How to Get Your FAA Medical Certificate in Van Nuys
Which class you need, what the examiner actually checks, how to book it near Van Nuys Airport, and why it stops far fewer people than they expect it to.
The medical is the first real gate
Before you fly solo toward a private certificate you need an FAA medical certificate, and it is worth dealing with early rather than late. The certificate is confirmation from a designated physician that nothing about your health makes it unsafe for you to operate an aircraft. It is not a fitness test, there is no treadmill, and the standard is much closer to ordinary good health than most people imagine before they sit down in the chair.
The exam is carried out by an Aviation Medical Examiner, a doctor specifically designated by the FAA. There are several within a short drive of Van Nuys Airport, listed further down this page. In the great majority of cases the examiner issues the certificate on the spot at the end of the appointment and you walk out with it in your hand. Cases that need review by the FAA are the exception rather than the rule, and they are usually foreseeable.
What people worry about is being told no. In practice the conditions that cause difficulty are a fairly short list, and many of them are workable with documentation rather than disqualifying outright. Glasses are fine. Corrected hearing is usually fine. Managed blood pressure is usually fine. What matters is disclosing accurately and arriving with the paperwork that supports it, because a surprise in the middle of an exam is what turns a simple appointment into a six-month correspondence.
We are not a medical practice and we do not issue certificates. What we do, before you have paid us anything, is help you work out which class you need, warn you about anything in your history worth preparing for, and point you at examiners near the airfield. Call (818) 290-8249 between 9 AM and 9 PM and ask. We are at 7900 Balboa Boulevard, Suite 108A, on the west side of Van Nuys Airport: take Balboa north from the 101 at Encino or south from the 118, and turn into our free lot just past Sherman Way.
Which medical your training actually needs
The class you need is decided by what you intend to fly and whether you intend to be paid for it.
Standard Private Pilot
The full FAA Private Pilot Certificate. Where most students start.
Learn morePremium Private Pilot
The widest margin of hours for students who want no surprises.
Learn moreInstrument Rating
The rating that makes a license useful in Southern California weather.
Learn moreTry it first — a discovery flight from Van Nuys
You fly the aircraft from the left seat with an instructor beside you. The time is loggable and counts toward a certificate.
Luxury Cirrus For Two
The SR22 Turbo, glass cockpit. 90 min $549, 120 min $699.
Learn moreRedbird Simulator Session
FAA-approved full-motion MCX, on the field at Van Nuys.
Learn moreThe process, step by step
Start with FAA MedXPress online. It is the application form, completed before your appointment rather than at it, and it generates a confirmation number you take to the examiner. Fill it in carefully and honestly. The history section asks about every visit, medication and condition, and inconsistencies between what you declare and what your records show cause far more trouble than the conditions themselves.
Then book an Aviation Medical Examiner. Any designated AME can perform a third-class exam and most also do first and second class. Ask when you book whether they need anything sent in advance, and bring your MedXPress confirmation number, photo identification, your glasses or contact lenses, and documentation for any condition or medication you have declared. If you take regular medication, bring the prescribing details rather than trying to remember dosages in the room.
The appointment itself rarely runs beyond sixty minutes. Expect vision and hearing checks, blood pressure and pulse, a general physical examination, a urine sample, and a conversation about your history. First-class applicants over 40 have an electrocardiogram as well. If everything is in order the examiner issues the certificate there and then. If something needs review, they will explain what the FAA will want, which is usually a letter from a treating physician and a set of test results.
The three classes, and the fourth option
First class, for airline pilots
The strictest standard, required to exercise airline transport pilot privileges. It includes an electrocardiogram for applicants over 40 and the tightest vision requirements, including an intermediate vision check at 32 inches. Under 40 it must be renewed annually for first-class privileges; over 40, every six months. Anyone on a career track should sit this one first.
Second class, for commercial pilots
Required for pilots flying for compensation outside airline operations: charter, banner towing, aerial survey, flight instruction where the instructor is acting as pilot in command for hire. Valid for twelve months for commercial privileges. The physical standard sits between first and third class and the examination itself is noticeably shorter than a first.
Third class, for private pilots
The class the overwhelming majority of our students hold. It covers private and recreational flying, including night flight, passengers and instrument work. Valid for five years if you are under 40 at the time of the exam and two years if you are 40 or over. Renewal is a repeat of the same appointment.
BasicMed, the alternative
For private pilots who would rather not repeat the FAA process. You need a valid US driving license, must have held an FAA medical at some point since July 2006, complete an online medical education course every two years, and be examined by any state-licensed physician every four years. It carries aircraft and altitude limitations, so check they suit your flying.
