[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":521},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained":484},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":427,"dateModified":428,"description":429,"draft":430,"extension":431,"faqs":432,"howTo":428,"keyTakeaways":442,"meta":448,"metaDescription":449,"navigation":450,"path":451,"quiz":452,"seo":470,"series":428,"seriesOrder":428,"sources":471,"stem":481,"topic":482,"__hash__":483},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained.md","Medical certificates explained",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":414},"minimark",[9,13,19,24,35,47,51,60,108,115,119,128,196,203,207,248,252,271,278,282,295,299,305,328,353,366,370,402,406],[10,11,12],"p",{},"A licence says you are trained to fly; a medical certificate says you are fit to. The two are separate, and the medical comes in classes that match the kind of flying you do, each with its own period of validity that shortens as you get older. The classes and the numbers differ between the FAA and EASA, so it pays to learn the right set for your licence.",[14,15,16],"blockquote",{},[10,17,18],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"what-a-medical-certificate-is-for","What a medical certificate is for",[10,25,26,27,34],{},"A medical certificate is a statement, issued after examination by an authorised medical examiner, that you meet a defined standard of fitness for a class of flying. The international framework sits in ",[28,29,33],"a",{"href":30,"rel":31},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannex-1-personnel-licensing",[32],"nofollow","ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing)",", which sets the medical assessment standards each authority then implements. The principle behind the classes is simple: the more demanding and the more public the flying, the higher the standard and the more often it is checked. An airline captain carrying hundreds of passengers is held to a tighter standard, examined more frequently, than a private pilot flying friends at the weekend.",[10,36,37,38,42,43,46],{},"Two things follow from that. First, the class you need follows the ",[39,40,41],"strong",{},"privileges you exercise",", not just the licence in your wallet. Second, validity is not a flat number: it depends on your ",[39,44,45],{},"age",", because the medical risks the examination is screening for rise with age, so the certificate is renewed more often as you get older.",[20,48,50],{"id":49},"the-faa-classes-and-their-validity","The FAA classes and their validity",[10,52,53,54,59],{},"The United States, in ",[28,55,58],{"href":56,"rel":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-D\u002Fpart-61\u002Fsubpart-A\u002Fsection-61.23",[32],"14 CFR 61.23",", defines three classes:",[61,62,63,82,93],"ul",{},[64,65,66,69,70,73,74,77,78,81],"li",{},[39,67,68],{},"First-class",", required for ",[39,71,72],{},"airline transport pilot"," privileges. Valid ",[39,75,76],{},"12 calendar months"," if you were under age 40 at the examination, and ",[39,79,80],{},"6 calendar months"," if you were 40 or over.",[64,83,84,69,87,73,90,92],{},[39,85,86],{},"Second-class",[39,88,89],{},"commercial pilot",[39,91,76],{},", regardless of age.",[64,94,95,69,98,101,102,77,105,81],{},[39,96,97],{},"Third-class",[39,99,100],{},"private, recreational and student"," flying. Valid ",[39,103,104],{},"60 calendar months",[39,106,107],{},"24 calendar months",[10,109,110,111,114],{},"A higher-class medical also carries the privileges of the lower classes for their respective durations, so a first-class certificate continues to serve as a third-class long after it has lapsed for first-class privileges. The United States also offers ",[39,112,113],{},"BasicMed",", an alternative to the third-class medical for certain private operations, with its own conditions; it sits alongside, not inside, the three-class scheme.",[20,116,118],{"id":117},"the-easa-classes-and-their-validity","The EASA classes and their validity",[10,120,121,122,127],{},"EASA, in Part-MED (",[28,123,126],{"href":124,"rel":125},"https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Flegal-content\u002FEN\u002FTXT\u002F?uri=CELEX:02011R1178-20250804",[32],"MED.A.045","), uses a parallel but differently named set:",[61,129,130,159,180],{},[64,131,132,69,135,138,139,142,143,146,147,150,151,154,155,158],{},[39,133,134],{},"Class 1",[39,136,137],{},"commercial licences"," (ATPL, CPL, MPL). Valid ",[39,140,141],{},"12 months",", reduced to ",[39,144,145],{},"6 months"," once the holder reaches ",[39,148,149],{},"age 60",", or is engaged in ",[39,152,153],{},"single-pilot commercial air transport"," carrying passengers and has reached ",[39,156,157],{},"age 40",".",[64,160,161,164,165,168,169,172,173,176,177,179],{},[39,162,163],{},"Class 2",", required for the ",[39,166,167],{},"private pilot