Polite discussion about EASA, the CAA, the ANO and the delights of aviation regulation.
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#1566745
Hey everyone,

This is a question that pops up every now and again, and I know there's a lot of info on it around the web, but sometimes it's nice to be able to ask about your specific circumstances.

I always wanted to fly commercially, but after failing the Ishihara test during a routine eye test at around 15, i sort of gave up on the idea. I'm now 23 and I finished my PPL this year, after doing my degree and working long enough to raise the funds.

A couple of months ago I took the full colour assessment at City University London, ending with the CAD test which I failed by a large margin for red-green. I was kind of expecting this as I have always badly failed the Ishihara tests.

Anyway, this pretty much means I can't get a class 1 medical, right? What I'd like to know is whether or not there are ANY routes left I can take into flying for a living? What about niches like VFR bush flying or cargo?

At the moment I work for an aerospace engineering company which is OK, but I can't stand the static and repetitive nature of the office lifestyle in the long-term. I'm considering applying for cabin crew jobs just to see if I get a gut feeling about whether or not that might be a decent trade-off (I can still fly in my free time after all, and I'll be close to the world of flying and still able to fly/travel a lot).

Anyway, sorry if this post doesn't have much direction but anything I can glean from other people's experiences and stories would be much appreciated! Perhaps other wannabe pilots have found a path in life that ticks many of the boxes that a flying career could?
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1566842
AIUI, Australia does have day-only Commercial Pilots. BUT this is ,apparently, changing, despite the right being won through a high-profile court-case. I think Dr. Pape was the man who stood up to be counted. Big thread on prune, Aus. or Asia &Pacific sections. lots of reading.....if you thought CAA was bad,- The Aussie bluntness and lack of PC helps it along!
AChimpKnockinAbout liked this
#1567012
Thanks for the help so far! Interesting that there are still some corners left that might let me find a way in.

Will definitely look at instructing and what I'd need to do to get into that. I've also heard about the Australia situation before as well - if there's any chance of getting something out there, I definitely wouldn't mind making the move!
#1567730
I really wouldn't bother even vaguely getting your hopes up about the Oz 'situation'. If you think the CAA are bad with this sort of thing then you will be very, very sorely disappointed by CASA. If they can think of any reason to say 'no' and charge you an absolute fortune then they'll do it. The CAA and the medical department are much more user-friendly and forward-thinking than CASA, so please don't think there's a chance because, realistically, there isn't. IF you managed to get past CASA with the eyesight THEN you have to actually get a job and GA is a right of passage to the better paid jobs in Oz and it is highly contested. Of course, all of this assumes you have the right to live and work in Oz, so you'd need to sort out the visa before you contemplated the move and the licence conversion.

I've had few dealings with CASA and they've been relatively painless (because I have no complications to consider) but I have to say that the CAA have been far easier and, believe it or not, cheaper than CASA.

Sorry to be a party pooper but I think sometimes it's better to set realistic expectations instead of getting excited and hopeful by something that is thrown into the ring on a forum but, in reality, is far less likely.