Clear of Cloud

Medical Renewed

While I may never fly commercially because of my eyesight, I'm still perfectly fit to continue my stop-start flight training.  I had my Class 2 medical renewal last Friday and all was well.  The doc chided me somewhat for not having a full licence yet but he let me away it.

He had to let me away with it because he too knows that it getting harder to be a private pilot in a an increasingly over-regulated Europe.  Our wings are becoming ever more tethered by bureaucracy; our freedom to fly, stifled by pseudo-security.

But when all is, the desire to be among the clouds, for now, trumps the bureaucrats attempts to strengthen gravity with paper.

Airplane Fund Safe

It looks pretty certain that the airplane piggy bank will not be busted open for an ATPL course.  The nice lady at Vision Express gave me an eye exam and, while the gross measurement of my esophoria appears to be within limits, I have no measurable binocular vision.  What that all boils down to is this: no commercial flying for me.

This is extraordinarily frustrating for me because I have good eyesight otherwise.  In fact, the optician couldn't understand why I wouldn't be allowed fly with this defect, that has no practical impact on my vision, but yet someone with significant astigmatism would.

One of the things that puzzles me is that the JARs stipulates that "significant defects in binocular vision" will render me unfit.  I don't have binocular vision at all - therefore I'm not likely to loose binocular vision at a critical phase of flight.  Here's the other thing, I don't have monovision either, I can function with either eye (though the left is dominant) and I've adopted well to the condition.  I just can't imagine where my lack of binocular vision would be a problem

Ah well, guess it's back to the other dream - private ownership

Today's the day..

... that I find out if the revised JAR eyesight standards opens the door to an aviation career.  I've booked an eyesight exam with Vision Express and have asked them to specifically test muscular imbalances in my eyes.  By six o'clock today I should have an indication as to whether the airplane fund may get diverted to the ATPL fund.

Today is also the day that voting closes in the Irish Blogging Awards.  Last chance to cast your vote for Clear Of Cloud in the Specialist Blog category.  http://awards.ie/vote

It's a good job that it's a busy day at the day job today... otherwise I'd be going up the walls thinking about the potential goodness that today may deliver.

Medical Matters

I booked in with my AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) to have my Class 2 renewed.  I'm in for a rap across the knuckles though.  I was sternly warned at my last medical (my second), that I was not to darken his door without a "proper" licence. Unfortunately, I'm still flying on the student licence.  I'm rehearsing my excuses.  I'll show you the bruising in a week or so.

In related matters, that probably deserve better than the second paragraph, the eyesight requirements for a Class 1 (commercial) Medical have changed in my favour.  I'm not sure that they've changed enough but I'm going to research this further.  Who knows, maybe the CPL is finally achievable!