licence (PPL)"," and similar. Valid ",[39,170,171],{},"60 months"," until age 40, ",[39,174,175],{},"24 months"," between 40 and 50, and ",[39,178,141],{}," after 50.",[64,181,182,185,186,189,190,192,193,195],{},[39,183,184],{},"LAPL medical",", the lighter standard for the ",[39,187,188],{},"light aircraft pilot licence (LAPL)",". Valid ",[39,191,171],{}," until age 40, and ",[39,194,175],{}," after 40.",[10,197,198,199,202],{},"The exact behaviour right at the age boundaries, for instance a certificate issued just before a birthday, is set out in MED.A.045, which is the place to confirm an edge case rather than estimate it. The UK, since leaving EASA, operates its own closely aligned Part-MED, and also offers a ",[39,200,201],{},"Pilot Medical Declaration"," as a lighter route for some private flying, broadly comparable in spirit to BasicMed.",[20,204,206],{"id":205},"the-two-systems-side-by-side","The two systems side by side",[10,208,209,210,213,214,216,217,220,221,224,225,228,229,231,232,235,236,238,239,241,242,244,245,247],{},"The mapping is rough but useful: the FAA ",[39,211,212],{},"first-class"," lines up with the EASA ",[39,215,134],{}," for the most demanding commercial flying, the ",[39,218,219],{},"second-class"," with the commercial end of ",[39,222,223],{},"Class 1\u002FClass 2",", and the ",[39,226,227],{},"third-class"," with ",[39,230,163],{}," or the lighter ",[39,233,234],{},"LAPL"," for private flying. The validity numbers, though, are genuinely different. The clearest contrast is at the private level: a private pilot's medical lasts up to ",[39,237,171],{}," when young under both systems, but the FAA third-class drops to ",[39,240,175],{}," at 40 while the EASA Class 2 keeps ",[39,243,175],{}," only to 50 and then ",[39,246,141],{}," beyond. Do not assume your home figure applies abroad.",[20,249,251],{"id":250},"what-the-examination-looks-at","What the examination looks at",[10,253,254,255,258,259,262,263,266,267,270],{},"A medical examination is not a single pass-or-fail test but a structured screen across the systems that matter most in flight. It checks ",[39,256,257],{},"vision",", distance and near acuity and, importantly, ",[39,260,261],{},"colour perception"," for reading lights and displays; ",[39,264,265],{},"hearing",", by conversation and, at the higher classes, audiogram; the ",[39,268,269],{},"cardiovascular"," system, including blood pressure and, for Class 1, periodic electrocardiograms; and the respiratory, neurological and general state of health. The higher the class, the more thorough and the more frequent the checks, which is the same logic that drives the shorter validity periods: an airline medical screens harder and more often than a private one.",[10,272,273,274,277],{},"A certificate need not be a flat yes or no. It can be issued with ",[39,275,276],{},"limitations"," that make it safe to fly within bounds, the most familiar being the requirement to wear corrective lenses, and others restricting a pilot to multi-pilot operations or to flying with a safety pilot. The FAA handles unusual cases through a special issuance process, and EASA through operational limitations recorded on the certificate. The point is that a condition does not automatically end a flying career; it is assessed against the standard for the class.",[20,279,281],{"id":280},"when-your-fitness-changes","When your fitness changes",[10,283,284,285,288,289,294],{},"A medical certificate is a snapshot, and the rules put a continuing duty on the pilot between examinations. Under EASA's MED.A.020 you must not exercise the privileges of your licence when you are aware of any ",[39,286,287],{},"decrease in medical fitness"," that might make you unable to do so safely, and you must seek advice after significant illness, injury, surgery, or starting regular medication. The FAA states the parallel duty in ",[28,290,293],{"href":291,"rel":292},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-D\u002Fpart-61\u002Fsubpart-A\u002Fsection-61.53",[32],"14 CFR 61.53",": no person may act as pilot while they know, or have reason to know, of a medical condition that would make them unable to meet the requirements for the medical certificate. In plain terms, a valid certificate in your pocket does not authorise you to fly when you know you are not fit. That self-grounding judgement, on a bad cold, on new medication, after a poor night, sits alongside the certificate and is just as binding.",[20,296,298],{"id":297},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,300,301,302,158],{},"Take a pilot at ",[39,303,304],{},"age 45",[10,306,307,308,311,312,314,315,317,318,321,322,324,325,327],{},"Flying privately under ",[39,309,310],{},"EASA",", she holds a ",[39,313,163],{}," medical. At 45 she is in the 40-to-50 band, so it is valid for ",[39,316,175],{},". If she flew privately under the ",[39,319,320],{},"FAA"," instead, her ",[39,323,227],{}," medical, at 40 or over, would also be valid for ",[39,326,175],{},", a rare case where the two line up.",[10,329,330,331,334,335,337,338,340,341,343,344,346,347,349,350,352],{},"Now suppose she flies ",[39,332,333],{},"commercially",". Under ",[39,336,310],{}," she needs a ",[39,339,134],{},", valid ",[39,342,141],{},", because she is not in single-pilot commercial passenger operations, so the reduction to 6 months at 40 does not apply to her yet. Under the ",[39,345,320],{},", exercising airline transport privileges she needs a ",[39,348,212],{}," medical, and at 40 or over that is valid only ",[39,351,145],{},". The same pilot, the same age, holds medicals with very different renewal intervals depending on the system and the flying.",[10,354,355,356,359,360,362,363,365],{},"Finally, picture her at ",[39,357,358],{},"62"," as an airline captain under EASA: her ",[39,361,134],{}," is now reduced to ",[39,364,145],{}," because she has passed 60, so she sees the examiner twice as often as she did a decade earlier. The standard has not changed; the frequency of checking has.",[20,367,369],{"id":368},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[61,371,372,378,384,390,396],{},[64,373,374,377],{},[39,375,376],{},"Matching the medical to the licence rather than the privileges."," It is the flying you actually do that sets the class you need.",[64,379,380,383],{},[39,381,382],{},"Forgetting that validity shortens with age."," The same certificate lasts years when you are young and months later in your career.",[64,385,386,389],{},[39,387,388],{},"Carrying one authority's numbers into the other."," The FAA and EASA periods and age bands differ, especially for private flying past 50.",[64,391,392,395],{},[39,393,394],{},"Confusing the medical with currency."," A valid medical does not make you current, and being current does not keep your medical alive; they are separate clocks.",[64,397,398,401],{},[39,399,400],{},"Guessing the behaviour at an age boundary."," Certificates issued near a birthday follow specific rules in MED.A.045 and 61.23; check them rather than estimate.",[20,403,405],{"id":404},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,407,408,409,413],{},"Pilot EFB is a study and planning companion, and the medical certificate sits firmly outside it: the app does not hold, issue, validate or track the expiry of your medical, and it cannot tell you whether you are fit to fly. That is a matter for you, your authorised medical examiner and the current rule, just as ",[28,410,412],{"href":411},"\u002Flearn\u002Frecency-and-currency","recency"," is a separate question again. Pilot EFB is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so treat it as a study and planning aid and confirm your medical against your authority's requirements.",{"title":415,"searchDepth":416,"depth":416,"links":417},"",2,[418,419,420,421,422,423,424,425,426],{"id":22,"depth":416,"text":23},{"id":49,"depth":416,"text":50},{"id":117,"depth":416,"text":118},{"id":205,"depth":416,"text":206},{"id":250,"depth":416,"text":251},{"id":280,"depth":416,"text":281},{"id":297,"depth":416,"text":298},{"id":368,"depth":416,"text":369},{"id":404,"depth":416,"text":405},"2026-05-30",null,"The classes of aviation medical and what each allows: the FAA's first, second and third class against EASA's Class 1, Class 2 and LAPL, with validity by age.",false,"md",[433,436,439],{"q":434,"a":435},"Which medical class do I need?","It depends on what you fly and where. Under the FAA, airline transport privileges need a first-class medical, commercial privileges a second-class, and private, recreational or student flying a third-class. Under EASA, commercial licences (ATPL, CPL, MPL) need a Class 1, the private pilot licence needs a Class 2, and the light aircraft pilot licence needs the lighter LAPL medical. The class follows the privileges you exercise, not the licence you happen to hold.",{"q":437,"a":438},"How long does a medical certificate last?","Validity depends on the class and on your age. Under the FAA a first-class is valid 12 months under age 40 and 6 months at 40 or over, a second-class 12 months, and a third-class 60 months under 40 and 24 months at 40 or over. Under EASA a Class 1 is valid 12 months (reduced to 6 once you reach 60, or for single-pilot commercial passenger operations from age 40), a Class 2 is 60 months under 40, 24 months from 40 to 50 and 12 months after 50, and a LAPL medical is 60 months under 40 and 24 months after 40.",{"q":440,"a":441},"Is the medical the same thing as being current?","No. A medical certificate says you are medically fit to exercise a licence's privileges; recency and currency are about recent flying experience. You can hold a valid medical and be out of currency, or be current and let your medical lapse. They are separate