National Aviation Day is a national observation that celebrates the development of aviation. The holiday was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued a presidential proclamation which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday, August 19, to be National Aviation Day.

Dr. Tabak is occassionally asked what kind of vision is required to be an airplane pilot. Below are the basic requirements.

Military Pilots

Perfect vision without glasses is not a requirement for military pilots. The vision requirements for military personnel are unique to each branch of the military. The US Air Force has these requirements:

• Pilots must have uncorrected distance visual acuity no worse than 20/70 in each eye and vision must be correctable to 20/20 or better in each eye.
• Near vision for pilots must be 20/20 or better without corrective lenses.
• Pilots must have normal color vision.

Commercial Airline Pilots

• The FAA requires all nearsighted pilots to wear prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses that correct their vision to 20/20.
• Commercial pilots with presbyopia must wear multifocal glasses to insure clear vision at all distances.
• The FAA recommends that all pilots who require corrective lenses for 20/20 vision always carry an extra set of glasses or contact lenses.

Private Pilots

• Distant vision: 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction.
• Near vision: 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction, as measured at a distance of 16 inches

Anyone interested in any type of pilot’s license should always check further into specific vision requirements for each type of license.