What each class lets you fly here
With a third-class certificate you can fly everything in our fleet for private purposes: the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the Diamond DA20, the Piper Warrior, the Piper Arrow II with its retractable gear, and once you are checked out and rated, the Cirrus SR22 Turbo and the twin-engine Piper Seminole. Training here is sold as packages that cover the aircraft and the instructor together, so the class of medical you hold, rather than a price list, is what decides what you may fly. Nothing on the line requires a higher class of medical for private flying, including night flying and instrument approaches in real conditions.
Without any FAA medical, the sport pilot route on a driving license still puts you in the Cessna 162, which qualifies as a light sport aircraft. That covers daytime visual flying with one passenger, which for a great many people is the whole of what they actually want. BasicMed sits between the two, allowing private privileges in a wider range of aircraft with limits on weight, seats, altitude and speed. Ask us and we will tell you which of the three routes fits your ambitions.
Aviation Medical Examiners near Van Nuys
Four FAA-designated examiners within a short drive of the airfield; confirm details when you book, as practices move.
Edward G. Shore, MD
15243 Vanowen St, Suite 412, Van Nuys, CA 91405, on 818-438-4445. About two miles east of the airport, straight along Vanowen from Balboa, which makes it the easiest one to fit around a lesson.
Greg J. Hanker, MD
6815 Noble Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91405, on 818-901-6600. Just off Sherman Way in central Van Nuys, a short drive from 7900 Balboa Blvd and well placed if you are coming from the east Valley.
Nat S. Linhardt, MD
5620 Wilbur Ave, Suite 303, Tarzana, CA 91356, on 818-609-9553. South-west of the field near Ventura Blvd, which suits students driving up from Encino, Woodland Hills or over the hill from the Westside.
Gregory J. Beeve, MD
Verdugo Hills Medical Group, 1818 Verdugo Blvd, Suite 108, Glendale, CA 91208, on 818-790-1145. The practical option for students based in Glendale, Burbank or Pasadena who would rather not cross the Valley twice.
Common questions
AMEs set their own fees, so it varies by practice. As a general guide a third-class exam commonly falls somewhere around $100 to $160 and a first-class exam runs higher, often above $200 because of the electrocardiogram. Ask about the fee and the accepted payment methods when you book, since some practices take cards and others prefer cash or cheque.
No. The standard is 20/20 or better in each eye distant, with or without correction, so corrective lenses are entirely acceptable. Near vision must be 20/40 at 16 inches for first and second class and at 14 inches for third. Bring the glasses or contacts you actually wear to the exam and expect a limitation stating you must have them available in flight.
You must be able to distinguish the aviation signal colors, since light gun signals from a control tower are a genuine backup at a busy field like Van Nuys. Failing the standard plate test is not the end of it; there are alternative tests and, in some cases, a practical assessment. A daytime-only restriction is one possible outcome rather than a refusal.
Seizures, loss of consciousness and significant neurological history are the hardest, along with psychosis, bipolar disorder and substance dependence within the past two years. Cardiovascular history and high blood pressure are reviewed case by case and frequently cleared with documentation. Disclose everything accurately.
Five years if you were under 40 on the date of the exam, and two years if you were 40 or over. That is generous enough that most private students are covered from their first solo through the checkride and well beyond. Renewal is simply another appointment with an AME rather than a fresh application process.
Early, ideally in the first few weeks of training. You must hold the medical before you fly solo, and solo usually arrives sooner than students expect. Booking early also means that if something needs FAA review, the correspondence runs in parallel with your lessons instead of stopping them. There is no benefit whatsoever to leaving it late.
Only if you have held an FAA medical certificate at some point since July 2006, hold a valid US driving license, complete the online course every two years and see a state-licensed physician every four years. It cannot be used for a first medical certificate, and it comes with aircraft and operating limitations. For most students the third class is the simpler route.
A deferral means the examiner has sent the file to the FAA for a decision rather than refusing you, and it is far more common than a refusal. The FAA will usually ask for records from your treating physician, and special issuance authorisations exist for a long list of conditions. Keep training on dual instruction while it is resolved.
Not sure which class you need
Ring (818) 290-8249 between 9 AM and 9 PM and describe what you want to fly, and we will tell you which certificate to book and what to prepare. It costs nothing and it saves a wasted appointment.
Get the full training plan and price sheet
The three private pilot packages, what each one includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Sent to you in one email. Nobody will pressure you.
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