Instructor Medical – Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs below from (i) the Instructor, (ii) Relatives/Friends/Group Organisers, (iii) Doctors; and (iv) Instructors or Drop Zone Operators.
From the Instructor:
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It depends on whether you wish to have a Tandem Instructor Medical or just a Solo Instructor Medical.
Form 116 (Tandem Instructor Medical Certificate) can only be completed by doctors who are approved aviation medical examiners, who have a qualification in aviation medicine or who have significant knowledge of parachuting by virtue of also being a parachute instructor.
Form 116A (Solo Parachute Instructor Medical Certificate) can be completed by a GP who holds your NHS medical record, the Unit Medical Officer with access to your military medical record, any other doctor who obtains access to your current NHS/Military medical record, or any of the doctors who are allowed to complete the Tandem Instructor medical certificate.
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No. Your self declaration on Form 114 remains valid until midnight on 31 March 2018, provided you are still under the age of 40. You would be wise to plan to obtain your Solo Parachute Instructor doctor’s certificate (Form 116A) well in advance of that date, but it will not be mandatory until then.
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Yes, you CAN, but you will still need to obtain a doctor’s certificate on Form 116A if continuing to instruct after 31 March 2018. If you think there may be eyesight or other medical conditions which may make it difficult to obtain a certificate, you would be wise to get these sorted out well in advance.
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No. Your Tandem Instructor doctor’s certificate (Form 116) covers you for all forms of parachute instructing and for jumping as a licenced parachutist. Similarly a Solo Parachute Instructor doctor’s certificate (Form 116A) is valid both for solo parachute instructing and for jumping as a licensed parachutist.
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No. Your old doctor’s certificate on Form 114 remains valid for the interval specified on the form and can be used until that date. The ‘Notes for Doctors’ on the form specifically mention the possibility of an instructor role and so the form remains valid for instructing. Once your Form 114 doctor’s certificate has passed its date of validity, you should obtain a new doctor’s certificate on Form 116A.
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Yes, unfortunately you will do from 1 April 2018. The new Form 115 makes no mention of an instructor role or instructor responsibility. It is set at a lower level of fitness than would normally be required for instructing and allows the candidate to negotiate accepting extra risk.
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Read the first paragraph of page 2 of Form 116A for details of how to find a doctor who is likely to be willing to do this sort of medical. Alternatively, ask your nearest flying club about who does their pilots’ medicals. You can approach any other doctor in your area for a private sports medical, though they may first need to have sight of a copy of your NHS medical record.
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The Data Protection Act entitles you to obtain a copy of your NHS record from your GP. Nowadays most GPs have your current records and a lifetime summary on a computer database, with your old paper records kept in storage. At present (2017) you can make a written application for a printout of your entire computerised record for a maximum charge of £10. From 25 May 2018, even this charge is eliminated by the Data Protection General Regulation. Obtaining copies of old records held purely on paper can be more expensive but is rarely necessary.
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Your doctor is required to consider not just your fitness to jump but also your fitness to reliably teach and supervise a novice parachutist. Inevitably there will be some medical conditions which are usually incompatible with this role. While a licensed parachutist may reasonably negotiate accepting a little extra risk for themselves, there is not the same leeway to negotiate accepting extra risks to your students. Your own GP/specialist probably knows more about you than any other doctor. If your own doctor feels you have unacceptable risks for instructing, it is fairly unlikely that any other doctor will certify you as fit, and at the very least you should carefully consider your doctor’s advice. If your doctor wishes advice on whether you are fit to instruct, he/she can telephone British Skydiving HQ for contact details of British Skydiving’s Medical Adviser. The Association’s Medical Adviser will not try to alter your doctor’s decision in any particular direction but will simply provide advice. This advice can sometimes include suggestions for ways of mitigating medical risk to that certification can continue.
