For most pilots, the FAA Airmen’s Medical Certificate is a fundamental requirement for flight. This certification guarantees that the pilot meets the medical standards necessary for safe operation of an aircraft. But there are exceptions, and understanding them is crucial, particularly for pilots facing challenges with their medical certification. Medical Qualifications: Contention and Controversy Discussions about medical qualifications often lead to disagreements and controversy. Even though I am not a member of the FAA FAASTeam, I regularly attend WINGS seminars. These discussions consistently arise at the end of many presentations, regardless of whether the presentation is related to medical issues. The typical statement is usually something this: “A Sport Pilot does NOT need an FAA Medical NOR BasicMed.” They are usually referring to the to the use of a U.S. Issued Driver’s License to exercise Sport Pilot privileges. While this is true at a surface level, the answer is more nuanced and not for the reasons many pilots mistakenly believe.
FAA Medical Certificates — What Every Pilot Should Know (UPDATED)
Medical Qualifications: Contention and Controversy
Discussions about medical qualifications often lead to disagreements and controversy. Even though I am not a member of the FAA FAASTeam, I regularly attend WINGS seminars. These discussions consistently arise at the end of many presentations, regardless of whether the presentation is related to medical issues. The typical statement is usually something this: "A Sport Pilot does NOT need an FAA Medical NOR BasicMed." They are usually referring to the to the use of a U.S. Issued Driver's License to exercise Sport Pilot privileges. While this is true at a surface level, the answer is more nuanced and not for the reasons many pilots mistakenly believe. On the general topic of Medicals and Medical Qualifications, the FAA is very clear and states the following: FAA AIM 8-1-1-1.a.1: “All pilots except those flying gliders and free air balloons must possess valid medical certificates in order to exercise the privileges of their airman certificates.” FAA AIP ENR 1.15.1.1.1: “All pilots except those flying gliders and free air balloons must possess valid medical certificates in order to exercise the privileges of their airman certificates.”Sport Pilots and Medical Disqualifications
Many people mistakenly believe that Sport Pilots are not required to have sufficient proof of medical fitness. However, this is not true, except for gliders and free air balloons, which are the only exceptions to this rule. There is no mention of Sport Pilots or Light Sport Aircraft exceptions in the regulations. However, there is a difference for those exercising Sport Pilot privileges in terms of what constitutes a "sufficient proof of medical fitness" under the regulations, due to a special exception by the FAA for Sport Pilots. A person exercising Sport Pilot privileges can satisfy the "sufficient proof of medical fitness" requirement for Sport Pilot privileges in one of three ways, ranging from most senior to most junior. For illustrative purposes only, let's categorize these as Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. A failure or revocation at a higher (senior) level prohibits the use of an item from a lower (junior) level.- Standard FAA Airman Medical (Level 1): 1st, 2nd or 3rd Class Medical Certificate issued by an AME or other FAA authorized authority.
- If a pilot's most recent FAA Medical Certificate was denied, suspended or revoked or if any Special Issuance was withdrawn, the pilot is NOT eligible to operate any type of aircraft until the issue(s) have been resolved and a current and valid Airman Medical Certificate is issued.
- BasicMed (Level 2): Certification by a U.S. State Licensed Physician using the official FAA BasicMed Exam form, plus an online self-certification course.
- If a pilot's most recent FAA Medical Certificate was denied, suspended or revoked, or if any Special Issuance was withdrawn, the pilot is NOT eligible to operate any type of aircraft until the issue(s) have been resolved and a current and valid Airman Medical Certificate is issued.
- U.S. Issued Driver’s License (Level 3): For the purposes of Sport Pilot privileges only, a valid U.S. Issued Driver’s License may be used to fulfill the “sufficient proof of medical fitness” requirements.
- If an adverse action has occurred with either a Standard FAA Medical or BasicMed issuance listed above, those conditions must be cleared, and recertification must occur, before using a U.S. Issued Driver’s License to satisfy the “sufficient proof of medical fitness” requirement.
- Sport Pilots must comply with all restrictions and limitations on their U.S. Issued Driver’s License, as well as any judicial or administrative orders pertaining to the operation of a motor vehicle.
- The pilot must "self-certify" that they have no medical conditions nor ingesting any medications that prevent the safe operation of an aircraft.
The FAA allows U.S. Issued Driver's Licenses to be used for Sport Pilot privileges without the pilot holding an FAA Medical or BasicMed for a specific reason. This is because each U.S. state, territory, or district's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) mandates a basic level of medical fitness for operating a motor vehicle. In this case, the DMV essentially serves as the medical certifying authority in place of an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) or a U.S. licensed physician. Therefore, even though the pilot does not have an FAA Medical or BasicMed, they are still being medically qualified by a certifying authority (DMV).
If a pilot's physicians have informed the pilot that they are medically unfit to operate an aircraft due to medical conditions and/or medications, or if the pilot becomes aware of any medical conditions and/or medications that make them medically unfit to operate an aircraft, the pilot is no longer able to "self-certify" and may not continue to operate an aircraft. This applies to any type of medical certificate or driver’s license.