Plane Answers: Medical issues for pilots and the FAA

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Tom asks an interesting question:

Hi Kent,

I am a big fan of your website and your weekly additions here. Great stuff. But my true question comes down to this. I had a seizure two weeks ago and they did all the testing and EEG and MRI and CT scans and blood work and all came back negative. They are thinking that it was once in a lifetime type of thing. So I started wondering will I be able to still receive my First class medical if I have no seizures and I am on no medications and the doctors told me I am fine?

Hi Tom,

I checked with my AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) and he pointed me to this document from the FAA. It seems the FAA will look at your specific case and after you submit all pertinent medical records and a current status report, they’ll render a decision.

Good luck! I’d love to hear what you find out.

Steve asks:

I’ve been told that I’m red/green colorblind. Will this disqualify me for an FAA medical? Would I even be able to fly private aircraft just for fun?

Hi Steve,

In the U.S., apparently 8% of males have some sort of color deficiency. That percentage drops to just .04% of females.

Most have Deuteranomaly, which occurs in 5% of males. It’s more commonly known as the red/green color confusion.

Only .0005% of the population is totally color blind.

Most people won’t even realize they’re color blind until they try to get an FAA medical. If they can’t read the numbers in the color blind test, they’re given a restriction on their medical that says, NOT VALID FOR NIGHT FLYING OR BY COLOR SIGNAL CONTROL.

Take a look at this picture. What number do you see?

With normal color vision, you’ll see a five and If you’re red/green color blind, you’ll see a two. Of course, different monitors may affect the test, so you’ll want to be tested by an eye doctor to be sure.

If a pilot applicant is color deficient, they can apply for a waiver by demonstrating to an FAA representative that they are able to see the lights associated with a Farnsworth lantern test or, alternatively a light ‘gun’ test that’s beamed from the tower to aircraft that have lost radio communication, an extremely rare situation to be in as a pilot, but it’s an effective test apparently.

If the prospective pilot wants to get a first class medical, which is needed to fly for an airline, they would also have to fly with an FAA inspector to come in contact with the lights most commonly encountered inflight. If they can demonstrate proficiency during this flight test, they will then be issued a waiver.

I have met a number of pilots at various major airlines who’ve successfully gone through this process.

So for most U.S. pilots, the color vision issue is not disqualifying. You might want to try to get the waiver early on in your flight training, to be sure you’re able to continue commercially. Of course, this is all based on the current FAA U.S. rules which are rumored to be changing soon. I don’t know what the requirements are in Europe or Asia. Good luck!

Luke asks:

Do pilots need to have perfect vision to fly at the airlines?

Their vision needs to be correctable to 20/20 or better to be eligible for a first class medical. Most airlines have long since dropped the requirement for uncorrected 20/20 vision, but the military still requires it at the time you begin your flight training. After getting through your flight training, you’re allowed to wear glasses, from what I understand.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and he’ll try to use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Radio altimeters, 737 rudder safety and 757/767 flying differences

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Martin asks:

Upon landing a bigger plane…

Is there a sensor or gauge/indicator that shows the pilot the distance between the airplane’s wheels and the runway?
Yes, Martin, there is. As I’m sure you know, we have an altimeter that displays our height above sea level. But we also have a radio altimeter that shows our height above the ground from 2500 feet all the way down to zero feet. It’s actually very accurate, and we often judge our flare based on the automated call outs of “100, 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10.

It also displays our altitude in feet on our primary flight display. Occasionally the other pilot (who’s not flying) might add a call out of 6, or 2, if you’ve flared and you’re no longer descending, which can be helpful.

Long wonders:

Hi Kent, The only hassle I hate while traveling is the paperwork for the visa. I was wondering whether pilots require a visa to fly to certain countries? Does the airline take care of it, or do you guys have some sort of special permit/passport?

I can only speak for those of us flying from the U.S., and since I don’t fly to every country, I don’t know all the specifics, but the most common country we fly to that requires a VISA in our passports is France. This allows us to ‘work’ in their country.

Every five years we have to go into a major city that has a French Consulate and fill out the paperwork and turn over our passports to have a VISA stamp inserted.

