Medical certificates and BasicMed, in plain terms
There are three routes to flying legally as a private pilot, and which one suits you is worth understanding before you spend money on training or an airplane.
To act as pilot in command you need to be medically qualified, and there is more than one way to get there. The three routes differ in what examination they require, who performs it, and what they then allow you to fly.
The three routes
An FAA medical certificate, issued by an aviation medical examiner — a physician specifically designated by the FAA. These come in three classes. Third class is the one most private pilots hold; first and second class are for professional flying and are more demanding, with shorter validity.
BasicMed, an alternative route that allows certain pilots to fly without holding a current medical certificate, provided they meet its conditions — which include having held a medical certificate at some point, completing a medical education course, and having a physical examination performed by a state-licensed physician using a specific checklist. It comes with limits on the aircraft and the operation.
Sport pilot, where a valid US driver’s licence can serve in place of a medical certificate, subject to conditions — most importantly that you have not had a medical certificate application denied or revoked. The trade is the sport pilot certificate’s own restrictions on aircraft, weather and passengers.
The order that matters, and why
There is one piece of sequencing advice that almost every experienced pilot gives and almost every new student hears too late: if there is any reason to think your medical might be complicated, consult an aviation medical examiner informally before you formally apply.
The reason is structural rather than medical. A formal application that results in a denial closes off the sport pilot driver’s-licence route and complicates the BasicMed route, because both are conditioned on not having had an application denied. An informal consultation beforehand costs a consultation fee and keeps every door open while you work out what, if anything, needs addressing first.
This is not advice to conceal anything — the application requires accuracy and the consequences of inaccuracy are severe. It is advice to find out what will be asked, and to arrive with the documentation already assembled, rather than discovering it mid-application.
What this means for a buyer
Medical route and aircraft choice are connected, and buyers sometimes discover the connection in the wrong order.
- If you intend to rely on sport pilot privileges, you are shopping in the light sport category — which is a genuinely different set of aircraft from the four-seat singles most people picture
- If you intend to rely on BasicMed, its aircraft and operating limits bound what you can buy and how you can fly it
- If you hold or can hold a third-class medical, the private pilot certificate and most light aircraft are open to you
Work out which route applies to you before you commit to an airframe. An airplane you are not medically qualified to fly is an expensive way to visit a hangar.