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Dear Captain Lim,
Many thanks for your reply! What is the real difference between a PPL & a CPL? Does a PPL make one a corporate jet flyer? I am okay with that too. Does my
age act against me? Not in the US though.
GOD bless you.....actually...you already are BLESSED!! Doing JUST what you wanted to do....ask me, I can tell you what it feels like when you do what you don't want to do...and then to earn a living out of that!!
Cordially,
Glen Reuben
Hi Glen,
Below are the clarifications for the three main pilot licenses:-
A PPL or Private Pilot License(UK)/Certificate(US) lets the pilot carry passengers and provides for limited business use of an airplane.
A CPL or Commercial Pilot License(UK)/Certificate(US) lets the pilot conduct some operations for compensation and hire.
An ATPL or Airline Transport Pilot License(UK)/Certificate(US) is required to fly as captain by some air transport operations.
A PPL only provide for limited business use and I believe you cannot use it to fly a corporate jet for hire but there is no age limit for this category as long as you pass your medical check once in every two years.
I would like to clarify on the classification of the Medical Certificates. Medical certificates are designated as first-class, second-class, or third-class. Generally, first-class (Class I) is designed for the airline transport pilot; second-class (Class II) for the commercial pilot; and third-class (Class III) for the student, recreational and private pilot. In my earlier reply, I mentioned that you could be awarded a Class II Medical Certificate for the PPL. In fact, it should be a Class III for a PPL.
I have made further researches from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) website about your color blindness problem. Below are the details:- Applicants for medical certification must be able to see the colors they need to perform airman duties safely. Aviation Medical Examiners (AME) check color vision by using special color plates. Contact your local AME at http://ame.cami.jccbi.gov/ If you can't pass the initial color vision test but otherwise meet medical standards, we may issue you a medical certificate with the limit "NOT VALID FOR NIGHT FLIGHT OR BY COLOR SIGNAL CONTROL." If you have a medical certificate bearing a color vision limitation, you may request re-evaluation by writing to:
Aerospace Medical Certification Division, AAM-300
Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125
The medical examiner will probably ask you to demonstrate your ability to perform tasks that require color vision by giving you a signal light test. The Aerospace Medical Certification Division will consider the results of the test in re-evaluating you."
In fact, another reader, Andrew Cooper has also emailed me after reading your problem. Below is an extract:-
I was very touched to read about Glen's color blindness. I want you to email and let him know that I have researched his condition and it is really not a big deal. At least, to be a private pilot as well as certain flying jobs for hire, the FAA regulations say that an applicant with color blindness may not fly at night only. However, if the applicant can demonstrate to an FAA examiner that he/she can differentiate between the red and green light gun signals from the tower, the night restriction will be lifted.
Therefore, since he stated that he can distinguish between red and green, he should then be able to fly unrestricted, even at night. Hope that helps.
So there you are. Your chances of becoming a pilot is now brighter!
All the best to your future flying endeavors.
Dear Captain Lim,
Seeing you going that extra mile through a web site of your own and answering queries, despite the fatigue and flying schedule, has really touched me! I want to thank you abundantly for the detailed answers.
Enormous thanks also go to remarkable Andrew Cooper who empathized with me and did his bit in easing my burden.
I will see how I could get my way to my Old Love. I have just spoken to a lady this morning who said that her brother, 15 years ago, made a bold move of pursuing what he loved: Flying. In India, (where originally I too, am from) they were excessively strict, but here in the US, her brother took to flying, initially starting on a $12,000 pa (15 years ago!) salary (yes, in the US, its still that bad, but now its around $20,000 for a start) but now, he is earning a handsome amount with FedEx. He was around 35 when he did it and raising 3 kids!!
Many thanks dear Captain and Mr. Cooper. A mighty GOD Bless.
Cordially, Glen Reuben
(New York)
Dear Capt Lim,
Thanks for passing the information about color blindness on to Glen Reuben. Again, if he can differentiate between red, green and white lights, he is okay. One word of caution though. If he chooses to take an FAA administered light gun signal test and he fails, he will have a permanent night prohibition on his certificate. Therefore, I would highly recommend that, if and when he meets with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) to obtain his medical. certificate, he should take the preliminary test from the AME first. In this test you will have to be able to differentiate between red, green and white. It sounds like this will suffice since he said he only has problems with faint colors. Only if by some chance he can't pass the AME's color test (red, white green) will the examiner perform the actual light gun signals test. Remember too that there will be no day restriction at all in the worst case scenario.
Just to let you know that there are thousands and thousands of pilots flying with very serious medical conditions, such as complete deafness, paraplegia, type 1 diabetes, MS, manic depression and many many more. A few sites you or Glen might want to check out are http://www.aviationmedicine.com and http://www.leftseat.com . Both these sites have a lot of information as well as a chart of each medical condition and the number of airmen certified with it, broken down by class 1, 2 and 3.
Thanks again for relaying the information to Glen. I am sure he is very relieved and I strongly urge him to get as many certificates and ratings as he desires.
Andrew Cooper.
Dear Captain,
In fact, your website has been able to fuel in me, some of the lost passion for flying! Its a horrible life I have lived when considering that my first writings on the wall were not ABC but drawing planes even before nursery! (as told by Mom). By teens, I would sit on the aerodrome wall watching for hours, the parked planes! I left school early to join a Flight School....only to be shooed away unreasonably! Anyway, much of the passion was lost over the years and I hope to steer it up again.
Please extend my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Cooper whose keen kindness is indeed touching, once again. Yes, both of his e-mails have soothed me much and with Blessings from them I wish to do something about my life. It has not been easy to do stuff that never interested me and the burden of being fired every other year despite a granite personality which only a CPL could complete and compliment.
Though slow of learning, my mind would be provoked at studies related to flying and hope I can claim that interest once again!
Enormous thanks, to both of you!! GOD Bless.
Cordially,
Glen Reuben (New York)
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