As my mother reminded me when I announced my intention to learn to fly, when I was a child I firmly wanted to be a pilot!

Comes from growing up under the Gatwick flight-path I guess, when playing out in the garden would be regularly interrupted by an over-flying jet.

Unfortunately this was a dream I had always assumed would never happen. I was born with Glaucoma, an eye disorder that means the fluid in my eyes does not drain correctly resulting in an increased pressure that can, if untreated, cause irreparable damage to the optic nerve and eventually blindness.

I was lucky enough to have it diagnosed while still a toddler, and operated on at an early age. I was prescribed eye drops for most of my childhood, and had a second round of operations in my mid-teens.

Since then I’ve had no problems, and haven’t needed to take eyedrops to regulate the pressures. And thanks to the early intervention, my visual fields are completely normal and I’ve experienced no loss of vision.

Despite this, I still believed that flying was out of my reach, since my medical history would exempt me.

Fast-forward a few years, I’m now in my mid-twenties and working as a computer programmer for a startup software company.

One of the unusual perks is that regular travel to conferences, “summits” and “sprints” is required as part of the job. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be invited to fly there on the CEO’s own private jet, affectionately nicknamed “Canonical One”.

I had my first trip on it a couple of years ago, flying to Australia.

For someone used to commercial aviation, having access to the cockpit was an amazing experience; I’d only ever had the chance before as a nine year old.

I’d wandered up a few times and chatted to the both of the captains and second-seats we had on each leg of the journey. As we flew in towards Canberra at night, I began to really appreciate the the pilots have some of the best views in the world.

The most recent time on board was during a tour of various US technology companies; for visa reasons, we flew in and out on ordinary commercial flights but the flights around the states were done aboard the jet.

By far the highlight of the trip was kneeling in the cockpit while we flew over San Francisco, with the moon shining off the bay, and descended into San Jose airport.

The bug I had picked up as a child came back full-force.

The captain was staying in the same hotel as us in the week after, and I took full opportunity to find out some information about how he trained to be a pilot, etc. I learned that the second-seat for the return leg used to be an instructor, so quizzed her for all sorts of information.

And most importantly, I learned that while the medical is comprehensive, and while vision requirements are set, having been born with Glaucoma but otherwise having excellent eyesight should not be a problem.

Once home, I started to find out more, and eventually spoke to the CAA Medical Advisor who confirmed that provided my vision was within the acceptable limits, that I should pass that aspect of the medical.

A visit to the optometrist provided the necessary confirmation. My visual fields are normal, and while I’m slightly long sighted in one eye, it is not enough of a difference for glasses; let alone a large enough difference to fail the medical.

Obviously I still need to undergo the actual medical examination, but a childhood dream has been reawakened.

The next step would be to find a local flying school, and take a trial lesson!