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FAA Medical Certification, Sourced
Can You Be A Pilot With ADHD Or Depression?
Often yes. Neither condition is named in 14 CFR 67.307, the section that lists what disqualifies an applicant for a third-class medical. Both require documentation, neither can be issued in the examiner's office on the day, and both have a published FAA path. Read this before you file anything.
9antidepressants conditionally acceptable, FAA list updated 27 Aug 2025
3 monthsminimum stable dose before the FAA will consider an application
5.0★70 reviews on Google
4 yearssymptom-free and medication-free window for the ADHD Fast Track
The Short Answer
Can You Be A Pilot With ADHD Or Depression?
In many cases yes, and the FAA publishes the requirements rather than deciding case by case in secret. 14 CFR 67.307 sets the mental standards for a third-class airman medical certificate, the class a private pilot needs under 14 CFR 61.23. The conditions it names outright are a personality disorder severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts, a psychosis, a bipolar disorder, and substance dependence. Neither attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder nor depression appears in that list.
What both do trigger is a deferral. An aviation medical examiner cannot issue on the spot; the file goes to the FAA, and the FAA applies a published protocol. For depression treated with medication, the FAA's antidepressant protocol requires a single approved medication, a stable dose for a minimum of three continuous months without aeromedically significant side effects or an increase in symptoms, and evaluation by a HIMS aviation medical examiner. For ADHD there are two routes, a Fast Track and a Standard Track, and which one applies depends on how recently you had symptoms or took medication.
The single most important thing on this page is procedural rather than medical: talk to an aviation medical examiner before you submit anything through MedXPress. Under 14 CFR 61.23(c) you may exercise sport pilot privileges on a valid US driver's licence only if your most recent application for a medical certificate was not denied and your last medical certificate was not suspended or revoked. A denial closes a door that a conversation would have kept open. This page is not medical advice and LA Flight School does not issue medical certificates.
14 CFR 67.307
What Does The FAA Regulation Actually Say About Mental Health?
The text of the standard, and the difference between a named disqualification and a deferral.
The Four Conditions 14 CFR 67.307 Names
The third-class mental standard disqualifies an applicant with an established medical history or clinical diagnosis of a personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts; a psychosis, meaning a condition involving delusions, hallucinations or grossly bizarre or disorganised behaviour; a bipolar disorder; or substance dependence, unless there is clinical evidence of recovery including sustained total abstinence for not less than the preceding two years.
The section then adds a catch-all. Any other personality disorder, neurosis or other mental condition may be disqualifying if the Federal Air Surgeon finds it makes the person unable to safely perform the duties or exercise the privileges of the certificate. That catch-all is why depression and ADHD are deferred rather than either automatically accepted or automatically refused.
Deferred Is Not Denied, And The Difference Matters
A deferral means your examiner sends the file to the FAA for a decision instead of issuing in the office. It is slow — months is normal — and it is not a rejection. A denial is a formal FAA decision, and it has consequences beyond the certificate itself.
Under 14 CFR 61.23(c) a person may exercise sport pilot privileges using a valid US driver's licence in place of a medical certificate only if their most recent application for a medical certificate was not denied and their most recently held certificate was not suspended or revoked. Applying badly and being denied therefore removes the sport pilot route as well. This is the reason to consult first and file second.
And One That Applies To Everyone, Every Flight
14 CFR 61.53 prohibits acting as pilot in command while you know of a medical condition, or are taking medication, that would make you unable to meet the requirements of your medical certificate. It applies whether or not the FAA knows about the condition, and it applies on a day when you are simply having a bad one. Holding a certificate is not the same as being fit to fly today.
FAA Antidepressant Medications List
Which Antidepressants Does The FAA Allow Pilots To Take?
The FAA's Antidepressant Medications document, updated 27 August 2025, lists these as conditionally acceptable when used singly. Combination psychiatric drug regimens are not acceptable under the protocol.
| Generic name | Brand name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Citalopram | Celexa | SSRI |
| Escitalopram | Lexapro | SSRI |
| Fluoxetine | Prozac, Sarafem | SSRI |
| Sertraline | Zoloft | SSRI |
| Desvenlafaxine | Pristiq | SNRI |
| Duloxetine | Cymbalta | SNRI |
| Venlafaxine | Effexor | SNRI |
| Bupropion, SR or ER only | Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL | NDRI |
| Vilazodone | Viibryd | SSRI and 5-HT1A partial agonist |
Immediate-release bupropion is not acceptable. The protocol also requires that the underlying diagnosis fall within the categories it covers — mild to moderate major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, or a non-depression condition treated with one of these medications — and it excludes applicants with a history of psychosis, suicidal ideation, electroconvulsive therapy, or treatment with more than one psychiatric medication at a time. Medication lists change. Check the current FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners before relying on this table, and take the decision to a HIMS AME rather than to a website.
