Light gun testing

dmcburn75

dmcburn75

New Member
Hello all,

Well as expected I did not pass the Ishihara color screening and got the not valid for night flying restriction.

My doctor told me to call the local FSDO and have them shine the lights at me from the tower. Now.... I previously went for color vison testing for law enforcement and took the farnsworth munsell 100 hue and the D-15. I passed the D-15 with no errors and scored a total error score of 50 on the 100 hue test. Translation is I am an anomalous trichromat who can see all colors but my green cone is a little bit skewed..

Like I said I can tell green from red and a traffic light green from red. So I was just wondering if anyone could "shed some light" on their experience with the Light Gun Test. Did you find it less difficult then other screening tests? I appreciate any and all adivice. Many thanks

-Dan
 
dmcburn75 said:
Hello all,

Well as expected I did not pass the Ishihara color screening and got the not valid for night flying restriction.

My doctor told me to call the local FSDO and have them shine the lights at me from the tower. Now.... I previously went for color vison testing for law enforcement and took the farnsworth munsell 100 hue and the D-15. I passed the D-15 with no errors and scored a total error score of 50 on the 100 hue test. Translation is I am an anomalous trichromat who can see all colors but my green cone is a little bit skewed..

Like I said I can tell green from red and a traffic light green from red. So I was just wondering if anyone could "shed some light" on their experience with the Light Gun Test. Did you find it less difficult then other screening tests? I appreciate any and all adivice. Many thanks

-Dan
Click to expand...


I took the signal light gun test twice - I failed the first time because I had difficulty differentiating the white and green lights. I'm really sensitive to those differences - my problem is that both the green and the white look white to me. The thing is, I can tell a difference between the two.

The first time I took the test they showed the green light first and I said "white". During the second test, they showed the white light first and I said "white". Then when green came around, I knew it was different than the white light I had seen.

I didn't know it at the time, but you only get two shots - had I blown that one, I wouldn't be on this message board today. My advice is to do what I did - have a friend go with you to a small (not busy) class D field and call up the tower. Explain your situation and ask them if they'll shoot a series of lights in your direction. See if you can ID them, and use your friend to confirm. Just make sure you're a good ways away (like 200 yards). If you get too close it makes it too easy.

Good luck!
 
Great info thanks! How many times did they show you the different lights? Or, did they just show you the three colors once? Thanks again
 
dmcburn75 said:
Great info thanks! How many times did they show you the different lights? Or, did they just show you the three colors once? Thanks again
Click to expand...

They just randomly shot the lights one at a time - probably went through each of the three lights three or four times.
 
Try to go to a field that is not busy. This is better done in a A/C. Tell them you have a student with you and want to show them the colors. (be sure someone who is not colorblind is with you). If you can tell the colors. go for the light gun test. You have only 2 shots at this in your lifetime.

As an alternative, you can take the Farnsworth Lantern (FALANT) test - this is not the same a s the other tests you took. If you pass that, you can request a letter of evidence.

It is hard to find a Farnsworth Lantern. We will have a Farnsworth Lantern at Las Vegas at the Network JC gathering in October on Sunday afternoon.
 
You sir are correct. You will shown each plate for 2 seconds. There are 9 plates, each with 2 colors. These combinations include red, green and white and do include a plate with two of the same color. You are allowed to take the test in 2 cycles and a pass is missing an average of 1 or fewer per cycle, i.e., you could miss 2 on the first 9 plates and none on the second 9 plates and pass. If you miss 2 on the first 9 plates and 1 on the second 9 plates you fail. Also, the white has a slight yellow tinge to it but the green and red are pure colors.
 
Dr Forred,

I really have to express my gratitude for all your assistance. I am really going to try to either get to Vegas or schedule an appointment at your office. I am in New York about 30min east of JFK, so its not exactly close by. I spoke to someone at the college of optometry in Manhattan and they sounded like they once heard of the lantern test and could do it if needed. Not exactly a confidence builder.

I wonder if there is in fact a learning curve and if it does get easier each time you take it....I really do believe I can distinguish the three colors. As I mentioned before I did purchase the farnsworth flashlight and as soon as I accepted the fact that the white is in fact a little amber/yellow... I was able to breeze through it. God willing the actual test will correlate appreciatively to the flashlight. I have been browsing some pictures online and they seem to vary greatly in what the picture is showing and what the caption of the actual colors are. How about we start a new test that asks to determine the color of an apple, a shamrock and a glass of milk and I can put all the worrying it bed!:yup:. In a perfect world. But again, sincere thanks for the guidance.

-Dan
 
Note to any prospective Signal Light Gun testee:

When people say "try to do it on a cloudy day"...listen to them! Try to avoid the test when it is bright and sunny outside!

I just took the test this morning - the sun was low and bright (a couple of fingers widths away from the tower) and we had the added benefit of having multiple solar panels on the same side as the sun...Translation: More brightness to block out!

I literally had to block the sun from my top and side fields of view in order to see the tower at all - nevertheless, I passed the test with flying colors (no pun intended) :nana2:

The test procedure is pretty simple: Stand 1000 feet away and read off the three lights that they show to you (at three minute intervals). Do the same again at 1500 feet. Simple test - but let me tell you it was kinda stressful having to block out that sun.
 
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