What are the health requirements to obtain a private pilot’s license?
I’m thinking of taking flying lessons and wondered what the health requirements are. I am color-blind. Would that affect my eligibility? What are any other health requirements? You should be in good general Health and free of any medical conditions which might cause you to become incapacitated in flight, such as epilepsy, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension (because of the increased risk of incapacitating heart problems or stroke), etc. You can get a license if you are color-blind. If you can pass any one of about two dozen approved color vision tests, you can get an unrestricted license. Otherwise, you’ll generally get a license that doesn’t allow night flight or flight without a working radio. That’s how it works in the U.S. Other countries may differ. In general, the medical requirements for pilots are still very strict and somewhat inconsistent—if you’ve ever had a seizure in your life, you might be disqualified, but if you take a drug like ethanol daily, no problem.
