Judy Said:

Pilot career for the hearing impaired/medically challenged?

We Answered:

I know several Deaf pilots. I read that there are more than one thousand of them in the US. (I don't know if that is true. And I don't know about other countries.) So a Deaf person, one who is fully deaf in both ears, can become a pilot. Being deaf in one ear is not that big a deal. You can still communicate quite well. Here is a link to one organization; there may be others. Just google DEAF + PILOTS.

http://deafpilots.com/

Getting training is another matter-- if you cannot finance it yourself. It is extremely expensive. Call flight schools to see what it takes. Start to put a plan together.

As for the other illnesses, they are serious, but I have no idea how much of a barrier to aerial employment they would be. Depending who you work for, I would guess that you would have to pass a physical exam. But there are discrimination laws, too. I don't know how far you can take them. If your brother can function well, by all means, he should push the issue if anyone tries to deny him. He can always hire an attorney to help him with a discrimination fight.

The military has its own codes for induction. They don't accept people who are 4-H for active duty. (Not even flat feet.) Any ONE of your brother's conditions would exclude him from military service. You can go and talk to a recruiter to be certain-- and to see if there are any options. But don't count on it.

It is tough for anyone to find someone to pay them to fly around. You would have to transport people or things, defend and/or attack, rescue, do reconnaissance, test equipment, crop dust, or perform-- pretty much.

There are test pilots, but I think that they have to be highly seasoned. (Probably with years of commercial experience.) Google it to see.

There are performance flyers. It's probably really slow and tough to get in, but they might just find a Deaf pilot to be a novelty that sells. You never know.

Failing all else, he could become licensed, over time, and start his own enterprise-- or launch a business with a Hearing friend or two. (Day jaunts/tours, courier service, jumps, helicopter taxi, or something like that. [I don't know if you live near a big city where people have trouble getting themselves and things around or a place like Grand Canyon that people want to go up and view.]) Maybe he could find some community funding.

All of these avenues would take a LOT of time and money. But, if your brother is serious, and he is willing to work toward it, he might be able to find a way to achieve a version of his dream-- eventually. Stranger things have happened. I am living proof!


I am Hard-of-Hearing. I am a nurse, and I teach ASL.


P.S. The other poster is right about the term "hearing impaired". It is not PC. Many Deaf find it to be very oppressive and offensive. Since you have a Deaf family member, you need to know that.

Jean Said:

Career change to Radiology: How to specialize in MRI / CT?

We Answered:

Yes, CT and MRI techs cross-train on the job after becoming a rad tech. After doing it for so long, you can take the ARRT registry in those modalities. Sonography requires additional schooling. You can find more information here: https://www.asrt.org/content/aboutthepro…

Salary info: https://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/research/…