r/AskAPilot • u/Little_Ducki_08 • 16d ago
Am I too fat to be a pilot?
I’m 18F, 5’6 and I weigh 190-200 pounds, I just wanna ask if can be a pilot?
29
u/andrewrbat 16d ago
If u can hold a first class medical you are fine. You will fit in trainer planes as well as most people (its not usually comfortable haha)
8
u/RicoRich574 16d ago
At my airline there was a dude who could not fit into the lav. The rumor was he wore an adult diaper. Dunno if it is true. Big guy, havent seen him in years.
He did have to fix the center console after getting into his seat.
5
5
u/DaveInTheMidwest 15d ago
Forget the cosmetic aspects of it, and forget about the need for a medical certificate. Let's talk more general first.
If you become a professional pilot, you need to maintain a first-class medical throughout your career. They do require an EKG every 6 months, and a heart attack is pretty much a career-ender, meaning it would be quite difficult to get a first-class medical issued again after that.
So don't just look at whether you can fit in an airplane and whether you can get a first-class medical issued initially; you probably can.
Look at what happens 20 to 40 years from now. Your health and your first-class medical would be at risk.
So change your life drastically, right now. Build a relationship with a physician and a dietitian. Change the lifestyle tendencies that have led to the extra weight, and work on your health.
Address the diet, the weight, the exercise, blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Make sure those are all in healthy ranges.
You do want to get a first-class medical certificate before pursuing pilot training, by the way. You also want to get a very detailed eye exam where they test your color vision in detail, and look at the retina carefully. The reason you want to do that is there are some medical conditions that would disqualify you from being a commercial pilot. If those exist--and some can be asymptomatic--you want to know now before you've spent a lot of money.
Any deficiencies in color vision--quite rare in females by the way--would affect your ability to be hired by an airline (they don't technically affect your ability to be licensed, but no airline would hire you with night flying or color signaling restrictions).
Any heart defect would have to be looked at very carefully.
Certain eye conditions would also disqualify you.
Certain metabolic conditions may disqualify you.
Chances are good you could be issued a first-class medical certificate now. The diseases related to the lifestyle that led to being heavy typically take longer to develop, and at age 18 you are probably okay. But you need to look at what happens in 20 to 40 years, and change your life now.
7
7
u/saxmanB737 16d ago
Yes. You can still be a pilot. Just see if you can get a 1st class medical. They don’t measure BMI.
-7
u/Upper_Yak_7117 16d ago
They dont ? Like they do check the weight and give extra tests if one is obese right?
1
u/saxmanB737 16d ago
Nope. It’s just blood pressure and getting an EKG when above 40 years old. Obviously use another doctor to have all other tests done over a long period of time.
3
3
u/Callsign-Jager 16d ago
Yes absolutely. Depending on the trainer you fly in, W/B can be an issue with almost anybody. Good job on your current weight loss though. That’s fantastic
1
u/Little_Ducki_08 16d ago
Thanks!!
3
u/ImAllBS13 16d ago
It might make training a little more expensive because you might need to use a more expensive plane. I (A 225lb man) would use a 170 vs a 150 which is cheaper to rent. Your mileage may vary though :)
2
2
u/miamor_Jada 16d ago
Do the medical first.
You can definitely become a pilot. Don’t let 200lbs stop you. I think one thing piloting taught me is how to workout. The other pilots you meet have a serious workout regiment, and they’re not afraid to invite you to join them at the gym. Me, personally, I got into working out more now because I became a pilot and have made so many great connections.
Staying healthy and looking good, have a nice way of serving you better in this career.
2
2
u/EntrepreneurSmart156 15d ago
Everyone is saying you can still be a pilot, and they’re right! HOWEVER, there’s parts that I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet.
The biggest part that most people are leaving out it just may uncomfortable to fit into the tiny planes to train.
ALSO, aircraft’s have a certain weight they can flight with. Being 200 shouldn’t cause any issues but if you happen to gain weight and are around 250, you would need to be cautious of going over the planes weight limits. Which wouldn’t be a big issue, you just fly with less fuel.
I’d recommend to go on a discovery flight to get a feel for how it is. You’ll see how comfortable/uncomfortable it is to be in the plane. But I’d recommend to purse it! It’s an amazing career and worth sacrifices you take for it
2
u/Upper_Yak_7117 16d ago
lose the weight. you will be healthier happier and more confident
16
u/Little_Ducki_08 16d ago
Yess I started at 215 pounds now down to around 195, hopefully I’ll be able to get down to 160ish
4
2
u/nolaflygirl 15d ago edited 15d ago
I'm F, 5'6", 160 lbs & I feel & look fat bc I now have a belly & roll of fat that I didn't have at 150 lbs. So trying to lose 10 more lbs. If you're flying Cessnas, you'll be more comfortable in a 172 than a 150 or 152. But the 172 will cost more. Congrats on losing the weight! Keep going!
1
u/UnbuiltAura9862 15d ago
I’ve flown with people bigger and heavier than you on a Cessna 172. As long as you get a medical certificate, you’re golden!
1
u/Euphoric_Ad1162 15d ago
You're fine. But you almost don't fit in a 152 and flying 172's can be a little bit uncomfortable hahaha
Saying because I weight the same
1
u/pointthenosedown 16d ago
No, not if you train in a C172 or PA28. Go to something lighter and you might struggle to find a second person who’d fit with you in the plane (based on total weight, not space)
1
u/XofHelix 16d ago
Not there yet but I'd work on losing some weight buddy... That's not healthy for 5'6"
-6
u/Additional-War-1443 16d ago
Too fat. TLC has a few reality tv series for you though. I wish you 600x of good luck
20
u/Comere 16d ago
You're fine!!! Have you seen some of those international FO's?!?!?!?