Do you really need uncorrected vision to be a fighter jet pilot?

[Busie23]

Anyone know what the requirements are? Does age play any part?

 

[SoylentGreen]

What do you plan to pilot?

 

[amdskip]

I don't believe it matters. I have friends who wear contacts to make them 20/20 and they are training to be pilots.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

in the military you must have 20/20 20/25 vission to be a combat pilot. you can wear contacts or glasses and pilot cargo planes or the big survelence place like AWAC's

 

[jteef]

I'm not sure how it works, the rules are 20/25 near vision correctable to 20/20 and 20/70 far vision correctable to 20/20. I don't know what the "correctable" means though. It might mean that you need to have the PRK laser surgery, or maybe its just glasses/contacts. LASIK is not allowed. I don't think there is an "official" requirement that is different for fighter/bombers, but there might be an unofficial one.

You have to enter pilot training by your 29th birthday for the Air Force, I believe. Which means you better have your PPL and start your application no later than your 28th birthday to make it, preferably a lot earlier. Applying to OTS takes forever, even moreso for rated slots.

 

[XCLAN]

my entire life i was destined to be a pilot...until tenth grade i had to get glasses....ever since every year my eyes have got worse.
talked to an air force recuiter and he said no i cant be a pilot unless i have perfect vision

 

[dman]

I would think the g's might be a problem for contact or standard glasses. That's not to say they couldn't use goggles or something but I guess there's enough 20/20 pilot candidates that they just draw the line there. For whatever reason. 😕

 

[white]

they've started accepting PRK surgery. but i don't know of the specifics.