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Table of
Contents
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) from the FAA's Civil Aviation Medical Institute (CAMI)
website
Capsular
Summary of the Standards
If
You Do Not Meet the Standards
Additional
Information on this Website
Options
to the Third Class Medical: BasicMed
Your
FAA Medical Exam
Special
Issuance Protocols
and the Airman Medical Examiner Assisted Special Issuance (AASI) Process
Conditions
for which Airman Medical Examiner Can Issue (CACI)
Sport
Pilot Information
LASIK and
Refractive Eye Surgery
FAA Requirement since October 1st, 2012: MedXpress
FAQs
from CAMI
Note: By clicking on one of the following questions you will be going to the FAA
website page which addresses that issue. To return here use your Browser's back button
What
is a medical certificate?
How
do I obtain a medical certificate?
Who
must hold a medical certificate?
What
class of medical certificate must I hold and how long is it valid?
What
medical standards must I meet in order to qualify for a medical certificate?
What
medical conditions does the FAA consider disqualifying?
What
are the minimum and maximum ages for obtaining a medical certificate?
Can
I get my student pilot certificate at the same time I take my initial flight
physical?
What
does it cost to get a medical certificate?
Am
I prohibited from exercising the privileges of my pilot certificate during
medical deficiency?
I
have some medical problems and would like to learn whether I can be issued
airman medical certification. Where can I get further information?
Is
a pilot required to report to the FAA that he or she has undergone LASIK or
other laser eye surgery to correct vision?
Can
I appeal if my application for medical certification is denied?
How
does the appeal process work?
How
can I contact the FAA about my medical certificate?
What
should I do if I hold a foreign medical certificate or endorsement and I want to
exercise pilot privileges in the United States?
I
lost my medical certificate; how can I obtain a copy?
FAA Website publication date
of this FAQ List was January 9, 2013.. There was no update as of August 8, 2016.
To see if there are revisions
to the FAQ List visit the FAA website site by clicking
on the blue button: 
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Capsular
Summary of the Standards
Please note: This was from the FAA online version of the
Airman Medical Examiners Handbook
Version V; March 30, 2016 -
No revision as of March 1,2020
Medical
Certificate
Pilot Type |
First-Class
Airline Transport Pilot |
Second-Class
Commercial Pilot
|
Third-Class
Private Pilot |
|
DISTANT VISION |
20/20 or better in
each eye separately, with or
without correction. |
20/40 or better in
each eye separately, with or without correction. |
|
NEAR VISION |
20/40 or better in
each eye separately (Snellen equivalent), with or without correction, as
measured at 16 inches. |
|
INTERMEDIATE VISION |
20/40 or better in each eye separately (Snellen equivalent),
with or without correction at age 50 and over, as measured at 32 inches.
|
No requirement. |
|
COLOR
VISION
Note: If the above words look
gray, you may have a vision problem!.
|
Requirements
for color vision are more stringent for First ansd Second Class
Certificates than what is reqired for Third Class Certificates. Visit our
COLOR
VISION
Page
for details |
|
HEARING |
Demonstrate hearing
of an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears at 6
feet, with the back turned to the examiner or pass one of the
audiometric tests below. |
|
AUDIOLOGY |
Audiometric speech
discrimination test: Score at least 70% reception in one ear.
