The answer is yes. You would have to take the OPTEC-900 at each flight physical to keep the restriction off the certificate.
Here was the original post I made a while back.
Here is the status of the color vision issue.
If you fail the pseudoisochromatic color plate test at the time of your FAA physical exam, the aviation medical examiner (AME) may issue your medical certificate with the limitation “Not valid for night flying or color signal control.” To have the restriction removed, you may choose to take one of the FAA-approved alternate color vision tests (Keystone, Dvorine, Titmus, FALANT, etc.). If you successfully complete the alternate test, you will be considered as having acceptable color vision for the FAA.
You will need to take a color vision test each time you reapply for a medical certificate. I suggest you try to take the same test that you previously passed each time you reapply.
If you cannot pass one of the alternate tests, you have another option that requires taking an operational color vision test (OCVT) at the flight standards district office (FSDO).
For third class medicals: If you cannot successfully complete an alternative color plate test, you will be required to pass an operational color vision test (OCVT). This test has
two components:
(a) A
signal light test administered at an airport air traffic control tower; and
(b) A
practical test in which you must read and correctly identify colors on aeronautical charts.
Upon successful completion of both elements of the OCVT, the aviation safety inspector will issue a
letter of evidence and a medical certificate with the limitation
“3rd Class Letter of Evidence.”
If you fail the signal light test portion of the OCVT during daylight hours, you will be able to retake the test at night. If you pass the nighttime test, your medical restriction will read,
“Not valid for flights requiring color signal control during daylight hours.” If you cannot pass the OCVT during day or night hours, the restriction will read,
“Not valid for night flying or by color signal control.”
Important note: If you fail the daytime signal light test, you will not be eligible for either first or second class medical certification, may not be issued a letter of evidence, and may not have the limitation modified or removed.
For first or second class medicals:
(a) Successful completion of an
operational color vision test (OCVT) described above; and
(b) A
color vision medical flight test (MFT). This is an actual flight test and requires the following:
(1) You must read and correctly interpret in a timely manner aviation instruments or displays, particularly those with colored limitation marks, and colored instrument panel lights, especially marker beacon lights, warning or caution lights, weather displays, etc.
(2) You must recognize terrain and obstructions in a timely manner; select several emergency landing fields, preferably under marginal conditions, and describe the surface (for example, sod, stubble, plowed field, presence of terrain roll or pitch, if any), and also describe how the conclusions were determined, and identify obstructions such as ditches, fences, terraces, low spots, rocks, stumps, and, in particular, any gray, tan, or brown objects in green fields.
(3) You must visually identify in a timely manner the location, color, and significance of aeronautical lights. To minimize the effect of memorizing the color of a light associated with a particular light system, the aviation safety inspector should make every effort to not use the light system name during the flight, but rather to ask you to identify a light color and the significance of as many of the following lights as possible:
(a). Colored lights of other aircraft in the vicinity;
(b). Runway approach lights, including both the approach light system (ALS) and visual glideslope indicators;
(c). Runway edge light system;
(d). Runway end identifier lights;
(e). In-runway lighting (runway centerline [CL] lights, touchdown zone [TDZ] lights, taxiway lead-off lights, and land and hold short lights);
(f). Airport boundary lights;
(g).Taxiway lights (edge lights, CL lights, clearance bar lights, runway guard lights, and stop bar lights;
(h).Red warning lights on television towers, high buildings, stacks, etc.;
(i). Airport beacon lights.
If you pass the operational color vision test (OCVT) and the color vision medical flight test, the inspector will issue a letter of evidence that’s valid for all classes and a medical certificate with no limitation or comment regarding color vision.
If you fail the signal light test portion of the OCVT during daylight hours, you will be able to retake the test at night. If you pass the nighttime test, your medical restriction will read,
“Not valid for flights requiring color signal control during daylight hours.” If you cannot pass the OCVT during day or night hours, the restriction will read,
“Not valid for night flying or by color signal control.”
The incident that started this change was when a FedEx Boeing 727 crashed in 2002. The NTSB investigation determined that the first officer’s color vision deficiency was one of several causal factors. A result of that investigation was a change in the FAA procedures for removing the operational restrictions for color vision deficiency.
You can still use the FALANT to get a medical without a restriction but you must do it each time you renew the medical. (The FAA requires a color vision test at each medical unless there is a Letter of Evidence). If you are marginal on color vision, the OCVT is going to be a problem.
I don't look for them to pull the letters of evidence already issued ( this would take a great amount of work on their part.) The above rules went into effect July 24, 2008.
Good comment, vandriver.
So to restate my original question:
If a pilot never took a Signal Light Test and only failed, lets say, the Ishihara color vision test during an AME physical, then the restriction, "NOT VALID FOR NIGHT FLIGHT OR BY COLOR SIGNAL CONTROL" would be placed on the Medical Certificate.
Then, if the pilot passes the Optec 900 color vision test during the pilot's next visit to another AME, will the restriction be removed from his/her Medical Certificate? According to My Flight Surgeon's response above, it appears that the answer would still be yes.
Thanks again!
