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Becoming a CVD Commercial Pilot - From the UK to Canada Route Explained

Ollie Seaward

By Ollie Seaward



My journey started when I was about five or six years old. Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around family vacations. I remember sitting in an Airbus A321, captivated by the sensation of acceleration as the engines powered up. The initial hum of the engines transitioning to a thunderous roar when the pilot engaged manual flex, ignited a passion within me to fly for the rest of my life. At that young age, I had no idea how costly flying could be, and I realised that if I wanted to experience it daily, I would need to become a pilot. That was the spark that set my dreams in motion. Like many aspiring pilots, I was determined to make my dream a reality. However, one day while watching a TV show with my family, I encountered a moment of confusion. The show featured a series of coloured dots, and the host asked the children to read the numbers displayed. My parents and sister could see them clearly, but I was unable to, leaving me puzzled.

 

A few weeks later, I found myself at my local Specsavers for an eye appointment, where the optometrist informed me that I would be taking a colour vision test. To my dismay, I failed it quite badly. My mother, concerned, asked the optometrist about my dream of becoming a pilot, sharing that her grandfather had aspired to fly in the Royal Air Force during the war but was rejected due to his colour vision deficiency. The optometrist told me that with my level of colour vision deficiency , pursuing a career as a pilot was not feasible. I was heartbroken. Yet, I didn’t let that stop me; my dream remained alive.


I dove into learning about aviation, setting up flight simulators at a young age, and discovering the exhilarating process of flying. It was far more enjoyable than just being a passive observer. When I was around eleven, my father and I did a lot of research and concluded that even if I didn’t pass the Ishihara test, as long as I could ace the CAD test, I could still obtain a class one medical certificate.

 

The CAD test was supposedly tailored for aspiring pilots with colour vision deficiencies, which sounded perfect to me! I figured all I had to do was track a square moving across a screen—much simpler than the Ishihara test, I thought. So, we scheduled the CAD test at an aviation medical facility at London Heathrow. When I arrived and began the test, things quickly took a turn for the worse. I failed spectacularly, being classified with moderate to severe colour deficiency, which meant I could never safely operate an aircraft. I remember that moment in tears, sitting in my dads car in the aviation medical carpark, on the approach path to London Heathrow, as clear as day. The harsh reality hit me and my options dwindled. Unsure of my next steps, I convinced myself that perhaps my initial failure was due to stress. A few years later, at the age of fourteen, I retook the test, only to receive the same disappointing results.

 

Eventually, I had to abandon my dream of becoming a pilot in the United Kingdom due to the CAD being the only option for testing, but it made me curious about the regulations in other countries. My father and I turned to Google for answers, diving into numerous posts on pprune, old threads on Reddit, and various flying forums. We even reached out to several pilots who generously took the time to respond. Through our research, we discovered that other countries in the world had a much more sensible regulations to colour vision and even have practical tests. I knew there might be an opportunity to pursue a pilot's licence in the United States, where they appeared to offer a light gun test along with a practical flying assessment.

 

So, what if I travelled to the USA to take these tests that could pave my way to becoming a pilot? I reached out to the FAA through calls and emails. Keep in mind, this was during the height of COVID, which meant long wait times (my poor dad's phone bill!) and weeks of waiting for email responses. Eventually, I discovered that I could indeed come over, get a Class III FAA medical certificate, complete a few flights to familiarise myself with the cockpit and its lighting, and take a test known as the OCVT. This test had two components: a light gun signal assessment and a practical exam. The practical part required me to identify the colours on various paper charts and recognise different colours in the aircraft and lighting conditions, both day and night.

 

The FAA advised taking the Farnsworth lantern test to potentially pass the light gun signal test. They recommended obtaining an FAA second class medical certificate in England. Dr. Orton in Stansted could conduct a class II FAA medical but not the Farnsworth lantern test, suggesting contacting London City University. However, they didn't offer the Farnsworth lantern test but a comprehensive color vision assessment. The assessment in November 2021 included Ishihara, AO-HRR pseudoisochromatic plates, City University (2 ed.), Farnsworth D15, Nagel Anomaloscope, and the CAD test. Results showed a moderate to severe color deficiency, diminishing FAA test chances. Passing the D15 test was not recognized by the FAA.


