Hearing Question!?!

bigD1031

bigD1031

Well-Known Member
I was diagnosed with a hearing loss when I was ten and because of this have been hesitant about pursuing a career as a commercial pilot. I have seen a lot of posts on this forum that AME's all do different levels of exams and I have also read that in a 1st class medical your hearing can be checked through a hearing test with a machine or having someone talk to you in a normal voice six feet behind you. So my question is this, if I took the machine test and failed could I pass if I passed the test where someone talks to you from behind? If someone can pass this test isn't it possible to be totally deaf in one ear and still pass the required hearing test? At what hearing loss do you become ineligible for a 1st class?

Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.
 
Well generally AME's use the 6-foot method. Since most people who fly now wear headsets for hearing protection and convenience, and the volume in htese can be adjusted, this is a perfectly adequate test. You would have to have pretty severe hearing loss to not be able to pass a 6-foot test. Even I can pass it and my wife says I don't hear a thing she says.

The test standards are;
Item 49. HearingOrder of Examinations

  1. The applicant must demonstrate an ability to hear an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears, at a distance of 6 feet from the Examiner, with the back turned to the Examiner.
  2. If an applicant fails the conversational voice test, the Examiner may administer pure tone audiometric testing of unaided hearing acuity according to the following table of worst acceptable thresholds, using the calibration standards of the American National Standards Institute, 1969:

    Frequency (Hz)500 Hz1000 Hz2000 Hz3000 HzBetter Ear (Db)35303040Poorer Ear (Db)35505060If the applicant fails an audiometric test and the conversational voice test had not been administered, the conversational voice test should be performed to determine if the standard applicable to that test can be met.
  3. If an applicant is unable to pass either the conversational voice test or the pure tone audiometric test, then an audiometric speech discrimination test should be administered. A passing score is at least 70 percent obtained in one ear at an intensity of no greater than 65 Db.
If you cannot pass these tests. there are 2 other options. First you may apply for a SODA:
Item 49. Hearing
  1. Special Issuance of Medical Certificates. Applicants who do not meet the auditory standards may be found eligible for a SODA. An applicant seeking a SODA must make the request in writing to the Aerospace Medicine Certification Division, AAM-300. A determination of qualifications will be made on the basis of a special medical examination by an ENT consultant, a MFT, or operational experience.
So the FAA will take the word of the ENT doc in a letter regarding ability to hear.

The lasst option is hearing aids. Again from the FAA:
  1. Hearing Aids. If the applicant meets the standard with the use of hearing aids, the certificate may be issued with the following restriction:

    VALID ONLY WITH USE OF HEARING AMPLIFICATION

    Some pilots who normally wear hearing aids to assist in communicating while on the ground report that they elect not to wear them while flying. They prefer to use the volume amplification of the radio headphone. Some use the headphone on one ear for radio communication and the hearing aid in the other for cockpit communications.
So don't hold back, get flying:)
 
Wow My Flight Surgeon, that was both the best explanation and most informative piece of information in regards to this question that I have ever recieved. I have delayed really chasing my dream because of my hearing and have never been given a really good answer. Thank you very much as this piece of information has just given me the kick I need to really start pursuing my dream.

Thanks again!!
 
Flight Surgeon is dead on correct!


I speak from first hand experience regarding hearing loss:

I was born with congenital neurosensory hearing loss in my left ear, which means I have NO hearing out of that ear whatsoever... the auditory nerve itself didn't develop properly, so there's no "cure."



Of course, I completely "fail" the audiogram on my left ear.


This is what saves me:

"The applicant must demonstrate an ability to hear an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears, at a distance of 6 feet from the Examiner, with the back turned to the Examiner."


I can easily hear everything with just my right ear, and I pass the above standard VERY EASILY!


So, I get issued a normal 1st class medical just like anyone else.
 
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