Can you become a commercial airline pilot with only 1 eye?

Question

Can you become a commercial airline pilot with only 1 eye?

Answer 1

Rob G is correct  

Answer 2

Yes you can. You can get a SODA issued after demonstrating ability. There were close to a dozen working airline (not just commercial) pilots with only one eye last time I checked.

Answer 3

As usual another great answer from Rob G. I hope you take the time to read it.

Answer 4

uh, no not at all.

Answer 5

No omg duh, fist of all you dont have to have 20/20 eye sight who said that they are retards you have to at least have 20/30 thats it.

Answer 6

As one of the other people above me said there are waivers that can be obtained which may,if you are a very good pilot, allow you to perhaps get a class 2 or maybe even a class 1 medical. However even if you are able to get these ratings I'm afraid that no airline would hire you.

The fact is there are hundreds of other pilots without any sort of disabilities hindering them.

Answer 7

wow, some of these answers on here are very discouraging...to all of you that answered "NO" you are wrong, if you can get a SODA as stated previously and get your medical (1st for airline). then you are fair game to gettin that job just like anyone else.

Back to all of the discouraging answers...

If you came through the door of my flight department with an attitude like you are showing on here you would not only be turned down you would be thrown out to the street with your resume shoved in your mouth....

I really am sorry for whatever company hires people that are as degrading as you are.....

Jonathan S

ATP-LRJET,HS-125,G-V

CFI/ATP

Answer 8

In addition to the posts above about SODA_ bear in mind a jetliner pilot doesn't really look out the window much- less than 5% of the time- and you don't need binocular vision to read instruments and manuals!

Answer 9

NO !   For commercial pilots -  Your eyesight must be correctable to 20/20 in each eye.

Answer 10

Why do people answer things they know nothing about?  I personally know of a Fedex pilot who has one eye.  Yes, it is possible to pass all the tests and get a really good airline job with only one eye.  It will be tough, but it's not a show stopper.

Thanks for asking.

Answer 11

Yes. First, become a commercial airline pilot. Next, gouge out one eye.  

Answer 12

Contact the FAA. I was going to be clever and say there is one "i" in commercial and two "i's" in airline---but only to be clever, not as an answer to your question. The fellow who said there are lots of "colorblind" pilots with SODAs might be overstating things a bit. I say that b/c I have a SODA for a color vision deficiency (not "colorblind") which does not manifest itself in any aviation context (other than at the AME's office, but I get a pass on the color vision portion of the first class, based on the SODA). I'll add, too, that when I was five years old, a doctor said I could never be a pilot because of eye surgery I had at age two (unrelated to the color thing). I'm not knocking the doc---the surgery was a complete success and that was back in the low-tech era---but he was wrong about the pilot thing. As it turned out, the former uncorrected vision requirements (which no longer exist) became a problem when, back in my twenties and unrelated to the surgery decades before, I began to need glasses/contacts for distance. (So, I did the law school thing for good measure.) Folks now don't have to deal with any uncorrected limits.

Anyway, look into it. Good luck.

Answer 13

Yeah i believe so. SODA.

Answer 14

Ignore posts that simply say "No" or "of course not".  Anything's possible.  The FAA regulations do state that your distant vision must be correctable to 20/20, in both eyes (FAA regulation 67.103a and 203a).  However, one of my old students was completely blind in one eye, due to a severe case of lazy eye.  He had his private pilot's license, as well as instrument and multi-engine ratings.  He was actually one of my best students.  He got what's called a "Statement of Demonstrated Ability" or "SODA".  He had to go flying with an FAA examiner and basically prove to him that he could land an airplane.  If he got that far, I don't see why someone with 1 eye couldn't get a 1st or 2nd class medical certificate and a commercial pilot's license.

There are also plenty of colorblind airline pilots out there, even though the regulations state otherwise.  They got SODAs.

Answer 15

Suggest you call your Regional Flight Surgeon (they're in the blue pages of the phone book, under Federal Government; Federal Aviation Administration Regional Office -- you might find it on line at www.faa.gov).

If you'd rather not talk to a fed, try www.virtualflightsurgeon.com

Good friend of mine had one eye and a Commercial, so it can be done.