Depression, In Order
How Do You Get A Medical Certificate If You Take An Antidepressant?
The FAA's published sequence. Every step below is part of the agency's antidepressant protocol rather than our interpretation of it.
1
Do Not File First
Find an aviation medical examiner, ideally a HIMS AME, and have the conversation before you open a MedXPress application. The protocol requires evaluation by a HIMS AME for anyone who wishes to continue the medication, and starting the process in the wrong order is the most common self-inflicted delay.
2
Check The Medication Is On The List
The FAA conditionally accepts nine medications, taken singly, in its Antidepressant Medications document updated 27 August 2025. If you are on something else, or on two psychiatric medications at once, the protocol does not apply as written and the conversation with the HIMS AME becomes more important, not less.
3
Be Stable For At Least Three Continuous Months
The FAA requires a stable dose with no aeromedically significant side effects and no increase in symptoms for a minimum of three continuous months before an applicant is considered for special issuance. Changing dose restarts that clock.
4
Gather The Clinical Record
Treating physician's records, the diagnosis, the treatment history and the current status. The FAA is deciding on a file, and files that arrive incomplete come back with a request for more, which adds months each time.
5
Expect An Authorization For Special Issuance
14 CFR 67.401 is the mechanism the FAA uses to certificate someone who does not meet a standard outright but can demonstrate safe performance. A special issuance is time-limited and carries follow-up reporting requirements.
6
Answer Every FAA Letter Fast And Completely
Most people who never get certificated did not get refused. They stopped replying. Keep copies of everything and reply in full the first time.
ADHD
How Does The FAA Handle A History Of ADHD?
Two published tracks, and the four-year test that decides which one you are on.
The Fast Track, And Who Qualifies For It
The FAA's ADHD Fast Track evaluation is available only to an applicant who has not taken ADHD medication in the past four years, has not had ADHD symptoms in the past four years, and has no history of other psychiatric conditions. If any of those three is not true, the Standard Track applies instead.
The Fast Track evaluation is a clinical interview conducted by a doctoral-level psychologist or neuropsychologist, together with a review of your records and personal statement using the FAA's ADHD Document Checklist. With your permission the evaluator may also contact people who know you, which the FAA's own material gives as parents, teachers or a flight instructor. The evaluator completes the FAA's Fast Track ADHD Summary and writes a detailed report.
The Standard Track
A recent diagnosis, recent symptoms, current or recent medication, or another psychiatric history puts an applicant on the Standard Track, which is a fuller neuropsychological evaluation by an FAA-listed psychologist or neuropsychologist. It is slower and more expensive. It is also a route, not a wall.
A childhood diagnosis that was never medicated and produced no symptoms in adulthood is the most common version of this question we are asked at Van Nuys, and it is also the version most likely to land on the Fast Track.
What We Are Not Going To Tell You
We are not going to tell you the odds, because we do not have a source for them and an invented number here would be worse than useless. We are not going to tell you to omit anything from an FAA form: 14 CFR 61.59 makes a fraudulent or intentionally false statement on an application grounds for suspension or revocation of any certificate you hold.
And we are not going to tell you to start with the medical. If you have never flown, book a discovery flight. It requires no medical certificate at all, and knowing whether you actually want this is worth more than a certificate you have not decided to use.
If The Medical Is Complicated
What Can You Fly While The Paperwork Is In Progress?
Three honest options, with the conditions attached to each.
1
A Discovery Flight, Today
No medical certificate, licence or experience is required to take a discovery flight, because the certificated instructor is pilot in command. $229 for 60 minutes at Van Nuys, and the hour is logged as dual instruction.
2
Dual Instruction, Up To The Point Of Solo
14 CFR 61.23 requires a medical certificate before you fly solo, not before you fly. You can train with an instructor while a file is with the FAA. Most students reach solo somewhere between 15 and 25 hours, so this buys real time.
3
Sport Pilot, With A Hard Condition Attached
Under 14 CFR 61.23(c) sport pilot privileges may be exercised on a valid US driver's licence in place of a medical certificate — but only if your most recent medical application was not denied and your last certificate was not suspended or revoked. This route survives only if you do not spend it. Consult before you file.
Start Where No Certificate Is Needed
What Can You Book Before The Medical Is Settled?
Nothing on this page requires a medical certificate to begin.
Most popular
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes, you fly the aircraft, the instructor is pilot in command. No medical certificate required. Credited in full against any program if you enroll within 24 hours.
Book A Discovery FlightRedbird MCX Simulator Session
$189
The full-motion simulator on the ground. Nothing about it requires FAA medical certification.
