The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) yesterday announced that pilots who were able to pass the Australian Operational Colour Vision Assessment (AOCVA) would be issued Class 1 and 2 medicals without restrictions.
The policy has been formalised after years of lobbying from politicians and advocacy groups, particularly the Colour Vision Defective Pilots Association (CVDPA) and its director Arthur Pape.
in 2014, CASA sent a letter to pilots stating that colour-vision deficiency could make them unsafe, and the following year continued to demand a Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test, which the CVDPA contended was inappropriate for operational situations.
CASA since established an Aviation Medicine Colour Vision technical working group, which reached unanimous agreement with the new policy last month.
"We would like to thank and acknowledge the efforts of our stakeholders who have worked with us to find a pragmatic solution,’ says Andreas Marcelja, Executive Manager of Stakeholder and Engagement Division at CASA.
"We believe that our revised policy ensures we address safety risks, while providing flexibility and certainty for colour vision deficient pilots."
The new policy adds to a raft of tests available to pilots with colour-vision deficiency, including Ishihara and Farnsworth Lantern tests.
More information is available on the CASA website.