I sent my results to another doctor because I was still determined to find an FAA AME in the UK who could administer the Farnsworth lantern test, which Dr. Tallent had. I made an appointment with him, but it turned out to be a total disaster; he suggested I should consider a different career path. After that, I was nearly ready to give up, but I remembered a test I had passed—could it be useful somewhere? After some searching online, I discovered that Canada accepted the D15 test, so I went back to Dr. Tallent, who offered a TC class I medical. With an email from TC confirming the acceptance of the D15, I finally obtained an unrestricted class 1 medical. However, I was paranoid about the approval and kept emailing TC, fearing they might deny it. It took five months for the official letter to arrive in the mail, It was on of the best days of my life! I took my class I on the 24th of January 2022.

 

At seventeen in January 2022, I enrolled at Harv's Air flight school and planned my trip to Canada for training in August. I completed my A levels in May and June while preparing for exams like PSTAR, ROC-A, and my PPL written test. I departed from London Gatwick on August 24th and started my PPL training on September 1st, finishing by December 5th.

 

During my Multi IFR training, I had the opportunity to fly with a captain from a company that operates King Airs. He complimented my flying skills and casually suggested that if I ever wanted to pilot King Airs, I should reach out to him. I chuckled at the comment, thinking he was just joking, and moved on to the next phase of my training to become an instructor. I was determined to stay at Harvs for several years because I loved the environment and the school. However, in January 2024, this captain reached out to me with an offer to provide a reference for a first officer role on a King Air 100.

 

At just 19, I had my doubts about whether I could take on the challenge of flying "big planes." I kept telling myself I wasn't ready, but two thoughts kept nagging at me. First, how many people get a chance like this? Second, I knew I would regret it if I didn’t at least give it a shot. So, despite my nerves, I seized the opportunity, and a month later, I landed the job! By June 5th, I had completed my pilot competency check and wrapped up my training, officially stepping into line training.


Mission accomplished at the age of 20! To those who enforce the colour vision regulations in England, you’ve turned away a capable and committed individual who never backed down. I believe that one day, the ECDAA team will make a difference, allowing me to reunite with my family and fly G registered aircraft. For now, I bid farewell, and I hope anyone reading this who has faced challenges with colour deficiency in pursuing a pilot career continues to seek their path. Remember, we won’t let those who have never set foot in a cockpit determine what qualifies someone to fly safely. Never give up and never give in!


So that was my story. Lets now discuss the actual process involved in becoming a commercial pilot within Canada as a foreigner with colour deficiency. I will speak from my experience alone, it is not the only way to do things and not necessarily the most optimal way and things may have changed since I completed my training.

 

Stage 1:

  • Book a Farnsworth D15 test [London City University offers this] and complete this. The results MUST CONTAIN following:

 The Farnsworth D-15 results must include the date of the test; the identity of the applicant; and the name, qualifications, and contact information of the eye specialist who conducted the examination (eg. (optometrist/ophthalmologist)” - Quoted from TC (Transport Canada)


Stage 2:

  • Book an initial Class 1 Transport Canada Medical

  • Ensure whoever you do the Farnsworth D15 with emails you the results

  • Once at the medical, the AME may still do an Ishihara test, but it doesn’t matter if you fail, tell them you have D15 results in hand, TC does accept it and to attach the results to the initial email to TC [Some AME’s may not be aware, especially overseas as its quite rare]

  • If the initial Class 1 medical is passed, you can continue.


Stage 3:

  • School selection, select a flight school in Canada that accepts international students and is a DLI [Designated learning institution - This basically allows you to obtain a study permit easily]

  • Choose a school that allows you to do the following licences and ratings:


1.    Private pilots licence

2.    Night rating

3.    Commercial pilots licence

4.    Multi-Engine rating

5.    Instrument rating [You will need a “Group 1 Instrument rating” to fly Multi-engine aircraft under instrument flight rules, short hand is Multi-IFR]

6.    This is optional, instructor rating and a school which could hire you as a flight instructor after completing your rating.

 


Currently there are say three ways to get your first job “flying around passengers or cargo or any other paid work where you are not teaching”. Technically if you are an instructor you are a hired commercial pilot, I think its important new pilots know this.