About The SimulatorSport Pilot License
$8,400
20 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.313. Flown on a driver's licence under 14 CFR 61.23(c), subject to the conditions in that paragraph.
Sport Pilot ProgramA free in-person consultation at Van Nuys is the right first step if your medical history is complicated. We are a flight school and not a medical practice, so we will point you at an aviation medical examiner rather than guess.
Talk To A Person
Bring The History To The Consultation, Not To A Forum
The free in-person consultation at Van Nuys is with an instructor who has walked students through deferrals before. We will not diagnose anything and we will not promise an outcome. We will tell you what order to do things in, which is the part most people get wrong. Call (818) 290-8249.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
No medical certificate needed to fly one
Book A Discovery Flight
Or Call (818) 290-8249
The Rest Of The Medical Cluster
FAA Medical
What Disqualifies You From Being A PilotFAA Medical Certificate Classes ExplainedThird Class Medical CertificateHow To Get Your FAA Medical Certificate In Los AngelesFAA Medical Certificate Expiry Calculator
FAQ
ADHD, Depression And The FAA Medical
In many cases yes. Depression is not named as disqualifying in 14 CFR 67.307, which lists a personality disorder manifesting in overt acts, a psychosis, a bipolar disorder and substance dependence. Depression is handled through deferral and, where medication is involved, the FAA's antidepressant protocol, which requires a single approved medication, a stable dose for at least three continuous months, and evaluation by a HIMS aviation medical examiner.
Often yes. ADHD is not named in 14 CFR 67.307. The FAA runs two evaluation routes: a Fast Track for an applicant who has taken no ADHD medication and had no ADHD symptoms in the past four years and has no other psychiatric history, and a Standard Track for everyone else. Both require evaluation by a doctoral-level psychologist or neuropsychologist.
Nine, taken singly, on the FAA's Antidepressant Medications list updated 27 August 2025: citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline, desvenlafaxine, duloxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion in sustained- or extended-release form only, and vilazodone. Immediate-release bupropion and combinations of psychiatric medications are not acceptable under the protocol.
A minimum of three continuous months on a stable dose of an approved medication without aeromedically significant side effects and without an increase in symptoms. Changing the dose restarts that period.
No. A diagnosis in childhood with no ADHD medication and no ADHD symptoms in the past four years, and no other psychiatric history, is the profile the FAA's ADHD Fast Track evaluation exists for. It still requires a clinical interview with a doctoral-level psychologist or neuropsychologist and a completed FAA ADHD Summary.
An Authorization for Special Issuance under 14 CFR 67.401 is a time-limited medical certificate granted to someone who does not meet a standard outright but can demonstrate they can fly safely. It usually requires records from the treating physician and periodic follow-up reporting.
That is a decision for you and your doctor, and this page is not medical advice. What the regulation says is that 14 CFR 61.53 prohibits acting as pilot in command while you know of a medical condition or are taking medication that would make you unable to meet the requirements of your certificate. Speak to an aviation medical examiner before changing anything.
A denial is a formal FAA decision and it removes options. Under 14 CFR 61.23(c) you may exercise sport pilot privileges on a valid US driver's licence only if your most recent application for a medical certificate was not denied and your last certificate was not suspended or revoked. This is why the advice everywhere is to consult an aviation medical examiner before submitting a MedXPress application.
Yes. 14 CFR 61.23 requires the medical certificate before solo flight, not before instruction. You can fly dual with an instructor from day one, and most students reach first solo somewhere between 15 and 25 hours, which is a useful amount of training to have completed while a file is with the FAA.
No. A discovery flight is a dual instruction flight and the certificated instructor is pilot in command, so no medical certificate, licence or experience is required. It is $229 for 60 minutes at Van Nuys and the hour is logged as dual instruction toward the 40 hours in 14 CFR 61.109.
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Seventy Reviews. 5.0 Stars.
Every review below is real and shown verbatim, in the reviewer’s own words — written by the people who learned to fly here, not by us.
SAFETY FIRST
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
KIDS FIRST FLIGHT
★★★★★
Had a great experience with this company. My son has been very into airplanes and his flight simulator on the computer so for his 11th birthday treated...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
GIFT FLIGHT
★★★★★
Great experience with first ever discovery flight! Would highly recommend! Got it as a gift for my dad and he had a great time flying!
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
SAFETY FIRST
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
KIDS FIRST FLIGHT
★★★★★
Had a great experience with this company. My son has been very into airplanes and his flight simulator on the computer so for his 11th birthday treated...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
GIFT FLIGHT
★★★★★
Great experience with first ever discovery flight! Would highly recommend! Got it as a gift for my dad and he had a great time flying!
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
See Discovery Flight Details — $229
Reviews shown verbatim, exactly as each reviewer published them.