WARNING - Need for Consult or Careful Consideration
While many instructors still tell their student pilots that they should just go talk to the local AME and that "anyone with a pulse can get a medical", this is no longer good advice for most students. The aeromedical process has become increasingly complicated in the last decades and is now well described as a minefield of possible Catch-22s and gotchas.
When many current instructors were trained, the process of obtaining a medical certificate was simpler. The regulations requiring a medical certificate for even private (non-commercial) pilots historically evolved out of military screening for the best pilot candidates during World War I. Initially the requirements for a private pilot were fairly simple, but they have become much more tricky and intrusive over the years. This process was greatly accelerated by the GermanWings crash when a depressed pilot intentionally crashed and killed 144 passengers and 6 crew members. Now the FAA delves into all manner of possible medical and psychiatric illness which might impair a pilot's ability to fly.
The current FAA form 8500-8 to apply for a medical certificate asks about medical conditions as "Have you ever in your life...". There is no statute of limitations so a condition diagnosed as a young child, such as ADHD, must be reported. Any yes answer or use of serious medications can be hang-up and cause deferral of the application to further review or outright denial.
The good news is that with enough time and money for evaluations, most pilots that can reasonably safely fly can eventually obtain a medical certificate. But this requires careful consideration to avoid cutting off options for flying which do not require an FAA medical certificate. Many student pilots have inadvertently simply filled out the form and gone to an aviation medical examiner (AME) without due consideration to a condition which no longer affects them and found themselves denied and cut off from ever being able to fly even lighter aircraft.
This post grew out of the experiences of many pilots on internet aviation forums and discussions there. It will attempt to provide basic information on this page.
Types of FAA Medical Certificates
There are 3 classes of medical certificates issued by the FAA (see FAR 61.23).
- 3rd Class. This is the type of certificate allows a private pilot to exercise the privileges of a private pilot certificate and and allows flight instructors to instruct. The requirements are least stringent for this class and the certificate is valid for 5 years (60 calendar months) for those under 40 and 2 years (24 calendar months) for those over 40.
- 2nd Class. This type of certificate allows commercial pilots to exercise the privileges of a commercial pilot certificate. This means essentially being able to fly commercially for hire. The requirements are slightly more stringent than for a 3rd class and this certificate is valid for 1 year (12 calendar months).
- 1st Class. This type of certificate airline transport pilots to exercise the privileges of an airline transport certificate. This means essentially being able to fly scheduled air service, like that offered by Southwest or United Airlines. The requirements are the most stringent and this certificate is valid for 1 year (12 calendar months) for those under the age of 40 and 6 months for those 40 and older.
Process to Obtain a FAA Medical Certificate
There are 2 steps in the normal process of obtaining an FAA medical certificate:
- Fill out the medical form, which must now be done online at the MedXpress website.
- Visit an FAA designated aviation medical examiner (AME) for an exam appropriate to the class sought. Local flight instructors will normally have suggestions but the FAA maintains an amelocator to help find one.
There are 3 possible outcomes from that exam by the AME:
- Issued. This means that the AME found nothing to prevent the applicant from obtaining a certificate and that the certificate is issued in the office before the applicant leaves. This is the best outcome for the applicant.
- Deferred. This means the AME found conditions which do not allow him or her to issue the certificate immediately and the application must be forward to the examiners at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City.
- Denied. This normally happens after a deferral and examination by CAMI, though can sometimes be the outcome determined by the AME in cases where the applicant clearly fails to meet the medical requirements.
It is very important to realize that once the medical reference number (or MID) at the bottom of the 8500-8 form is entered into the FAA system by the AME or his office staff, the application will eventually result in either issuance or denial.
Possible Need for AME Consult
If you answered yes to any of the items in section 18 of the MedExpress form or are taking any serious medications, you are well advised to pursue an AME consult. See instructions at the link on how to do this.
Regular Versus Special Issuance
If an applicant meets all the requirements under the normal FAA regulations for issuance of a medical certificate, that is called a "regular issuance". If the applicant cannot meet all those requirements due to a past or current medical condition, the FAA can provide a "special issuance" (SI) certificate in many cases after appropriate testing and program participation. Such a certificate will usually have a set of restrictions on flying or ongoing testing or conditions the applicant must comply with to continue flying as a pilot.
An example of this would be a pilot who has had troubles with excessive alcohol consumption. By demonstrating through testing and program participation that they are remaining sober, a pilot may obtain a SI certificate.
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