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Hi all, Headed to Wright Patt for my FC1 soon. Can anyone give clarity on what the flight doc looks for when you're asked to perform the Valsalva? I know they look for movement of the tympanic membrane/eardrum but I was hoping to find more clarity on this. I have some scarring my on eardrums from childhood ear infections that otherwise do not affect my hearing or ability to equalize. The Valsalva in particular allows me to clear my ears, though I only hear the "pop" in my left ear. I had a civilian ENT observe this as well and they were able to verify seeing movement in the left ear drum but not the right. I have much better success clearing both ears with the Toynbee Maneuver (swallowing with nose closed) and have used this for scuba diving and unpressurized flights with zero issues (I hear a equally loud pop/clearance for both ears). If I combine this maneuver with the Valsalva, my ears will clear 100% of the time, however I'm not sure that this would generate the ear drum movement in my right ear that the doc may be looking for. That being said, should I expect the flight doc to be evaluating this solely on eardrum movement? I'm guessing they will also ask if your ears cleared, which in my case the answer would truthfully be a yes, even if not visible. In others' experience, could I expect the doc to "take my word for it?" If not, would additional baro chamber testing be expected or allowed? Upon recently reviewing my MEPS paperwork, the doc marked UNSAT for my Valsalva after previously marking and crossing out SAT, which has prompted my concern around this issue. This test seems partly subjective and it would be helpful to know the general outlook that the flight doc may have on this as far as eardrum movement and non Valsalva equalizations go. Interestingly, the Valsalva is mentioned in the Waiver Guide as the standard benchmark for evaluation but mentions the Toynbee and Frenzel maneuvers as safer alternatives to achieve the same result in the very next sentence. Any insight, advice, or recent experience would be greatly appreciated!

I'm an AFROTC cadet with a slot for pilot training and recently encountered some issues with my flight physical. Wright Pat had my medical records with a history of asthma (before my 13th birthday which is the waiverable date for childhood asthma). With that in my record, they sent me in to take a PFT and MCT. I learned that I had failed the PFT and was bad enough the pulmonologist didn't let me take the MCT. (The specific issues was a low FEV1/FVC w/o the bronchodialator and a >200cc increase in FEV1 post-bronchodialator.) I was then told that this is disqualifying for pilot but that I could appeal and probably still have a shot at commissioning. Since then, I took a PFT and MCT with my home pulmonologist. I failed the MCT on the last dose (my FEV1 finally went below 80% of my baseline on that 5th trial). I'm waiting on the official civilian doctor's interpretation of those results. The last big point on the issue is that I'm a fit runner and considered myself asymptomatic of any asthma related issue for over a decade and well before my 13th birthday. I've run a marathon in the 2:30's and can run 5k's and 10k's in the cold or in dusty, dry indoor tracks w/o issue. I'm not debating that I have measurable lung restriction as I got a good look at the research indicating exercise induced asthma can be common in cardio sports. However, I would like to know if my situation is different if I don't have symptoms that would warrant treatment for EIB (other than the positive asthma tests). In other words, if I can be a strong runner without medical aid, do I still carry the same risk as a pilot or even a military officer in general? My question, given the diagnosis of mild asthma but also over a decade of no symptoms and athletic ability, where y'all think I can go from here. I believe I can make a strong case for myself to commission into the Air Force but if possible, I'm wondering if there's any shot of recovering my pilot slot. I've read through all the pertinent DoD and Air Force regs including the Aeromedical Waiver guide. Things don't look good from the pilot side reg wise. However, I believe my verifiable lack of symptoms meets the explicit requirements for entry into the DoD and Air Force, especially if my backup AFSC is in engineering or space ops.

I know this topic was somehwhat covered but I just thought I would ask so I could clear it all up. I had a pilonidal cyst surgically removed this past week and was wondering how that would affect my flight physical down the road. I looked it up in the AFI for Medical Standards for Flying Duty and it states "Pilonidal Cyst, if there is a history of inflammation or discharging sinus in the 2 years preceeding the examination. Surgery for pilonidal cyst or sinus is disqualifying until the wound is healed, there are no referable symptoms, and no further treatment or medication is required." The surgeon that performed my surgery stated that it will heal in a month or so, which is good. If everything works out with receiving a pilot slot, I will probably go for my flight physical around this time next year. So I am assuming that I am good in hopes if everything heals correctly. Also how should I go about telling my cadre about this at my ROTC Detachment? Would really appreciate any thoughts or advice anyone has in this particular topic! THANKS!

Hello all, I took my first class flight physical for the Air Force Reserves back in December and unfortunately found myself disqualified, due to color vision. I just recently got word that they lowered the color vision standards for the Air Force. Passing is now a 55 (not sure how the scale works), but I now pass in one eye with a 55 and fail in the other with a 50. I was seeking advice on how to potentially get re tested. Should I try to fight for another FC1 test? Do they even offer that? I was also told to maybe find someone who offers the CCT and submit the test. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks. -Cody J. Burd