One of the requirements to hold a private pilot’s license is having a valid medical certificate from the FAA. These certificates come in three classes — third class is the easiest to get and the one I will be going for. That is all you need to be a private pilot who is not flying for hire. If you want to do any kind of commercial work while flying (crop dusting, transporting cargo, etc…) you would need at least a second class medical. First class is really only required for airline transport pilots and is the most difficult to get.
The process to get my medical was a little tricky, but all in all not a terrible experience. The hardest part was completing the FAA application online — this requires you to document your last three years of doctor visits, no matter how minor or what they were for. I had to do some digging to get a complete list together — my insurance company was helpful here and provided me a list of my claims over the last three years.
Next you have to go down a list of conditions and disclose if you have ever been diagnosed or treated for them. The FAA is obviously concerned with conditions that could be hazardous in flight — things like heart conditions, epilepsy, depression, alcohol or drug abuse, etc… Some conditions are disqualifying — unfortunately if you have one of them you may never be able to fly a plane solo. A lot of conditions will be allowed but you may need to jump through some difficult (and very expensive!) hoops to get the FAA to make an exception for you.
The advice I was given — if you have any doubts if something in your medical history will affect your application, do not apply yet! Talk to an AME (aviation medical examiner) before you submit anything. There are great AMEs out there who will act as your advocate and help you maximize your chances of getting a cert. Once you apply and get denied or deferred, you can’t take it back and just try again! Even though I am relatively healthy, I still contacted an AME to discuss some minor issues and it definitely helped with my peace of mind.
Another piece of advice — get your medical as soon as possible! I’ve heard horror stories of students who spend thousands of dollars and months of their life training to get to their solo endorsement, only to find there is some condition that will prevent them from ever holding a license. I did NOT want to go through that experience, so I decided I wouldn’t take any more lessons past the discovery flight until I had the medical in hand.
After submitting my application, I needed to see an AME for the physical exam. Our flight school has a great AME that sees patients right at the airport, so I booked an appointment and went to see him tonight. The exam was not as intrusive as I feared — again, you can find some horror stories out there! I was done in about 15 minutes and walked out with my new medical certificate in hand!