I’m sure there are other countries that require this, but France is the only one I’m aware of at this point.

Tev asks:

Does the 737 still have rudder issues?

Tev is referring to the full deflection rudder issues that United and USAir experienced years ago with 737-200 and 737-300. Boeing came up with a fix for the problem and they claim that the new generation 737s, which are the most common 737s flying today, do not have the same issues. Given the number of hours that these new generation 737s have flown, it appears they have the problem solved.

Finally, Vic asks:

Kent, you wrote earlier about preferring to fly the 767 over the 757. One reason was greater familiarity with the 767. What are the other reasons?

Actually Vic, I fly the 757 probably 90 percent of the time. So I’m really more familiar with the 757. Perhaps it’s because I only get a chance to see a 767 infrequently, that I enjoy that airplane.

As you’re probably aware, the 757 and 767 are unique in that pilots can be trained to fly both airplanes interchangeably. We occasionally have a trip that will have a leg with a 757, followed by a wide-body 767 flight right afterwards.

SInce the cockpits of the two airplanes are nearly identical, and the systems (the hydraulics, the fuel system, engines, air conditioning and pressurization) are very similar, the FAA determined in the 80’s when both airplanes were certified that they would share a common type rating.

But they don’t fly exactly the same. The 767 is more light and sensitive on the controls, and it tends to feel larger, but more sporty. The 757 has great climb performance, but it’s controls are heavier and you sit lower to the ground, which makes for a different ‘feel’ during the landing flare.

It’s probably easier to make a smoother landing in the 767, even though we don’t fly them as often. They seem to settle to the ground after touching down with less momentum. It’s a beautiful airplane to fly, and it is closer in feel to a 777 than it is to a 757.

But as I’ve explained in a recent Cockpit Chronicles, the winglets that are being installed on the 757 have somehow softened the landings.

Have a question of your own that you’d like answered on Friday’s Plane Answers? Ask Kent!

Plane Answers: Do challenging airports require special training for pilots?

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Mike asks an interesting question:

Hi Kent, I know you’ve probably seen the video going around on YouTube of the 757 landing at Tegucigalpa, and also a great video of the landing from the cockpit. I was wondering if landing at a challenging airport like that involves any special requirements. Is the Captain the only one allowed to make that landing for example?

Great question, Mike. Especially in light of the recent accident of a TACA A320 that overran the end of the runway killing five of the 135 people on board. As a result of this accident, the Tegucigalpa airport is restricted to aircraft with 42 seats or fewer. For the next two months, San Pedro Sula will pick up the slack until the Soto Cano Air Base is ready for commercial traffic.

Prior to this accident, our airline required a few things for pilots going into TGU. First, we use computer based training aids, complete with the local ATC audio along with a detailed layout of the potential hazards and the technique needed to safely fly the approach and landing.

Next, the captain had to go fly there with a check airman (instructor) who would sit in the right seat for the checkout. The captain was required to make a landing on runway 02. If the other runway was in use, the check airman would come back to TGU with the captain on another trip.

Also, the captain was required to fly into TGU within the past 180 days. If the pilot hadn’t landed there in within 180 days, a check airman would again be required before they could fly there again.

Co-pilots must have observed one takeoff and landing there from the jumpseat before flying a trip to TGU. And yes, Captains are required to make all landings into TGU. The only such airport we operate into with that requirement. Both pilots must have at least 75 hours of flight time in the particular type of airplane as well.

We have seven cities in Central and South America that require special qualifications. Other airports may require varying levels of training and qualifications, but none are as extreme as the Tegucigalpa, Honduras example.

It’s easy to see why these requirements exist. Those two videos show just how challenging the TGU approach to runway 02 can be. The runway is 6132 feet (1869 m) and the airport sits at an elevation of 3300 feet, which makes the approach speed a bit faster. To give you an idea, the Laguardia airport is 7000 feet long with a field elevation of 22 feet. So Tegucigalpa was likely the most challenging in our system.

Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to fly there. And now it looks like most large jets will be prevented from landing there, so I doubt I’ll ever get the chance.

