airwarriors.com > USAF to USN Inter Service Transfer for Color Vision
04-14-2010 09:55 PM
USAF to USN Inter-Service Transfer for Color Vision
My story is a long one, but I commissioned into the USAF in May 2009 with a pilot slot and a Flying Class I that I completed at Langley AFB. In September I entered active duty and moved to my pilot training base but in October I was sent to Brooks City Base for Medical Flight Screening and disqualified for color vision. I'm still at the same base and have been fighting to get an exception that would let me into pilot training but it doesn't seem likely to get approved at all.
I recently talked to to an student naval aviator who had the same basic story as me; made it to his USAF pilot training base, got DQed for color vision, eventually was reassigned as a finance officer, but then succeeded in a transfer into Naval Aviation.
I know for a fact that I can pass the Navy's color vision test; I've taken that very test (Ishihara PIP) 3 times throughout my life and scored 13/14 once and 12/14 twice (12/14 is the current Navy standard). I'm also confident I can pass a Falant. (I'm not sure if the Navy uses only Ishihara PIP, because the reg I read calls it PIP I, and from what I understand it could be either Ishihara or Dvorine, which are slightly different, please let me know if you know which ones they actually use). Unfortunately I was on a distant visual acuity waiver with the USAF (20/100 vision uncorrected, corrected to 20/20 or better with soft contact lenses) and I believe the Navy currently requires 20/40 uncorrected for SNA's.
So I'm currently still waiting to hear about my exception for the USAF, but since it will most likely be denied, my plan is to ask for a Contingent Release from the USAF and then to apply to Naval Aviation. Before I do that, I will need to get PRK surgery, likely from the USAF, to meet the Navy's 20/40 uncorrected standard with a waiver. Once I'm medically acceptable (I believe 3-6 months after surgery) then I'd like to get a Navy flight physical so I'll know that I meet all the requirements before transferring.
Following that I'll have to hope that the USAF will let me go on Contingent Release as I currently still have about 3.5 years left in my commitment, but from what I understand, that commitment would just transfer to the USN. Then I'll need to take all the tests, apply for Naval Aviation, hopefully get picked up, and complete the transfer.
This is obviously going to be a long process, but considering I've made it this far with the USAF, I don't want to give up on my dream of being a military aviator. I just turned 25 years old on March 27th and assume that I will not meet the age requirement (I think it's 26) to start training as an SNA if I make it past all the other hurdles. I've read there are age waivers for current active duty members up to 48 months, so in that case I could start training as old as 30, but I'm not sure how common these waivers are.
So I'm looking for information or help on any part of this process:
PRK
Navy Medical (Ishihara or Dvorine?) (PRK waiver)
USAF contingent release
Applying to Naval Aviation as a USAF officer
Age waivers for active duty SNA's
Any advice in general would be appreciated including who to contact in the Navy to apply and who to contact for a flight physical before transferring. Or if you think it's impossible then feel free to let me know if I should just give up on this before I really get my hopes up. Thanks for the help in advance
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04-02-2011 11:15 AM
Flight Physical Approved!
So to update my story, the Army docs who said they would approve my physical, wanted me to take a specific version of the FALANT color vision test called the OPTEC 900. This thing was hard to find, but I eventually found an FAA doctor with it, went there and passed it without problems. I actually thought this test was easier than the regular Farnsworth Lantern, but the flight doctors said it lets slightly fewer color anomalies pass.
After proving I could pass the OPTEC 900, I ended up going to a Naval Base and went through a whole new flying class I physical. I made sure they did both the PIP plates and the Farnsworth Lantern on me, both of which I passed. Since I did this with the navy, I asked them to submit it to both the army and navy.
It took almost 3 weeks before they even submitted it to the Army. Once submitted, a week later I was notified that it was coded as incomplete. I had to request the physical from the records department to find out which things were considered incomplete. So I called my local flight medicine department at my USAF base, to see if they could accomplish the incomplete portions of the physical. They agreed and said they could finish it up without a problem.
So I show up for my appointment to finish up tests for the flight physical, and give the list of missing tests to the technician who was going to be working with me. He takes the list back into the office, while I sit and wait about 45 mins, then he comes out and tells me they can do all the tests except for: measuring my total armspan, and leg length. I showed him directions on how to perform the measurements which were given to me by my army contact.
I ended up speaking with the flight doc, and he said that since these measurements were not in the USAF regulations, that they could not perform them. I was mad as hell and argued with him a bit before I gave up.
So in short, I was able to get in touch with the naval base who had completed my physical, and they were able to get me all the information I needed to complete the flight physical other than a "Read aloud test" and some blood work. The USAF doctors agreed to give me the "Read aloud test" and said my blood work was in the system. So I go back to the USAF doctor, complete the "read aloud test", and get a printout of my blood work which had previously been done. One of the three blood test results that I needed was missing. The woman I was working with said she could see it in the system, but didn't have the permissions on the computer to see or print the results. She said I would have to fill out a form and wait a few days for them to mail the results in. Quite frustrated again, I called the navy clinic once more, and they were able to get me the results of the test via a fax.
That evening I submitted all the updated physical paperwork to the Army via email; the next morning my Army contact had approved it! He said he prioritized it since I seemed motivated. I got a copy of it sent back to me with a big stamp "Qualified" on the front!
So I'm not sure where the Navy physical submitted to NAMI stands, but it still seems like the Navy doesn't have any open spots for inter-service transfers into pilot training. So I'm going to press on with the plan to go Army National Guard.
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