eyesight qustions

[ade123]

I'm just wondering, but what is the eyesight requirement to become a pilot? I'm nearsighted and need to wear glasses, so I'm wondering if that job is open to me.

[matthew.ritchie]

I've quoted the regulation below, but basically if you're wearing glasses, you violate the vision standard. You can get lasik at your own expense, and after a year you can apply for flight status with a waiver, but that's still no guarantee (lasik doesn't necessarily solve all vision problems completely). If you go that route, I strongly recommend getting into the Guard in some other capacity now, because prior military service will cause the waiver authorities to look on you more favorably.


AR 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness

Chapter 4
Medical Fitness Standards For Flying Duty

4–12. Vision
The causes of medical unfitness for flying duty Classes 1/1A/2/2F/3/4 are the following:
a. Classes 1/1A. Any disqualifying condition must be referred to optometry or ophthalmology for verification.
(1) Distant visual acuity. Uncorrected distant visual acuity worse than 20/50 in each eye. If the distant visual acuity
is 20/50 or better in either eye, each eye must be correctable to 20/20 with no more than 1 error per 5 presentations of
20/20 letters, in any combination, on either the Armed Forces Vision Tester (AFVT) or any projected Snellen chart set
at 20 feet. (See ATB, Distant Visual Acuity Testing and APL, Decreased Visual Acuity.)
(2) Near visual acuity. Uncorrected near visual acuity worse than 20/20 in each eye; with no more than 1 error per 5
presentations of 20/20 letters, in any combination, on the AFVT or any Snellen near visual acuity card.

[port454]

4 years in the Marines in Infantry and Security, discharged as E-5 in 2004 from IRR, Top Secret Clearance, BA from Ohio State and 2 years Police exp. in Columbus. Interested in Officer route, but I don't want to play boot camp games at OCS for 18 months.

Are there any options?

[matthew.ritchie]

4 years in the Marines in Infantry and Security, discharged as E-5 in 2004 from IRR, Top Secret Clearance, BA from Ohio State and 2 years Police exp. in Columbus. Interested in Officer route, but I don't want to play boot camp games at OCS for 18 months.

Are there any options?

Yes, you can play ROTC games for four semesters (presuming you'll be age 32 or younger at time of commissioning).

You can also enlist for the traditional (18 month) OCS course, and then apply for the accelerated OCS course (eight weeks). Because you're prior service, you are highly, highly likely to get approved. It's in your state's interest to get you qualified quickly, but they don't want to send people to the accelerated course who aren't prepared. You sound reasonably prepared, so once you've demonstrated yourself, I'm confident you'll get the accelerated course. Visit the OCS page (http://www.1800goguard.com/prior/ocs.php) for additional guidance. When you speak to your Recruiter, insist on the OCS Enlistment contract (code 09S).

For clarity for all readers of this post, let me state that the 18 month course isn't 18 full months, but 18 months of monthly weekend drills and two two-week summer training periods. Training happens in your home state, and you go back to your life in between training periods.