Amazing news, Raffaele! Beautiful baby!
Tory
Yesterday I got my First Class Med certificate! Unfortunately I have a restriction that I must wear glasses. I was afraid this might happen so luckily I brought my glasses. Last time I got my DOT physical I had trouble passing with my right eye. The bad thing is I rarely wear my glasses as my prescription isn’t that bad but I guess I better get used to wearing glasses or possibly getting contacts. Also I haven’t been to the eye doctor in probably 6 years so I guess it’s time to get a new prescription!
Anyone fly with a corrective lenses restriction? Do you wear contacts or get prescription sunglasses?
And I can’t believe it but I already have a 9 month old!
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Raffaele,
Not sure why you say “unfortunately”? Many pilots have a corrective lens restriction, it’s actually quite common. I know some who wear glasses, some wear contacts, whatever floats your boat.
The only caveat (I believe?) is you must carry a spare set of “lenses” with you. Most of the pilots I know with contacts keep a pair of glasses in their bags.
Adam
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I say unfortunately because even though I have a pair of glasses I’ve never really worn them (occasionally I’d wear them on extended drives or at night). So I’ve finally come to the point in my life I have to keep better tabs on my vision. It’s an inconvenience I’ve been able to put off which I’ll no longer be able to. I realize it’s good that I can still fly. Can you have lasik done and get the restriction removed?
Raffaele,
I would tread very carefully before considering lasik. I had PRK (similar but slightly different procedure) done before flying was ever in the picture. I’m thankful for it now but I would have never risked it as a pilot. Complications can and do happen. I would visit your local eye doc and get your prescription up to date. If you can get used to contacts, that would be the best option and carry a spare set of glasses. I agree, glasses can be hard to get used to wearing full time if you never did before.
By the way, love the pic of your kid! Growing up fast! 
Hannah
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Did not think about that when it comes to Lasik. Thanks for the heads up.
I have the same restriction on my medical. You might not feel like you need it, but the sharper vision will be useful when you are trying to pick out a runway from many miles out. I wear glasses and always carry an additional set with me.
I had LASIK and would absolutely avoid it. I have horribly dry eyes as a result of the procedure.
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Things are in motion! My wife and I are moving back to KC area finally so we can start this next chapter in our lives. We are leaving Wyoming beginning of May.
I’ve secured a start date and will begin training July 10th. Until then I know I have some studying to do. Hoping to bang out as many of the writtens as possible.
Thank you all for the help over the last year or so as I’ve collected data and research on how to make this dream a reality!
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Raffaele,
Exciting news! You’ll be pretty busy over the summer getting settled. Your start date will be here before you know it! We’ll be looking forward to following along with your program.
Hannah
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Raffaele,
Congratulations on the July start date! I’m excited to read and follow your journey, please let us know if there is anything we can assist with.
Brady
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Raffaele,
Great news! Please keep us in the loop as you go through your training and as always, feel free to ask any and all questions.
Now go get to work on those written exams!
Chris
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Very cool Raffaele but you should tell your wife she needs to get used to not seeing your at all!
Adam
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Raffaele,
Awesome!! Every day I am sure the excitement builds. I can remember receiving my kit just over 3 years ago… memories!
Brady
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Been awhile since I updated. Hannah you weren’t kidding, it has been very busy with the move and trying to get into a new routine and taking care of a baby and studying and seeing family now that we are closer etc etc!
Almost since my last post I had been very slowly going over the PAR questions through study buddy but they did take a back seat once packing and moving began. We got “moved” in to the new place May 12 and I didn’t really start hitting the studying again until about 2 weeks ago. I got my 3 90% scores and secured my endorsement and scheduled my exam last Friday for today. Then over the days leading up to the test I went through all 1016 questions on the app and was a little bummed to see I was missing more than I would have liked.
To make this story short I feel like I rushed myself into the test but I did pass with a 78%. There were several questions on the test that I did not recall ever seeing. Knowing what I know now I likely would have used the Study Buddy learning tests and flashcards differently and I would have held off another week so I felt better about.
For now I’m trying to just tell myself it doesn’t matter…you passed…and now that weight is off my shoulders and hopefully I learned something about the process to help me do better with the IRA exam.
So cheers to being one step closer…almost exactly one month before I start and hoping to get the rest of the tests done but not going to rush myself. I will be happy if I can do IRA/FII and CAX.
I’ve also been in contact with what I hope will be a new friend who I met on Facebook and just started this week at my location. It has been nice having his perspective and just discussing this whole process.
Raffaele,
With all due respect, tell yourself what you like but it most definitely does matter. You see the examiners are well aware of the fact that ALL the questions and answers are available and the Knowledge Exams are pretty much a box check. Getting a score that’s just passing sends a message to them (and they will see your score before your oral) that you either really don’t understand or really just couldn’t be bothered to put in the work. Either way it’s starting your pratical on the wrong foot (ever hear of first impressions?).
With that in mind I’d expect a longer/tougher oral exam AND I’d try and make sure you do better going forward as the odds are you’ll see that examiner again.
Adam
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You will hear different opinions on this, but I would recommend retaking the test and getting a better score. It will say that it is your second attempt on the grade sheet, but you can easily explain to an examiner that you got a 78% on the first one and wanted to show that you could do better. I would not feel comfortable taking a 78% into an oral exam.
Chris
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I’m aware that 78% is not good and I definitely thought I was more prepared than that. I think I’m more of a visual learner and the Study Buddy app was just not enough by itself and I should have looked into other options and read some more of the Pilots Handbook.
I appreciate everyone’s honest feedback. I will wait til after I start and see if taking the test again is something I might want to consider.
I’m gonna move on to the IRA with new perspective on how I need to study and make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Raffaele,
We understand you had a lot on your plate at the time and the score that resulted was less than ideal. It’s alright, but take the time to correct it and learn from it for the next time. Why we are stressing the importance of retaking it is because you haven’t even done a single flight towards your private pilot certificate but with that score you’re already starting behind. That score tells your examiner your knowledge is weak and you showed up unprepared. Now it’s their job to grill you much harder during the oral portion of the checkride to make sure that that isn’t the case. So now a bad written exam can lead to a harder checkride which can lead to a failure. Is that how you want to start your career?
Instead, hit the study prep app hard in the next week or so. Repetition is key. Keep going over it until you can consistently get in the high 90s. Then go retake it. If you move on to the IRA, you may never return to it and even if you did, you could potentially do worse since it is no longer the bank that is most fresh in your brain.
Hannah
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Raffaele,
It’s your first time taking an FAA exam, they are very much different than a scantron or open-ended test like in primary and secondary education - even the way of studying. I scored a 78% on my PAR and it seemed that it was one of my harder checkrides. Could that 78% been a factor, yes, maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought too, couple scenarios run through my head.
Try and score consecutively 3 90%'s+ and then retake your exam, aim for better. Once you get into the Test Prep for the IRA and on, you will find Sheppard Air takes a different approach to studying then other test prep apps. Rote memorization is the way to go; however, some need to understand the formula in order to remember or put into memory.
Brady
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