Pure tone audiometric test. Unaided, with thresholds no worse than:
|
|
|
500 Hz |
1,000 Hz |
2,000 Hz |
3,000 Hz |
|
Better Ear |
35 Db |
30 dB |
30 dB |
40 dB |
|
Worst Ear |
35 dB |
50 dB |
50 dB |
60 dB |
|
ENT |
No ear disease or
condition manifested by, or that may reasonably be expected to maintained
by, vertigo or a disturbance of speech or equilibrium. |
|
PULSE |
Not disqualifying
per se. Used to determine cardiac system status and responsiveness. |
|
BLOOD PRESSURE |
. The current
guideline maximum value is 155/95. |
ELECTRO-
CARDIOGRAM (ECG) |
At age 35 and
annually after age 40 |
Not routinely
required. |
|
MENTAL |
No diagnosis of
psychosis, or bipolar disorder, or severe personality disorders. |
SUBSTANCE
DEPENDENCE AND
SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR MISUSE |
A diagnosis or
medical history of "substance dependence" is disqualifying unless there is
established clinical evidence, satisfactory to the Federal Air Surgeon, of
recovery, including sustained total abstinence from the substance(s) for not
less than the preceding 2 years. A history of "substance abuse" within the
preceding 2 years is disqualifying. "Substance" includes alcohol and other
drugs (i.e., PCP, sedatives and hynoptics, anxiolytics, marijuana, cocaine,
opioids, amphetamines, hallucinogens, and other psychoactive drugs or
chemicals). |
|
DISQUALIFYING
CONDITIONS |
Unless otherwise
directed by the FAA, the Examiner must deny or defer if the applicant has a
history of:
1. Diabetes mellitus
requiring hypoglycemic medication
2. Angina pectoris
3. Coronary heart disease that has been treated or, if untreated, that has
been symptomatic or clinically significant.
4. Myocardial infarction
5. Cardiac valve replacement
6. Permanent cardiac pacemaker
7. Heart replacement
8. Psychosis
9. Bipolar disorder
10. Personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly
manifested itself by overt acts
11. Substance dependence
12. Substance abuse
13. Epilepsy
14. Disturbance of consciousness and without satisfactory explanation of
cause
15. Transient loss of control of nervous system function(s) without
satisfactory explanation of cause. |
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If You Do Not
Meet the Standards
No
individual is perfect, and most
everyone will experience at some time during his or her career a significant illness
or a disability. This does not necessarily end flying activities and the
FAA has procedures whereby individuals can re-qualify. A disqualifying
medical condition can be either static or possibly progressive, and the FAA
takes a different approach in dealing with each one.
A static condition is one that is not expected to change
or progress over the years. Examples include some degree of color
blindness or an individual that has lost his leg from an injury and wears a
prosthesis. If the FAA makes a determination that when considering the
adaptations the individual has made to compensate for their limitations that
operating an aircraft can be done safely it will issue a Statement of
Demonstrated Ability or SODA. At times an actual flight test may be
required with an FAA check pilot to obtain these waivers. SODAs are
permanent and do not have any expiration or reevaluation date. Once you
have one it remains in effect as long as the condition does not change and
you apply for the same class or lower class of certificate. A SODA
needs to be re-issued if you go to a higher class of certification, and it
becomes invalid if the condition for which it was issued changes.
Most
medical problems are not static and may change or progress over time. Examples in this category are hypertension, glaucoma or
heart disease. Such conditions require an initial evaluation when the
problem is first discovered. If the FAA determines that the condition does not
preclude the safe operation of an aircraft one can generally obtain
certification. Reevaluation is usually required annually or biennially. If
the condition has not changed then the certificate may be re issued, however if
there is progression continued certification may become problematic.
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The
AASI Process,
Protocols, and Conditions for which the Airman Medical Examiner (AME) can
issue
There are specific medical conditions the FAA considers
disqualifying and which may progress over time, however if you meet protocol
criteria the FAA can issue you what is called a Special Issuance
medical Certificate. The initial granting of the SI must be done by the
FAA, however if you continue to satisfy the criteria in the protocol for
your condition your AME can reissue you certificate. A
list of these guidelines can be viewed on the
AASI
Pages of the CAMI website.
The FAA had also defined a group of medical conditions called "Conditions for which Airman
Medical Examiner Can Issue" or CACI. For these medical conditions
if meet the FAA protocol criteria your AME can issue you your certificate without
pre-approval from the FAA.
For all medical
certificates issued by the Special Issuance or CACI process you need to have the
required protocol information. This is because when an AME is authorized to
issue the certificate he/she must certify that the required documentation was
reviewed and met criteria. When the FAA has to issue your certificate it
has been my consistent experience that they will not make a decision until the receive
all of the protocol information.
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This page was last updated on
05/27/22
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