allowed 'night flying', as mentioned above and I have to apply to any other country I may wish to fly in.I failed the 'light gun test' at CAA medical dept, Gatwick but the testing doctor tried his best to get me through, including switching off the lights and allowing my eyes to get used to the dark, before re-testing me.DaveT