Here are a few things you should think about. A first-class medical certificate is valid for six months. When it hires you, an airline will invest a lot of money in your training. It will want to know that you'll be around longer than six months, and that you are not a safety risk. Because of this, many companies use medical standards that are more stringent than the FAA's first-class medical requirements. (The FAA itemizes the first-class medical requirements in Subpart B of Federal Aviation Regulation Part 67, which begins with FAR 67.101.)
If you have some medical condition or abnormality that might cause a medical certification problem, it might be a good idea to go beyond the first-class medical and get the most thorough physical you can afford. Granted, you don't need a first-class medical when you're a student and private pilot, but if your goal is to be an airline pilot, it's better to find out earlier rather than later that you don't meet the standards. This allows you to reconsider your career path and, perhaps, opt for an aviation career that doesn't require a first-class medical.
Your ability to get a first-class medical depends on your health, and you can control many of the things that maintain it. Maintaining your health is important because if you lose your medical, you lose your flying job. So stay fit, eat properly, exercise regularly, and lose weight and give up smoking as these apply to you. Do it now. Start a good fitness program.
You should be conscious of your cholesterol level (have you had it checked lately?), blood pressure, weight (is it in proportion to your height?), and hearing (turn down the volume on your stereo). Airplanes are noisy. Protect your hearing by wearing a noise-attenuating headset when you fly, or use ear plugs. Always wear earplugs when you're around excessive noise.
To meet the first-class hearing requirements, you must be able to hear a normal conversation from six feet away with your back to the AME, and you should be able to hear tones at different frequencies, such as 500 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 3,000 Hz.
Naturally, there are some things you can't control that play a part in getting hired. Your height, for example. You must be able to reach and operate all essential controls on the aircraft safely. Most companies don't have published height requirements, and most commercial airplane cockpits are designed to accommodate a wide range of heights.
Because people are built differently, measuring your height cannot accurately predict your ability to reach. I once took part in a study to determine how an airline should establish its height requirements. At 5-feet, 4-inches tall, I could reach the overhead controls but not the rudder pedals. Another participant in the study was the same height, and he could reach the rudders but not the overhead controls. Still another 5-foot, 4-inch participant could reach both sets of controls. In this case, if the airline had set its height requirements at 5-feet, 6-inches, none of us would have been hired even though the last participant could reach all the controls.
A company might use one of several methods to evaluate an applicant's reach. It might put you in a simulator or cockpit so you can demonstrate your ability to reach everything, or it might measure your sitting height.
Your vision is essential to getting a medical certificate, and this requirement is the easiest to meet. To get a first-class medical, your vision must be corrected to 20/20, which means you can wear glasses or contact lenses. If you don't meet the vision standards, you can apply for a statement of demonstrated ability (SODA). For example, let's say a pilot has a color vision deficiency. To get a SODA - and a medical certificate - the pilot would have to pass a separate test demonstrating his (or her) ability to read the instruments.
Finally, you can't change your gene pool, but you can take preventive care. If your family has a history of poor health or a particular health problem, you must be extra cautious and go the extra mile to stay in shape.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which became law in July 1992, precludes a company from conducting a pre-employment physical before it offers you a job. That is intended to keep employers from discriminating against individuals with disabilities.
Despite this legislation, you still must be able to perform the essential functions of the job and meet the company's and FAA's first-class medical requirements. For example, one condition of employment might be that you can climb down a rope or jump over a seat. Many airlines publish detailed documentation to outline their requirements. No company will hire an individual who has a health or physical problem that will compromise safety.
As you well know, it takes a great deal of time, effort, and money to become a professional pilot. Because of this, you must make sure you can meet the medical requirements before committing your resources to this career path.
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