Flight Physical before applying

[EA-6B1]

Question that I've had in mind.

Before I go off and get PRK done, and start applying for a SNA OCS spot... wouldn't it be a good idea to go and get a real flight physical and make sure that there isn't some weird thing wrong with me that I dont know about but could NPQ me if I dont know about it?

If so, could you please inform me where to get one at? There's an ANG detachment at Nashville Int'l airport that I could go to. Anything there?

I'm just trying to make sure everything is physically "good to go" before I sign some sheet to have my eyes worked on, and then figure out that my back wasn't straight (or something bizzare like that).

Anyways, all SNA's please inform me. I really appreciate your help.

Oh yea, think about another AW member too, Wildflyin69. He's taking advanced color vision testing, and he wants SNA as bad as everyone else does. Good luck to all.
S/F

"There were many airplanes, but it was the skinny bird that scared us the most."
- Iraqi POW on the AH-1W Cobra -

 

[airgreg]

I'm going Navy, but I took a flight physical at MCAS Miramar during my application process. My recruiter set it up because I had some waiver stuff during the MEPS debacle. Definitely a good idea but I don't think recruiters like to do it -- extra work for them.

 

[nic22]

So you don't have to take a physical at OCS if you have it done by a Navy/Marine base in your area?

 

[airgreg]

Wrong. I haven't been to OCS yet, but I'm pretty sure that you won't be getting out of any physicals. For pilots, the big worry is the full flight physical for API after OCS. Taking a flight physical before just gives you some piece of mind when applying. In my case, I didn't want to go through all the application process, get through OCS and report to API only to have them disqualify me for something that should have been caught earlier.

By the way, I got a waiver for childhood asthma through MEPS. So I wanted a flight physical also to make sure that wouldn't bite me in the ass later on. The standards are more strict for aviation wannabes.

 

[kevin]

like airgreg said, taking the full flight physical before ocs is purely for piece of mind. you have to take it at ocs like everyone else. however, from what ive heard and read, the initial flight physical at ocs is more difficult and npq's far more people than the physicals happening later on (ie, the nami whammy). one thing to bear in mind about the prk waiver process is this- it used to be that you had to have prk done and then submit all your crap to the board so that you got selected and got the waiver simultaneously. now you can get selected by the board before you have the procedure done so that you dont have to go through the surgery and expense if you never get picked up. HOWEVER, having said that, you have to be medically qualified for the waiver within 3 months from time of selection by the board, and the wait for the prk waiver is 3 or 6 months depending on your presurgical refractive error. doing the math, that means if you are in the 3 month category you can wait till youre selected but have to jump on it IMMEDIATELY (meaning you should probably be doing the preoperative appts, etc., while the board is looking at you). on the other hand, if you are in the 6 month category, you obviously have to do the surgery well before you submit your application to the board (3 months to be exact). sorry this is long winded but i hope it helps.

 

[mimisoko9]

Kevin-

Where are you getting this info? It was my understanding that I had to be eligible for a waiver at the time the board saw my application, not "within three months." FYI, I am in the six-month category.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you're saying, this would be great news, as it would mean I could apply earlier. However, I'd need to show my recruiter the source of the information in order to get him to submit my app earlier. Thanks.

-Mimi

 

[nic22]

Airgreg,

How hard was it to get a childhood asthma waiver? I was diagonosed with it when exercised induced asthma as a child but never had any problems or attacks with it and I played sports through college. I think I was misdiagnosed. Should I just not tell them or is the waiver fairly easy to get?

 

[Noonan]

airgreg and kevin:

does this apply to both PLC and OCC? I was under the impression that the flight physical and its results must be in before an OCC board meets. However, I was never directly told.

 

[wildflyin69]

Kevin, my OSO won't even send me for my physical until I get my eyes fixed, so I can't send in my application until then.

"Push the stick foward, the houses get bigger; pull back, the houses get smaller... unless you keep pulling back, then they get bigger again."

 

[kevin]

let me try and sort through this.

mimisoko and wildflyin: what you're describing sounds like the old app process. i began my app process beginning last fall when it was that way. i was looking into the surgery and all that when my recruiter told me they decided to change the app process so that people were selected first by the board and then went through the physical/medical and prt. the point of this was so the navy wouldnt be wasting their time on so many people when most of them wouldnt be getting selected anyway. unless im mistaken, this is still the case. therefore as long as you will be medically qualified within that 90 days (as i mentioned) you should be able to submit your application. wildflyin...you shouldnt go for your physical till your eyes are healed. so your recruiter is correct in that aspect. however you should be able to send in your app beforehand as i understand it. if i were you, i'd call some different recruiters and ask them. there is a guy on this site who is a recruiter (should be on the right hand side of the homepage) and he answered some of my questions. try him. all i know is i got selected for sna without having all that stuff, and i dont think they did it cause im a nice guy. if im wrong somebody tell me. but then that would mean that my recruiter flat out lied when he told me id been selected for sna.

noonan: dont know if this applies to plc. i would assume it would be the same for both, but then again you know what they say about assuming.