How commonly do people fail the Rucker flight physical?

[ee15]

Once they have already had a stamped Class 1 previous to getting there?

 

I know it's happened before, and I guess I'm just a worrier but here's my question...

 

I know the near visual acuity requirement is 20/20, uncorrected in either eye. A few years ago at a MEPS physical I posted a 20/25 in my right eye for near vision.

 

Fast forward to 2015, I passed a Class 1 up at JBLM no problems with 20/20 all around, and just a month ago I had to re do my MEPS physical and again got 20/20 for both eyes.

 

I've heard of guys getting to rucker and not passing their flight physical. If I had a bad day and posted a 20/25 near vision how would that get handled? I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, just wondering if that's something they would let slide, get a waiver, give me another attempt?

[UH60L-IP]

You would get glasses.

[ee15]

Oh seriously? Even though the Army regs for a class 1 say 20/20 uncorrected?

 

That would ease so much stress if I didn't have to worry about that...I dk why I worry about these things anyway.

[BM1]

Class 1 is 20/50 correctable to 20/20. I know, I was ever so slightly over that line and had to get PRK. So yea, you'd get glasses.

 

Once your in training and the rest of your career you only have to meet Class 2, wich is 20/400 correctable to 20/20.

 

AR 40-501 standards of military fitness has all the info if your in a situation where you can't get to sleep.

[ee15]

So were you able to continue flight training right after the PRK?

 

I read the regulation and the 20/50 is for distance acuity. Its 20/20 near acuity uncorrected.

[ee15]

a. Classes 1/1A.

(1) Distant visual acuity. Uncorrected distant visual acuity greater 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 line on the Armed Forces Vision Tester (AFVT) or projected Snellen chart at 20 feet.

(2) Near visual acuity. Uncorrected near visual acuity greater than 20/20 in each eye; with no more than 1 error per line on the AFVT or Snellen near visual acuity card.

[BM1]

Gotcha, I missed that you were looking for near instead of far.

 

Just got selected, I had a six month wait after PRK for MEPS, i believe its a 6 week wait if your already a pilot but not entirely sure on that one.

 

Atleast once you get to the flight portion that worry will go away.

 

b. Classes 2/2F/3/4. Same as Class 1, except as listed below:
(1) Distant and near visual acuity. Uncorrected acuity worse than 20/400 in either eye at distance or near, or vision
not correctable to 20/20 in each eye as outlined in paragraph 4-12a(1) and (2).

 

b. Class 2 standards apply to—
(1) Student aviators after beginning training at aircraft controls or as determined by Chief, Army Aviation Branch.
(2) Rated Army aviators (AR 600–105).
(3) The DAC pilots.

[ee15]

Gotcha. I think they do a class 1 before WOCS and then another right before flight training. I'm just curious how they would handle someone if they had an off day and got 20/25 when they have shown 20/20 on previous physicals, just prior to flight training when you don't qualify for a class 2 quite yet.

[Ritter]

You're good, man. Don't sweat it.

[stearmann4]

The one piece of advice I can give with regards to vision; If you've had eye surgery (PRK or Lasik) and you're a year or so post surgery, there have been a couple flight surgeons who have casually recommended "Don't bother even mentioning it on your screening because nobody will ever know unless they map the eye". Guess what's the very first thing Rucker does when they update you're flight physical? The entire class lines up at the clinic and they map the eye.

 

There have been some classes where they've lost 3 or 4 students right off the bat for integrity violations. Eye surgery gives you eagle-vision, and it's legal provided you're the requisite amount of time post surgery, there's no reason to keep it a secret.

 

Mike-