Airline Medical

[E-Flyer]

Hi I have a question.

How is it that regular people pass the cat 1 exam, but then fail the airline exam?

How is it that there are literally morbidly obese pilot's flying for the major op's of this country? I am curious as to what it is that the airlines are looking for.

What is it that causes them to turn you down? what is done on the airline medical that is not done on the cat 1 medical.


This has always been an interesting concept for me ! If any body could answer that would be great.

[Jaques Strappe]

The shortest answer I can offer you would be that your CAT 1 medical is simply a snapshot of your health today, or at the time of your medical. A simple pass or fail. An airline interview medical will look a little deeper in an attempt to discover something that although may not be an issue now, could possibly be an issue down the line, after they have made a substantial investment in you. It is not an exact science but more risk assessment. ( Kind of like an insurance company requiring a medical before they will sell you life insurance. ) They don't want a pilot to be on a long term disability 1 year into the job. Generally speaking, the doctor who does a basic CAT 1 really could not care less, so long as you are healthy on the day you see him.

I am not sure about today but when I got hired the medical consisted of blood work, ECG, lung capacity test, glaucoma test, vision, audiogram, prostate exam, and urine analysis. That is all I can remember anyway.

Once you are hired, it goes back to the simple "snap shot" CAT 1 medical for the most part, although they do continue with blood work for trend monitoring.

Obesity is death by crew meals.

[E-Flyer]

Then how is it that there are so many pilots walking around at airports with big bellies and man boobs? Do they seriously have nothing going against them?

[Jaques Strappe]

Then how is it that there are so many pilots walking around at airports with big bellies and man boobs? Do they seriously have nothing going against them?

I am assuming that these guys you are referring to have already been hired. I am sure they get a lecture during the recurrent medical but if they have already been hired and continue to pass the CAT 1, then that is about all they are going to get unless something shows up on the blood work or ECG. Some do not even do the ongoing blood work because it is not actually a CAT 1 requirement. Lets face it, a basic CAT 1 medical is not really that in depth. I get a more thorough medical exam from my family doctor each year.

Do they have nothing going against them? Sure they do, probably as much as the tall thin pilot outside having a butt with his double double.

[E-Flyer]

Haha true !

I heard west jet just requires a cat 1 medical? so do they just care about you being healthy 1 day / week? I am not bashing them as I know there's always Drama between these two carriers on these boards.

How does it work with WJA? Is a CAT 1 sufficient I guess? Healthy 1 day / season and eat junk food for the rest of the 10 months, diet the last 2 months to pass ... and then again ?

[yycflyguy]

Haha true !

I heard west jet just requires a cat 1 medical?

They just require the medical, ATPL not necessary.

The above joke was posted yesterday and censored by the Mods... after all the shots posters have made in the past about AC hiring procedures I don't get why this post would get deleted. Less censorship on the AvChina forum

[Jaques Strappe]

yycflyguy


Which joke was that? Was it the one where they hired a guy only to find that he didn't actually have a license?

[yycflyguy]

yycflyguy


Which joke was that? Was it the one where they hired a guy only to find that he didn't actually have a license?

Yeah, seems it is ok to question AC hiring practices but when this dude forges his way into an airline gig at WS all jokes and references were deleted.

What up with you?

[tonysoprano]

..that's cause the "Dawg" ain't a big fan of AC, dude.

[Jaques Strappe]

Hey flyguy

Sup?

Well, at least they caught this guy before he actually flew any airplanes and even if he had the only disaster would have been a public relations one. I wonder what happens though to the internal references he used? I would imagine that had a large bearing on him getting hired because Westjet relies on internal references which in the past, has always worked well.