How Can I Prepare Myself for My Pilot Medical?
Pilot medicals aren’t a particularly difficult process, but it’s important to be prepared if you’re looking to receive your medical license and fly the skies. Typically, most adults in fit condition should have little to worry about, however, it’s important to know before the exam if any existing health problems might be a bigger problem than you realise.
In this post, we’ve outlined a few ways to prepare yourself for your pilot medical and a reminder of what you’ll need to bring for the big day.
Eyesight Examination
As you might expect, there are some important regulations about eyesight and hearing when it comes to completing your pilot medicals. Always make sure that if you wear glasses or contact lenses to bring your last optician’s report with you to the examination.
Firstly, you’ll need to pass an Ishihara test which checks for red-green colour deficiencies. After this, as long as your hypermetropia doesn’t exceed +5.0 dioptres, myopia doesn’t exceed -6.0 dioptres, astigmatism doesn’t exceed 2.0 dioptres and anisometropia doesn’t exceed 2.0 dioptres, you should be alright.
Medical History and Family Illness
It’s important to keep in mind that while you might not show symptoms for any medical conditions right now, they could be dormant until a later time. This is why you should bring reports from your family doctor or treating specialist about any kind of major illnesses in the past or that run in the family.
Keep in mind the general physical exam will check your lungs, heart, blood pressure, limbs and nervous system functions. If you feel yourself getting ill leading up to the examination date, try to change the date in order to not let it potentially affect your exam results.
Most importantly, never try to hide medical information from an examiner or medical professional, as this is potentially harmful for both yourself and other people.
What Else Should I Bring
Make sure that you show up for your pilot medicals with all of your necessary identifying information and government documents. This includes but is not limited to a form of photo ID, passport, national insurance number, and any special issuance medical certificates you might have due to known specific health problems.
Another often-forgotten aspect of pilot medicals is the urinalysis, which checks for proteins, drug traces and any blatant signs of illness or disease. So be sure to come to your test with a fairly full bladder or plenty of water to drink!
Worried about Getting your Pilot Medicals? Contact Us Today!
Even if pilot medical examinations are fairly straightforward, many people find them daunting and will want to be as prepared as possible for the big day. It’s important not to forget any small details which will affect your health and examination results in the days and weeks leading up to your medical examination.
If you want to know more about the examination or have any other questions relating to medical exams, you can reach Manchester Medicals at 0161 826 2124.