Hello - another colorblind pilot here. Yep, I went out to FSDO and they dragged me out to where I had a view of the tower and flashed the light gun at me.
Note that key is NOT “do you see the colors” but can you reliably distinguish the signals? In my case I don’t see red, white and green I see them as red, white, and blue but because I can reliably distinguish the signals, even if I see the wrong colors, I got a SODA and full flying privileges.
It is a good idea to consult someone more current than myself on the exact requirements and results these days - I think they’re no longer issuing SODA’s but some other sort of thing that basically says the same thing?
Anyhow, a few important points:
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Do your best to find out which particular test will be used and if at all possible get the student a dry run BEFORE the official test with someone other than the FAA guys. You want to reduce the variables prior to testing. Better yet, if you find out one permitted test might be a problem then you might be able to ask for a different one but you have to do it well in advance of the testing date. If you find out it’s the lightgun test not only expose the testee to an actual lightgun signal, but make sure he knows what the authentic signals are and what they mean just in case that figures into the test.
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Test at the level of license expected at the end of training. If all he wants is to be a private pilot then that’s one level of test, but if he decides to upgrade his license later he’ll have to re-test at a higher level. The private pilot test, when I did it back in the late 1990’s, took place with me and an examiner standing on the ground within eyeshot of the tower guys using the lightgun. The 2nd and 3rd class versions take place in the air, or at least they did at the time, with (I’m told) a more authentic simulation of use of signals.