 

Instructor route: Obtain an instructor rating, “build hours” [I hate that wording, please don’t become an instructor if your not going to at least try to help these guys, imagine yourself in their position, you would feel horrible and used if your instructor didn’t care and just wanted to fly with you so they could log more hours quickly!]. Once you have enough hours, you can apply for positions.

 

Ground staff route: This option is great for those who don’t want to teach but can take a long time to get a position flying again. You work within a company that offers ground to flight positions and typically are offered a job within two years of working, but hey I have zero experience taking this route, this is what I’ve heard from others.

 

Internal reference / interview route: As mentioned previously, this was the route I took, simply by it being the right moment at the right time,I was very lucky to fly with a current charter pilot. The vast majority of “pilots flying around passengers or cargo or any other paid work where you are not teaching” never return to instruct, so unless you know them from connections or are friends with them, it could be tricky to get an internal reference straight away. The industry is constantly changing and companies could hire straight away, but as I have little experience in this industry, I wouldn’t like to comment much on this.

 

Breakdown of flight training course.

 

Note:

-All written exams are multiple choice (4 options) and are done on a computer and the amount of questions varies from 25 to 100.

 

-FT stands for flight test

 

Licence / Rating

What needs to be done

PPL

●     ROC-A written

●     PSTAR written

-Once ROC-A and PSTAR are complete you can go solo, [other flying requirements must be met, instructor will specify the details]

●     PPL written

●     4 cross countries [This means flying from one airport to another using a map]

●     Dual flight training for flight test

●     PPL FT

●     Dual flying of using only the instruments to fly [very basic]

●     Study aircrafts POH [Pilot operating handbook]

Checkout

●     While not an official exam, a qualified person can check you out to fly on an aircraft which has similar characteristics to the aircraft you have done your flight test on, e.g. I did my PPL FT in a C152, I required a checkout for a C172.

●     No written exams required

●     Study the aircrafts POH and demonstrate you are safe in that aircraft

●     No flight test required

●     Usually only 1-3 flights required until you can fly it solo and checkout is complete

Night rating

 

 

 

 

 

 

●     A few duals and a few solos

●     A  cross country

●     No flight test

●     No written

●     Night flying theory [Oral testing from instructor]

●     Dual flying of using only the instruments to fly [more complex]

CPL

●     CPL written

●     Lots of solo cross countries [The most fun you will have in your entire training, literally fly around anywhere you want, within reason!]

●     Lots of solo practice for CPL FT

●     A long solo cross country [around 5H, but you can make it special and go very far away from home!]

●     Some dual training for the CPL FT

●     Dual flying of using only the instruments to fly [more complex]

●     CPL FT

●     Study aircrafts POH

 

Multi-engine rating

●     Multi engine aerodynamics to study

●     Aircrafts POH

●     All dual flying [No solo]

●     Multi-engine FT

Multi-engine Instrument rating

●     Dual flying using only the instruments, but it differs from PPL and CPL instrument flying because your trained to takeoff, fly enroute and land all under instrument meteorological conditions [Basically when there is very low clouds and low visibility]

 

 

Once you have your licence in hand CPL+MULTI IFR, legally you can be hired for most jobs (A few jobs may offer just VFR work hence only CPL is required). Once hired, depending on the aircraft you may require a type rating or type training. The company typically does this (All paid for by the company) and will do company indoctrination training (Other bits and bobs to do with the job). Then depending on the aircraft and your role (If you are hired as pilot in command or second in command), you will complete a pilot proficiency check or a pilot competency check. After that you are into “line indoctrination”, which typically consists of only being allowed to fly with more senior captains until you have a bit of experience and then are released to fly with any captain. From my own experience so far, I have learnt so much more actually on the job and I am still learning so much.

 

If you would like to learn more about certain licences and requirements I would recommend asking the flight schools directly. Sure Transport Canada will obviously have all the answers, but it can be quite tricky to find some information on their website and it may take a much longer time for email replies.

 


1 comentário


Oliver King
Oliver King
02 de nov. de 2024

Congratulations on making it! I'm actually in the same situation as you, and I was wondering if I could ask a few questions about the process. Thanks!

Curtir
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