View Full Version : Can I fly helicopters with bad vision?
Mesosphere
07-26-09, 06:25 PM
I would really love to fly helicopters in the USMC, but I wear glasses can I still fly them? My vision it not super bad like when I take my glasses off I can still tell what things are.
Any help would help me out thanks.
Hotdog75XX
07-26-09, 06:52 PM
EDIT: Fill out your profile with the basic information and will get a slightly warmer welcome here...for starters...
What kind of vision do you have? Go here. Show some initiative and search through this site.
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte/nomi/nami/arwg/Pages/AeromedicalReferenceandWaiverGuide.aspx
You can not fly as enlisted. You have to be an officer, therefore you must have a college degree. You must graduate OCS or graduate from the Naval Academy. You must have a phyiscally qualified flight physical prior to being assessed into the pipeline.
You can get PRK and some type of Lasik and get qualified.
If anyone here wants to learn about the Naval Aviation side of the house, head on over to www.AirWarriors.com
The forum is not as laxed as it is here in many aspects. Keep your head down, only post when absolutely necessary and after you've exhausted the search function. Everything you could every wish to know has been discussed thoroughly over the past several years, but if you have a very specific question, bring it up tactfully and properly.
Just use common sense if you have it.
I was talking to a Major in the USAF who is an instructor at the AFA, and I asked the same question since I do not have 20/20, he said unless you go through the academies, it is almost impossible to get a pilot slot and wear glasses, since the academy would give you a waiver for your eyes. If you still have college to go, and passed a depth perception test, I would go through college, get Lazik, and go through OCS then tryout for the Aviation side. Another Officer came into my ROTC also, he was a graduate of the same unit about 12 years ago, he also told me that Helicopters are the easiest to get, since they are slow flying, and most people want to fly the F/A-18's (He was a pilot for those), so I guess you can use that for motivation.