How To Get Your FAA Medical Certificate In Van Nuys

No. 14 CFR 61.23(a)(3) requires a third-class medical certificate before you exercise student pilot privileges, which in practice means before your first solo — commonly somewhere between 15 and 25 hours in. A discovery flight, ground school and the written exam all require no medical at all.

No. The third-class standard in 14 CFR 67.303 is distant visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses, and near vision of 20/40 at 16 inches. First and second class require 20/20 distant under 14 CFR 67.103 and 67.203, again corrected or uncorrected. Bring the glasses or contacts you actually wear, 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 authorizations exist for a long list of conditions. Keep training on dual instruction while it is resolved.

Under 14 CFR 61.23(d): a first class is valid 12 calendar months for ATP privileges under 40 and 6 calendar months at 40 and over; a second class is valid 12 calendar months for commercial privileges at any age; and for private, recreational and student privileges any class runs 60 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam and 24 calendar months if you were 40 or over. The clock always runs to the end of the month.

BasicMed lets a pilot exercise student, recreational or private pilot privileges without an FAA medical certificate, under 14 CFR 61.113(i) and 14 CFR part 68. You need to have held a part 67 medical at some point after 14 July 2006, take an online course every 24 calendar months and a physical from any State-licensed physician every 48 calendar months. The limits are 7 occupants, 12,500 lb, 6 passengers, 18,000 ft MSL and 250 knots.

No, and nobody at a flight school can. Only an Aviation Medical Examiner or the FAA can make that determination. If you have a condition you are worried about, take it to an AME before you apply, or to AOPA's medical services. Never leave something off the form — falsifying a medical application is a federal offense, and 14 CFR 61.53 prohibits flying with a known medical deficiency in any case.