requirements with separate clocks, and both have to be satisfied to fly legally.",[443,444,445,446,447],"The class follows the privileges you exercise: FAA first, second and third class; EASA Class 1, Class 2 and the LAPL medical.","FAA validity: first-class 12 months under 40 and 6 months at 40 or over, second-class 12 months, third-class 60 months under 40 and 24 months at 40 or over.","EASA validity: Class 1 12 months (6 once 60, or in single-pilot commercial passenger ops from 40), Class 2 60\u002F24\u002F12 months by age, LAPL 60 months under 40 and 24 months after.","A valid medical confirms fitness, but you must self-ground when aware of a decrease in medical fitness.","The medical is separate from currency and from ratings, each with its own clock.",{},"Aviation medical classes and validity: the FAA first, second and third class against EASA Class 1, Class 2 and LAPL, with periods by age.",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained",[453,457,462],{"q":454,"options":455,"answer":416,"explanation":456},"Under the FAA, which medical class is required to exercise airline transport pilot privileges?",[97,86,68,113],"A first-class medical is required for airline transport pilot privileges. A second-class covers commercial privileges, and a third-class covers private, recreational and student flying.",{"q":458,"options":459,"answer":460,"explanation":461},"Under EASA, how long is a Class 2 medical valid for a 45-year-old?",[141,175,171,145],1,"A Class 2 medical is valid 60 months under age 40, 24 months between 40 and 50, and 12 months after 50, so at 45 it is valid for 24 months.",{"q":463,"options":464,"answer":460,"explanation":469},"What does a valid medical certificate confirm, as distinct from currency?",[465,466,467,468],"That you have flown recently enough to carry passengers","That you are medically fit to exercise your licence privileges","That your aircraft is airworthy","That your ratings are revalidated","A medical certificate confirms medical fitness to exercise the privileges of a licence. Recency and currency, the recent-experience requirements, are separate, with their own clock.",{"title":5,"description":429},[472,474,476,479],{"label":473,"url":56},"FAA 14 CFR 61.23 (Medical certificates: requirement and duration)",{"label":475,"url":124},"EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1178\u002F2011 (consolidated, Part-MED, MED.A.045)",{"label":477,"url":478},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Medical Requirements (Part-MED)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-medical-requirements-regulation-eu-no-11782011-and",{"label":480,"url":30},"ICAO Annex 1: Personnel Licensing (medical provisions)","learn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained","Regulations","hxALlnMyk7S7_9NlbmbsuwWoDCFbGygEgdETd01lYFg",{"related":485,"newer":507,"older":514,"series":428},[486,492,499],{"path":487,"title":488,"description":489,"date":490,"topic":482,"draft":430,"minutes":491,"series":428,"seriesOrder":428},"\u002Flearn\u002Fclass-and-type-ratings-explained","Class and type ratings explained","Class rating versus type rating, what each lets you fly, and how EASA's revalidated ratings compare with the FAA's certificate-based system.","2026-06-11",7,{"path":493,"title":494,"description":495,"date":496,"topic":482,"draft":430,"minutes":491,"series":497,"seriesOrder":498},"\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them","Position and anti-collision lights","An aircraft's navigation and anti-collision lights, the red-left green-right convention, when each must be shown, and how SERA.3215 and 14 CFR 91.209 compare.","2026-05-19","rules-of-the-air",6,{"path":500,"title":501,"description":502,"date":503,"topic":482,"draft":430,"minutes":504,"series":505,"seriesOrder":506},"\u002Flearn\u002Fstandby-and-reserve-duty","Standby and reserve duty","What standby and reserve mean, how airport standby differs from home, how the FAA handles long-call and short-call reserve, and how standby becomes duty.","2026-05-09",8,"duty-rest-and-flight-time-limits",5,{"path":508,"title":509,"description":510,"date":511,"topic":512,"draft":430,"minutes":513,"series":428,"seriesOrder":428},"\u002Flearn\u002Fcloud-types-explained","Cloud types and what they tell a pilot","The ten cloud genera grouped high, middle and low, heaped versus layered cloud, and how to read what each tells you about stability and the weather ahead.","2026-05-31","Weather",3,{"path":515,"title":516,"description":517,"date":518,"topic":519,"draft":430,"minutes":520,"series":428,"seriesOrder":428},"\u002Flearn\u002Foffline-first-preflight-briefing","The offline-first preflight briefing","What the rules require you to check before flight, how to build a self-brief, and the honest difference between offline-first and working fully offline.","2026-05-29","Briefing",4,1782839403953]