FAQs and Pilot Class1 Medicals Advice

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FAQs Pilot Class1 Medicals Advice
www.flyingmedicine.uk
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When can I renew/ revalidate my license? 45 days
before the end of the medical certificate.   I
wear contact lenses. Should I wear them to my
medical? If you wear contact lenses whilst flying
you are required to have available in the
aircraft one pair of spectacles which correct for
all required distances. I prefer if you bring
these glasses with you otherwise please remove
the contacts 24 hrs before the assessment and we
will then test your vision without and then with
the contacts in.   Should I bring an updated
opticians eye prescription to my medical? In
short Yes. The form should  include the following
information
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Should I contact the CAA if I am unfit to
fly?You'll  need to contact me and I can
advise If you are Class 1license holder  I will
forward an official Temporary Unfit letter if
appropriate in conjunction with the CAA. If you
are Class 2 license holder, it will usually be
appropriate for me to determine if you are unfit.
When should I contact my Aeromedical Examiner
between medicals? ?The UK CAA requires licence
holders to seek advice from their Aeromedical
Examiners if they (1) are aware of any decrease
in their medical fitness that might render them
unable to safely exercise those privileges (2)
take or use prescribed or non-prescribed
medication that is likely to interfere with the
safe exercise of the privileges of the applicable
licence or (3) receive any medical, surgical or
other treatment that is likely to interfere with
flight safety   In addition, licence
holders shall, without undue delay, seek
aeromedical advice when they (1) have undergone
a surgical operation or invasive procedure (2)
have commenced the regular use of any
medication (3) have suffered any significant
personal injury involving incapacity to function
as a member of the flight crew (4) have been
suffering from any significant illness involving
incapacity to function as a member of the flight
crew (5) are pregnant (6) have been admitted to
hospital or medical clinic or (7) first require
correcting lenses- glasses/ contact lens
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Should I contact the CAA if I am unfit to
fly?You'll  need to contact me and I can
advise If you are Class 1license holder  I will
forward an official Temporary Unfit letter if
appropriate in conjunction with the CAA. If you
are Class 2 license holder, it will usually be
appropriate for me to determine if you are
unfit.   Does a Class 1 initial examination still
have to be done at an AeMC (Aeromedical
Centre)Yes. Applicants have to be a minimum of
17 years. Here is the link to the
current AeMCs   What age can someone
fly solo?Under EASA there is no lower age limit
for a Class 2 initial medical licenses but an
individual needs to be over 16 to fly solo.
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 have a colour deficiency since birth will this
prevent me from becoming a commercial pilot? Not
necessarily. As long as the colour deficiency you
have is deemed colour safe then you could go one
to have a rich and fulfilling career as a
pilot. The test which is done is Ishihara
plates. If there is an error in your colour
perception then you would be referred to get a
CAD test. Passing the CAD would mean you your
colour deficiency was deemed safe to operate
aircraft in all lighting conditions. Your license
would not be restricted or endorsed in any
way. If you however didn't manage to reach the
safe thresholds you could still gain a pilots
license but could only fly during daylight
hours. ? For more information about CAD ( Colour
Assessment and Diagnosis) test click on the
following link.. More information can be found
here. Or watch the video on CAD here
Can I take antihistamines for my hay fever while
I am flying? The following medication is
acceptable to use whilst flying
Loratadine,Desloratadine, Cetirizine,
Fexofenadine. Beconase and Flixonase nasal sprays
are also permitted You cannot fly within 24 hours
of taking other antihistamines. 
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I have been told I am obese, will this affect my
medical?Those with a BMI in excess of 35 require
additional cardiovascular risk estimation and a
medical flight test. More information here.    Do
I have to have a Class 1 medical to instruct?No,
from 17 September 2012 EASA Class 2 license
holders can be paid for Instructing.   I have an
OML limitation on my Class 1 licence, does this
affect my Class 2 privileges?No. An OML only
applies to Class 1 privileges, therefore a Class
1 licesne holder with OML can instruct on the
basis of his Class 2 status as single
pilot. ? Can you arrange additional blood tests
like Cholesterol, Thyroid, Vitamins, PSA, Allergy
or Clotting risks?Yes we can arrange all types
of testing.   Can you also update Travel Vaccines
like Yellow Fever or prescribe Malaria
medications?   Yes as a travel clinic we can
update all currently available vaccinations and
preventative strategies against Malaria. 
Contact us
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What if my blood pressure is up and I have white
coat hypertension- will I get my
license? ? Occasionally people attending their
medical find that their blood pressure (BP) is
elevated. This may be due to subtle anxiety
related to the medical, morning coffee, a morning
medical  or it may in fact be due to chronically
elevated blood pressure (Hypertension).  A
reasonable way to remove doubt is by checking
blood pressure readings at home. Omron BP
machines which check BP through a arm cuff have
been validated to do this. I would recommend
buying one which can store data and measuring
home blood pressure morning and evening for a few
weeks before the medical is due. If the BP is
regularly above 140/90 then I would suggest
reviewing the findings with you GP before the
aeromedical assessment.  Other ways to reduce
blood pressure is by reducing salt from the diet,
reducing alcohol, reducing weight and undertaking
more cardiovascular exercise. If the blood
pressure is less than 140/90 then bring the
readings to the aeromedical assessment. Further
information can be reviewed on this helpful CAA
hypertension flow chart
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What is the process if I've recent had
surgery Its not uncommon for pilots to need
surgery at some point whether this is for
musculoskeletal issues like back surgery or for
unexpected events like an appendicectomy. As soon
as you've had surgery-  You MUST NOT to use the
previleges  of your license and must ground
yourself. You are further required to contact the
Aeromedical Examiner who has issued your previous
aeromedical certificate. You can do this by
clicking on the link below or calling us on
03334043232 if we did your last medical
assessment. The AME will issue you with a
Temporary Unit letter and give you a process to
follow to enable your license to be
re-instated. This normally involves waiting for
your treating doctors/ specialists to give you
the all clear to return to work and issuing you
with a letter detailing what occurred, any
complications or medications needed and whether
there are plans for future reviews or
management. Once you have this letter you should
contact the Aeromedical doctor who can then give
further direction. Sometimes this just means an
update to the CAA to re-instate your license, at
other times this would entail having a functional
assessment check with the AME to ensure your safe
to operate the aircraft before contacting the
CAA. The process is usually straight forward. The
re-instatement proformas can be found in the
Useful Links section on this webpage.??
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