Color Vision/Deficiency Adventures!

jtuttle18974 Newcomer PA

I Took my class 3 student pilot medical and passed everything but the color vision portion of the test. I found somebody with a farnsworth lantern...took 2 months and passed by the skin of my teeth. I called the FAA Regional medical office and was told that the farnsworth is only acceptable for pilots and Not an ATC. I didn't like that answer so i called their office in OK and was told that it is an acceptable test, just that you have to fail the Dvorine test first and then and only then would the farnsworth be an acceptable substitute. Anybody else jumping through any color vision hoops?

cjursik Rookie Ohio

I havent had any but a few years ago at my old flight school I had a buddy who failed his vision test for his medical. You have to be able to read the proper gun signal colors that towers use. Green White Red etc....

irishcarbomb Moderator Houston, TX

my old roommate was red-green deficient...got a first class medical by memorizing the color charts

jtuttle18974 Newcomer PA

A Farnsworth Lantern test is pretty much like a light gun test.....Tests your ability to distinguish Red,Green and whiteWhite with two colors at a time. ....kind of like a light gun and as far as i still know is an acceptable alternative, but am kind of nervous still. Im pretty sure i can pass a light gun, but i hope it doesnt have to go that far......Did your room mate memorize the dvorine plates?

irishcarbomb Moderator Houston, TX

not sure if thats what they are called but they were the ones with all the little dots and you're sposed to read a number.

he did ok when the colors were apart (in the case of position lights) but not when they were close (the colored dot test)....it would appear brown

Muneco Epic Member

I tried taking the test with my color set to black and white and I was not able to see the number. How the hell did he do it? (Im not color blind)

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noid Curtis E. Carr Jawja

The first time I took the colorblind test, when I got to the image that did NOT have a number in it I sat there for a while trying to MAKE a number out of the dots. I felt like an idiot when I finally gave up and told them I didn't see one. They kinda laughed and said if I had seen a number, we'd have had issues to deal with.

LS024 Rookie

What happens if you get to the eye test part of the interview and you cant pass the color test? Are you just done? Is there any waivers for ATC?

BoomerSooner77 I am rubber, you're glue. Plano, TX

They'll give you a form to go see a specialist on your dime to validate the results.

Muneco Epic Member

I havent heard of the FAA allowing someone to work as an ATC while not passing the color blind tests. Im assuming of course you cannot tell the difference between red and green?