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Until 2017, the British Skydiving Operations Manual had contained a fairly blunt statement that ‘Sport parachutists are advised that parachuting and giving blood are not compatible’. The new medical forms are intended to allow a more flexible approach to this socially beneficial activity without putting safety or performance at risk.
The volume of donated fluid is replaced quite rapidly but the return of full oxygen carrying capacity is less predictable. This is important for performance above 8000ft and for the avoidance of hypoxia related problems. With drop zones regularly operating at altitudes of up to 15,000ft, jumpers are already at the edge of their hypoxia tolerance even when in perfect health. A large framed well muscled young jumper giving blood for the first time and having a diet rich in iron would normally be expected to have a fairly rapid return to normal blood levels but a small framed jumper with iron stores depleted by recurrent donation, a vegetarian diet or heavy/long periods may have a prolonged recovery.
The reality is that British Skydiving has no knowledge of, or control over, what you do when away from the drop-zone. However, the Association does have a responsibility to give advice to help you retain full function when supervising students at altitude.
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Your doctor can telephone British Skydiving HQ for contact details for the Medical Adviser. Sometimes a doctor may need to send you on for further tests or refer you to an aviation medicine specialist before reaching a conclusion. Unless these tests or referrals are also needed for your direct medical care, the NHS will not normally provide them and you may have to pay for them.
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Sorry, NO. Your own GP or specialist has the most detailed technical information about you. Please read Form 116/116A and then take it to your own GP or specialist for advice.
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Approach your own GP or specialist with Form 116/116A.
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Do not act as an instructor unless you feel fit both mentally and physically to do so. Approaching your doctor at an early stage can help to resolve a medical problem before it becomes a permanent safety issue. If you still have concerns after approaching your own doctor, please contact British Skydiving’s Medical Adviser. British Skydiving HQ can provide contact details.
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In Britain it is against the law to try to set a fixed price for this sort of service. It is between the doctor and applicant to negotiate a mutually acceptable fee. You are free to shop around.
From relatives/friends/
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If your relationship permits it, discuss with the affected instructor and make them aware of your concerns. If this is not practicable, or if you feel the problem is not resolved, you may contact their doctor, their chief instructor or the BPAs Safety and Technical Officer. Although this can be a difficult step to take, it is important to remember that instructors are directly responsible for the safety of student parachutists.
From Doctors:
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Please contact BPA HQ to obtain contact details for the Association’s Medical Adviser.
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Please download BPA Form 252 ‘Asthma and Skydiving’ from the BPA website. If this does not answer the question, please telephone BPA HQ for contact details of the Association’s Medical Adviser.
From Chief Instructors or Drop Zone Operators:
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Additional medical information on the form will usually invalidate it. A Parachute Training Organisation or Chief Instructor are not expected to interpret extra medical information (even when the handwriting is legible!). If the instructor is unable to obtain a 115F free of additional medical statements, they should not jump. Non-medical information or limitations restricting parachuting may sometimes be allowable if they directly refer to parachuting activity and are easily understood by the PTO/CI (eg ‘Red-Green Colour Blind’, ‘Must wear glasses/contact lenses’, ‘Maximum Altitude 12,000 feet’).
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The Chief Instructor has the last word on who can jump at the drop zone and who can act as an instructor there. Possession of a doctor’s certificate should never get in the way of either poor performance or worrying patterns of behaviour being properly addressed. BPA HQ can provide contact details for the Association’s Medical Adviser if you need further medical advice. If you have safety concerns about an instructor and the concerns have not been resolved or you believe they may move on to work elsewhere, please contact the Association’s Chief Operating Officer or Safety & Technical Officer.
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There are some doctors who do not possess a rubber stamp but who are still qualified to give a medical assessment. The purpose of the stamp is to allow clear and legible identification of, and contact details for, the signing doctor. Provided hand written details meet this criterion, they are acceptable.
FAQs
Safety Manuals
- Operations Manual
- Equipment for Instructors
- Rigging Manuals & Reserve Packing Guide
- Jump Pilots Manual
- Safety Info Bulletin