Finally, as a side note, the person on the ground who took the video of the landing emailed me a link to it just a few days after he uploaded it. I looked up the pilots and sent them the link as well. Later that month the captain and co-pilot met this cameraman, a flying enthusiast who’s now training to be a pilot, for dinner. He also provided the pictures above and below for this post. Thanks for the photos and the video, Enriques!

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Is “Free Flight” the answer to ATC delays?

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Kent:

I know a lot has been written lately about airport delays, I have also read something about “Free Flying.” With TCAS is ATC obsolete? Should ATC be more focused on ground operations, to get planes in the air? I know from most recent articles the ATC system is operating on antiquated systems and in need of a massive overhaul. I am interested to hear your opinion, is “Free Flying” in our future?

-Justin

Thanks Justin,

We’re not able to navigate or adjust our spacing using our Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). This device, which is almost like a radar screen showing the other traffic within 40 miles of our airplane, is solely to keep us from running into someone. Think of it as a backup to the Air Traffic Control system. And just like passengers aren’t generally interested in pilotless airplanes, pilots may not be interested in a world without controllers directing traffic and keeping us safe.

The ability for airplanes to fly directly to a destination is one thing that would shorten travel times, but it’s important to put the benefit in perspective. The FAA is hoping to develop a system that would allow for a direct routing versus today’s system of waypoints and VOR’s that define a more jagged path, but it will only save a few minutes of flight time.

The FAA is even more interested in the ability to space flights closer when near the airport using a new technology called NextGen. Why are they so excited about this?

Because it’s low hanging fruit.

Even at $20 billion, it just might offer the best answer to the capacity problem. Using computers and GPS, we can have more direct flights and airplanes can take care of their own spacing as they approach the airport. Take a look at this video on “NextGen” by David Pogue for CBS News that explains what the FAA is trying to do (after the jump):

While they make the small airplane owners look like the bad guys in this story, it’s hard to see any reason to force Cessna 182 pilots to pay $6,000 for a box that will help ATC control traffic around a hub like DFW or ORD, an area that most general aviation (Cessna) pilots avoid anyway.

Unless we start doing formation takeoff and landings on ultra-wide runways out of JFK and other saturated airports-a highly unlikely scenario-we’re not going to see delays improve without capacity reductions or huge investments in new infrastructure. So the next step is to improve the infrastructure at airports by adding gates, revising taxiways and adding more runways. The trouble is, people living near these airports equate that to more traffic and subsequently, noise. And it’s yet another cost.

At airports with most frequent delays, airlines need to ‘bump-up’ the size of airplanes. A 19-seat Beech 1900 takes up nearly the same airspace that a 747 does. It might take the government to step in and mandate a minimum size of aircraft at these ultra-saturated airports, but this could be an effective way to fix the problem. The smaller airplanes might begin flying more point-to-point trips from lesser used airports in the same way Southwest does now.

We’re going to get some short term relief from the airlines that are cutting back later this year for economic reasons. But that’s no reason to sit back and wait until we’re near gridlock once again to fix the problem.

Thanks for the great question, Justin.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Overcoming the fear of flying

by Kent Wien on

This week we’ve had many questions that all ran along the same lines; how to overcome Aviophobia, or the fear of flying. Most people who suffer from this fear are well aware of the statistics that show that air travel is the safest form of travel, and no amount of assurances and facts are able to calm their fears. But I’ve been told that understanding more about what happens in an airplane does go a long way towards quelling some of the anxiety associated with flying.

Jenna asks:

My stepmother refuses to fly. Her explanation for this is one time when she was in a plane, it dropped 10,000 feet. The other day, I was talking to my friend Nora, who said her mother had a similar story. How often does this happen and what causes a plane to lose control for so long? I am also afraid of flying, so I would love to know. Thank you for your time!

Thanks Jenna. You can assure your stepmother that planes don’t just drop. It’s analogous to driving in your car and suddenly finding yourself on an interstate two miles away. The media and so many movies have reinforced this idea that airplanes can hit ‘air pockets’ and drop hundreds or thousands of feet.

As I mentioned in a previous Plane Answers post about turbulence, even during some of the roughest air, we don’t gain or lose altitude generally.

