What does the CAA JAR-FCL3 Class 1 Medical Exam Include?

Our students are required to hold a JAA Class 1 Medical Certificate issued by the UK CAA and an FAA 3rd Class Medical Certificate to train in Arizona.

Moderator: Mike Griffith

What does the CAA JAR-FCL3 Class 1 Medical Exam Include?

Postby Mike Griffith on Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:42 pm

This document describes everything the Aero Medical Examiner (AME) will check during the Initial Class 1 Medical Examination. Here is the Medical History Form the AME will ask you to complete before he starts the examination. The AME will perform an ECG to check your heart, a lung function test to see if you have asthma, a finger prick blood test to get blood counts and cholesterol levels and he'll take a urine sample to check for diabetes and blood or protein in the urine.

You will notice that the forms use a lot of medical terminology, much of which is Latin. Rather than asking forum users for definitions, please use Google or Wikipedia if you want to know what a term means.

An Ophthalmologist will do a detailed eye examination. These are the vision standards and here is the form the Doctor will complete. If you have concerns about whether or not you can pass the eye examination, print the standards and have your eye doctor tell you if you meet them or not. If your vision is within the acceptable range, but you wear glasses or contact lenses, bring them with you to the exam. The CAA use the Ishihara Plate Test to check for colour vision. While I have linked to sample plates on the Internet, they are not adequate for a final determination of your colour vision because computer monitors transmit light, while the actual plates reflect light. The above link is provided simply to show you what the test will be like. If you fail it, they may use a lantern test to double check the result.

An Otorhinolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, Throat Dr.) will conduct a detailed exam and an Audiologist will test your hearing. Here is the hearing standard and the form the doctor will complete.

Very few young people fail the Initial Class 1 Medical Examination. Unless you have a known medical issue that might cause you to fail, I recommend attending Skills Assessment before undergoing the medical exam.

The sort of conditions that will cause failure can be categorized:
Conditions that impair sensory input:
    Poor hearing
    Poor vision
Conditions that could lead to incapacitation:
    Severe Asthma (smoke and fumes, stress or rapid decompression can trigger an attack)
    Heart problems
    Epilepsy or other seizure disorders
    Diabetes
    Psychological disorders
Mike Griffith
Brand Manager - APP First Officer

If you have queries, please send an email using mike.griffith@oaa.com rather than a PM.
Mike Griffith
Brand Manager - APP First Officer
 
Posts: 2796
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:16 am
Location: United Kingdom

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