MEDICAL CERTIFICATE

In addition to your pilot license, you will also have to have a medical certificate issued by an airman medical examiner, or AME, certified by the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA. Pilot licenses and medical certificates go hand-in-hand. You cannot exercise the privileges of any pilot license without a valid medical certificate. There are four basic medical certificates:

· 1st class 

· 2nd class

· 3rd class

· Basic Med 

There are restrictions as to how long they last depending on your age and the type of flying that you're actually doing but basically, the airline transport pilot must have a 1st class medical, a commercial pilot must have a 2nd class medical, and a private pilot, recreational pilot, or sport pilot can either have a 3rd class or basic med depending on individual circumstances.

We recommend that if you are planning to be a professional pilot, that initially apply for and obtain a 1st class medical. This way, if there are any underlying medical conditions that would preclude you from holding a 1st class medical certificate, it would be better to discover it sooner and get the issue resolved rather than having to deal with it later. If there are any issues, don't panic. The FAA is very good about issuing waivers and getting things worked out for anybody who wants to fly.