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ICAO Annexure 1 Chapter 6

HEARING ASSESSMENT

Most applicants have fairly good or serviceable hearing. There are, however, borderline cases, and there are changes in the hearing of applicants with time. Consequently, hearing must be re-examined at specified intervals. The hearing test requirements and the hearing requirements are detailed in Annex 1 as follows:

6.2.5 Hearing test requirements

6.2.5.1 Contracting States shall use such methods of examination as will guarantee reliable testing of hearing.

6.2.5.2 Applicants shall be required to demonstrate a hearing performance sufficient for the safe exercise of their licence and rating privileges.

6.2.5.3 Applicants for Class 1 Medical Assessments shall be tested by pure-tone audiometry at first issue of the Assessment, not less than once every five years up to the age of 40 years, and thereafter not less than once every two years.

6.2.5.3.1 Alternatively, other methods providing equivalent results may be used.

6.2.5.4 Applicants for Class 3 Medical Assessments shall be tested by pure-tone audiometry at first issue of the Assessment, not less than once every four years up to the age of 40 years, and thereafter not less than once every two years.

6.2.5.4.1 Alternatively, other methods providing equivalent results may be used.

6.2.5.5 Recommendation.— Applicants for Class 2 Medical Assessment should be tested by pure-tone audiometry at first issue of the Assessment and, after the age of 50 years, not less than once every two years.

6.2.5.6 At medical examinations, other than those mentioned in 6.2.5.3, 6.2.5.4 and 6.2.5.5, where audiometry is not performed, applicants shall be tested in a quiet room by whispered and spoken voice tests.

Note 1.— The reference zero for calibration of pure-tone audiometers is that of the

pertinent Standards of the current edition of the Audiometric Test Methods, published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Note 2.— For the purpose of testing hearing in accordance with the requirements, a quiet room is a room in which the intensity of the background noise is less than 35 dB(A).

Note 3.— For the purpose of testing hearing in accordance with the requirements, the sound level of an average conversational voice at 1 m from the point of output (lower lip of the speaker) is c. 60 dB(A) and that of a whispered voice c. 45dB(A). At 2 m from the speaker, the sound level is 6 dB(A) lower.

Note 4.— Guidance on assessment of applicants who use hearing aids is contained in the Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine (Doc 8984).

Note 5.— Attention is called to 2.7.1.3.1 on requirements for the issue of instrument rating to applicants who hold a private pilot licence.

Class 1 Medical Assessment:

6.3.4 Hearing requirements

6.3.4.1 The applicant, when tested on a pure-tone audiometer, shall not have a hearing loss, in either ear separately, of more than 35 dB at any of the frequencies 500, 1 000 or 2 000 Hz, or more than 50 dB at 3 000 Hz.

6.3.4.1.1 An applicant with a hearing loss greater than the above may be declared fit provided that the applicant has normal hearing performance against a background noise that reproduces or simulates the masking properties of flight deck noise upon speech and beacon signals.

Note 1.— It is important that the background noise be representative of the noise in the cockpit of the type of aircraft for which the applicant’s licence and ratings are valid.

Note 2.— In the speech material for discrimination testing, both aviation-relevant phrases and phonetically balanced words are normally used.

6.3.4.1.2 Alternatively, a practical hearing test conducted in flight in the cockpit of an aircraft of the type for which the applicant’s licence and ratings are valid may be used.

Class 2 Medical Assessment:

6.4.4 Hearing requirements

Note.— Attention is called to 2.7.1.3.1 on requirements for the issue of instrument rating to applicants who hold a private pilot licence.

6.4.4.1 Applicants who are unable to hear an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears, at a distance of 2 m from the examiner and with the back turned to the examiner, shall be assessed as unfit.

6.4.4.2 When tested by pure-tone audiometry, an applicant with a hearing loss, in either ear separately, of more than 35 dB at any of the frequencies 500, 1 000 or 2 000 Hz, or more than 50 dB at 3 000 Hz, shall be assessed as unfit.

6.4.4.3 Recommendation.— An applicant who does not meet the requirements in 6.4.4.1 or 6.4.4.2 should undergo further testing in accordance with 6.3.4.1.1.

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