I am 14, with glasses and bad eye vision. Can I still become an airline pilot?

Question

My dad's friend who is an aircraft engineer, told me that I cannot be a pilot if I wear glasses. Is this completely true, or just some strict Airlines?

Answer 1

Dude, I'm blind with one eye and nearly blind with my remaining one and I'm an [almost] animator!

If you can't be a pilot thats totally absurd!

Your dad's friend is just jealous because your gonna be a better pilot than he'd ever be! Hm!

Answer 2

They allow drug addicts,so why not?

Answer 3

Cherokee is correct and has provided you the source right out of the federal aviation regulations as opposed to the other joke answers or answers made out of assumption.  I've never flown for the airllines but I've been through my commercial flight training and all the appropriate medicals and I have 20/200 vision uncorrected and wear glasses to correct my vision to 20/20 in each eye.  I know people with their ATP (essentially the highest certification a pilot can have) who fly for the airlines and have a class 1 medical  (the highest level, the one the airlines want) and guess what?  Some of them wear glasses.  Just make sure your vision is 20/20 in both eyes when your glasses or contacts are on / in.  I'd call my eye doctor and ask them to dig up my records.

Edit: I'd not do eye surgery if it isn't needed.  a few years ago a report stated 1/3 of all corrective surgery patients ended up with poor night vision.  The military doesn't routinely allow it and I can't imagine night IMC beaking out of the clouds at minimums just about to land with spotty night vision.

Answer 4

That advice the engineer gave is incorrect (I'll bet he's over 50), at least if you live in the US. It is only true if your vision is not correctable to 20/20. My vision is horrible without glasses (can't see the big E at the top of the eye chart!), but that hasn't stopped me from having a long and successful aviation career. That said, I never made it past the regional airlines to the majors, but when I was trying to get to the "big time" they had stiffer requirements and most airlines wouldn't accept a "waiver of demonstrated ability" for my glasses, which used to be required when uncorrected eyesight was worse than 20/200. That has changed, so most airlines (but not all) have dropped the requirement. Funny thing, I can usually spot airports and other air traffic easier than most guys I've flown with who have "perfect" vision.

Answer 5

no u cant be an airline pilot

Answer 6

Some airlines don't allow anyone that has less than perfect vision, or glasses, to fly.  The medical field has procedures that can correct your eyesight, like laser surgery.  If you want to be a pilot don't let your vision stand in the way.  As long as you can do something about it your dreams can turn into a promissing career.

Answer 7

Why would you need perfect eyesight?

Don't worry I want to be an Air Hostess but I also have bad eye vision so I guess we will jsut need to wear our glasses a lot!

Answer 8

It's true, you need perfect vision - remember Little Miss Sunshine when the boy wants to become a pilot but he wears glasses??

Answer 9

nO, YOU'RE TOO YOUNG, PLUS YOU CANT SEE

Answer 10

You have to have 20/20 vision

Answer 11

You have to pass a medical exam and you do have to have good vision even to get your private certificate.

But, you have some years to go and corrective eye surgery is getting REALLY good.  Keep on the positive side of things.

By the time you're old enough to really work toward a career like that, you'll be able to get that correction without even needing insurance, that's how cheap it's getting.

It does depend on how bad your vision is.  From what I understand, as long as your vision doesn't keep changing, they can usually make significant improvements.

Commercial pilots don't make as much as everybody thinks, they start at about $18,000 a year in a regional position.  captains and Senior members can do pretty well, but flying is something people do out of love for it.

Answer 12

Just get one of those Laser eye Surgeries when your older. If you cant afford it get a loan and it will pay itself in the future. The Procedure cost about 2,000 dollars an eye i think.

Answer 13

this is true you need 20\20 vision

Answer 14

I don't know, but why don't you try the Bates Method of improving your eyesight and maybe you can overcome your vision problems to do what you want.

Answer 15

if ur not middle-eastern. haha j/k

Answer 16

Sure you can. Sign up with Northwest and you can even have a drink en route to calm your nerves.

Answer 17

No.This is so not true.Im 18 years old and just recently called a DCA(Department Of Civil Aviation) doctor in my country(Malaysia) for an appointment  to obtain an aviation medical certificate and my eye power is -5.00D in both eye,i told him about it and he said it should be ok.So,its ok if your vision is not perfect.Remember,you can fly an aircraft in the airline industry as long as your vision CAN be corrected by means of glasses or lasik/laser eye surgery.By the way,study hard and take good care of your vision from now onwards.

Answer 18

I am a corporate pilot.  I hold the same level pilot certificate and medical certificate as airline pilots.  I have terrible uncorrected vision, but I'm better than 20/20 corrected.  I wear contacts whenever I fly and I have my glasses in my pocket in case I lose a contact (has never happened, but we like to be prepared for anything in this industry).

Yes, your vision needs to be CORRECTABLE to at least 20/20 to fly for the airlines.  Nobody cares what your uncorrected vision is anymore.  If you have other eye problems other than needing glasses, or if you aren't correctable to 20/20, that may be a problem.  Somebody else posted the exact wording of the regulation above.  That addresses everything.

If you are in the United States, airlines cannot require that you have perfect uncorrected vision.  Since the federal regulations stipulate that you only need to have corrected vision of 20/20, if the airlines require something better, that's now considered discrimination.  I'm not sure how other countries work, but here, we have thousands of lawyers who would love to take on a case of an airline declining a perfectly qualified person on the basis of a handicap.

<edit>: I have seen some airlines require an "unrestricted first class medical" in the past, but I haven't seen any requirements like that in the last 10 years.  I think that's the only way they could get around the discrimination problem: issue a blanket statement requiring an unrestricted medical.  I do have a restriction on my medical that I need to wear corrective lenses while flying.  Delta used to require an unrestricted medical, but I don't see that listed there anymore.

Answer 19

§ 67.103   Eye.

Eye standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are:

(a) Distant visual acuity of 20/20 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If corrective lenses (spectacles or contact lenses) are necessary for 20/20 vision, the person may be eligible only on the condition that corrective lenses are worn while exercising the privileges of an airman certificate.

(b) Near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at 16 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses. If age 50 or older, near vision of 20/40 or better, Snellen equivalent, at both 16 inches and 32 inches in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.

(c) Ability to perceive those colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties.

(d) Normal fields of vision.

(e) No acute or chronic pathological condition of either eye or adnexa that interferes with the proper function of an eye, that may reasonably be expected to progress to that degree, or that may reasonably be expected to be aggravated by flying.

(f) Bifoveal fixation and vergence-phoria relationship sufficient to prevent a break in fusion under conditions that may reasonably be expected to occur in performing airman duties. Tests for the factors named in this paragraph are not required except for persons found to have more than 1 prism diopter of hyperphoria, 6 prism diopters of esophoria, or 6 prism diopters of exophoria. If any of these values are exceeded, the Federal Air Surgeon may require the person to be examined by a qualified eye specialist to determine if there is bifoveal fixation and an adequate vergence-phoria relationship. However, if otherwise eligible, the person is issued a medical certificate pending the results of the examination.

Answer 20

It's true, you might be able to fly privately, but no airlines.

Answer 21

Jordi LaForge navigated the Starship Enterprise and he was blind.

Answer 22

No, but you could become a cab driver in New York.

Answer 23

In the US its ok as long as its corectable to 20/20.