Color-blind

What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

Kathy

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

Kathy


I'm colour blind, and my license is endorsed "Daytime only, and functioning
radio in controlled airspace."
Otherwise no problem..........

On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 21:20:06 GMT, "Steph"
wrote:

I'm colour blind, and my license is endorsed "Daytime only, and functioning
radio in controlled airspace."

Fascinating. What's with the radio requirement?

And isn't all airspace controlled on the east coast?

And what are you supposed to do if the radio conks?



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:27:39 UTC, Cub Driver
wrote:

On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 21:20:06 GMT, "Steph"
wrote:

I'm colour blind, and my license is endorsed "Daytime only, and functioning
radio in controlled airspace."

Fascinating. What's with the radio requirement?

And isn't all airspace controlled on the east coast?

And what are you supposed to do if the radio conks?

Basically it means you cannot use light guns for clearance. I'm
colorblind and have been flying for 25 years. While not being able
to fly at night is a major hassle, in those 25 years I've never needed
light guns anyway. And if I ever did, I'd probably consider it a bona
fide emergency anyway.

It sounds like you are already familiar with the SODA. My recommendation
would be to visit your local tower with a CFI and ask the controller to
flash the light gun at you, both red and green. Tell them to do it slowly.
Become familiar with what it looks like prior to doing the SODA test. Then
have your CFI call the FSDO to make the appointment. My main CFI is color
blind. The first time he tried the SODA the tower flashed very quickly, it
was actually the FSDO inspector that told them to slow down and then he had
no trouble with it.
Jim

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

Kathy

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

Kathy



My friend is color blind they refused a second class but gave him a third
but he cannot see green/blue or something like that would fwd your e-mail to
him if you had one!

Steven Rhine
CP-ASEL-IA
CFI, ATP Student

Kathy,

If you can tell the difference between the red, white, and green light
gun signals from a control tower, than you won't have any problem at
all. You can go to a local tower, and ask them to flash them at you for
reference.

Happy Flying!
Scott Skylane

Kathy wrote:
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

If I may (I am also color blind -- well, at least I was until
I got this letter from the FAA saying I was ok :-))

Go for it (at least if you are flying in USA, which I assume
since you are talking about SODA, regs elsewhere may not be as
good, except may be Australia thanks to Dr Pape);

If you fail the standard test that the AME gives you (most of
the time the Ishiara test, i.e., these silly mosaics thing),
you'll get a medical with a no night flying restriction (and
no using of color light signals at controlled airports);

Note though that this restriction won't prevent you from
completing the standard private pilot cursus and getting your
certificate since all the night flying requirements is (usually)
done with a CFI. Note that it is also possible to complete
your commercial certificate with the restriction on (I did it
before getting the waiver, there is a trick, let's see if the
readers know the regulations :-)

Now, there are a couple of ways to get a waiver (it is no longer
a SODA by the way). There are a number of alternative tests
that the FAA recognize as valid (AOPA has documentation about
these tests -- join AOPA now if you haven't already); e.g.,
Farnthworth lantern, D15, etc. the trick here is to find an
ophtalmo who has the whole battery of tests (rare -- try the
ophtalmo department of an university hospital); you can fail
them as many times as it takes, all you have to do is to pass
one of them successfully.

If that fails, you can then try the practical light gun test;
I would not recommend that as the first option for a couple
of reasons: one, you can fail this test only once; if you
fail twice, you are done, and won't ever be able to get
a waiver (usually, the first try is done during the day, and
the second one at night, which is easier); the second reason
is that even people with normal color vision routinely *fail*
this test (most people, color blind and normal vision alike,
tend to confuse the white and green lights); if possible
find a FSDO who has its own light gun rather than doing it
from the tower (and try to find one of these light gun beforehand
and play with it so you can see what white or green is supposed
to look like before the test -- I did it and it helps a lot);

if you succeed one of these tests, then you get a letter from
the FAA saying that you have passed one of the acceptable alternative
test, and you present this letter to the AME everytime you renew
your medical (it is valid for all classes of medical unlike a SODA
which can be limited to a given class);

in summary: talk to AOPA and don't worry too much. Oh, and
a good read on the subject:

http://www.aopa.com.au/infocentre/to...lourvision.pdf

--Sylvain

Sylvain wrote:
Kathy wrote:
What do you advise for a color-blind pilot wannabe? How likely is it for
someone who's color-blind to get a SODA?

if you succeed one of these tests, then you get a letter from
the FAA saying that you have passed one of the acceptable alternative
test, and you present this letter to the AME everytime you renew
your medical (it is valid for all classes of medical unlike a SODA
which can be limited to a given class);

in summary: talk to AOPA and don't worry too much. Oh, and
a good read on the subject:

http://www.aopa.com.au/infocentre/to...lourvision.pdf



Just as a point of interest: I'm pushing 3000 hours now and I've never even
seen a light signal. Have any of you?

Heh heh... maybe I'm color blind after all G




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in message
. ..

Just as a point of interest: I'm pushing 3000 hours now and I've never
even seen a light signal. Have any of you?

Yes. DIA's (KDEN) tower nearly blinded me with theirs at about five miles
out one night. Maybe they had it on Day -- assuming there's a day/night
setting. I asked to see it.

Jon