There are some astute readers who will point out that there have been occasions that airplanes flying near their maximum capable altitude needed to descend rapidly to regain airspeed, but even in these instances the airplane hasn’t lost control.
Lisa emails:

This question is more to answer something that concerns my husband more than myself. His biggest fear of flying is that during take off the tail end is going to hit the runway. He does not understand what prevents that from happening. Could you explain. I would really like to go to Vegas but cannot get him on a plane because of this unanswered question.

It’s very rare for the tail of an aircraft to come into contact with the ground, though there are some jets that are slightly more prone to it. Those airplanes are equipped with a tail skid to absorb the contact with the ground. Concorde even had a little wheel back there. Here’s what that tail skid looks like on the Boeing 767-300:

On the 767-300 the tailskid extends for takeoff and landing and retracts during flight. It’s activation is tied to the landing gear lever.

We’re trained in techniques to maintain a good clearance between that tail skid and the ground. We have a load planner who figures out the proper airspeed to begin the liftoff, and we’re careful not to allow the airplane to ‘rotate’ or leap into the air too quickly. The Boeing 777 even has two design features that help prevent tail strikes. One is a limiting device that makes it more difficult for a pilot to pull back on the yoke too aggressively during takeoff and the other is a design change in the landing gear that prevents the tail from coming too close to the ground. The other airplanes rely on good training, and this seems to be effective.

I would estimate that there are just a handful of tail strikes nationwide every year. And when they do occur the flight will usually come back in to land at the departure airport to complete an inspection.

Part of our preflight inspection requires that we check the skid for any paint removed from the flat bottom portion, which would indicate a scraped skid. A scraped tail skid or contact with the lower aft fuselage on airplanes without a skid won’t directly cause an accident, so your husband is better off worrying about his odds in Vegas than the odds of a tail strike on the flight there.

And Melissa asks:

I’m taking a trip with my son who is six. This will be his first time ever flying and I’m wondering how I should explain the turbulence and even the take off and landing. Of course I will be talking him through it all, but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to prepare him for this without scaring him.

The fear of flying seems to get passed on from parents to their kids. Hopefully if your son sees that you’re looking forward to the trip and that you find it fun to fly, he’ll be equally excited. I have a six year-old daughter who enjoys flying, although she’s been traveling every year or so since she was born.

If turbulence occurs, explain to him that just as cars occasionally hit bumps on the road, the air outside the aircraft can be bumpy at times. It usually doesn’t last too long though. As for the takeoff and landing, sell it to him like a ride at Disneyland. It can be fun when you look at it that way. You might also want to talk him through some of the sounds. If you’re able to hear it, let him know when the landing gear comes down. After touchdown, explain that the engines will get louder as they are put into ‘reverse-thrust’ to help slow the airplane down.

Which brings me to Bryan’s question:

What can I do to overcome my fear of flying?

In the past airlines offered ‘fear of flying’ courses. Today that has given way to companies that specialize in this training. I’ve found a few resources that might be helpful.

There are a number of online sources such as Fear of Flying Help and Five tips for fearful flyers that offer some suggestions, and there are a number of courses offered such as The Fear of Flying Clinic and SOAR.

I don’t have any first hand information about these sites but maybe a reader has had some success with one of them, or another program. Let us know in the comments.

If there were a way for passengers to see out the front of the airplane, maybe they’d feel more secure about the flight. Imagine how scary it’d be to ride in a car that only has a view out a small window to the side. Some people feel the need to be in control, and without a clear view ahead, flying might be nerve racking for them.

My only other advice is to visit the cockpit before departure. If the pilots aren’t too busy, I’m sure they’d be happy to allow you to visit the cockpit. For some passengers it’s helpful to know that the people in the front of the airplane, who probably have families at home, are just as interested in a safe flight as you are.

Based on the number of questions I’ve received about this topic, I’m sure there are a large number of people who are anxious flyers or unwilling to fly all together. Who knows, maybe reading the Cockpit Chronicles will give some people a better understanding for just what goes on during a typical flight
from the pilot’s perspective.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.