Medical certificate

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Aviation medical certificate issued in Germany

The medical certificate of fitness , officially the medical certificate of fitness , often referred to as (flight) medical (English: "medical [certificate]") by airmen , is a document issued on behalf of the aviation authority by an aviation medical expert ( aviation doctor) , which shows the medical fitness of a Pilot or applicant to exercise the rights from an assigned pilot license . A medical medical examination is required for the exhibition .

Legal basis

The international guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) divide medical fitness into three classes;

Since April 8, 2013, the directly applicable Regulation (EU) No. 1178/2011 has been the legal basis for issuing the medical certificate throughout the European Union and the other countries belonging to EASA . Annex IV (Part-MED) of this regulation deals with medical suitability. Detailed guidelines, which are not binding, can be found in the AMC (Acceptable Means of Compliance) published by EASA. Article 5 of the regulation stipulates that medical certificates issued before April 8, 2013 according to the old JAR-FCL 3 will remain valid. Since the JAR-Medicals expire after 5 years at the latest, the last JAR-Medical lost its validity on April 8, 2018.

European Union

Classes of medical certificates

MED.A.030 of the EU regulation assigns the classes of medical certificates to the pilot licenses as follows:

Please note that the initial examination for the Class 1 medical certificate may only be carried out by one of the seven Aero Medical Centers (AeMC).

validity

MED.A.045 of the EU regulation specifies the period of validity of the medical certificate:

  • Class 1 in aircraft with 2 pilots or with 1 pilot without passengers (e.g. cargo flight):
    up to 59 years - 12 months,
    from 60 years - 6 months
  • Class 1 in aircraft with 1 pilot in commercial air traffic for the transport of passengers:
    up to 39 years - 12 months,
    from 40 years - 6 months
  • 2nd grade:
    up to 40 years - 60 months,
    up to 50 years - 24 months,
    from 50 years - 12 months
  • Medical certificate for LAPL:
    up to 39 years - 60 months,
    from 40 years - 24 months

United States of America

Aircraft pilots licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration require the following medical certificates issued by an Aviation Medical Examiner :

Holders of a glider pilot license , balloon pilot license or pilots of a microlight do not need a medical certificate. Sports pilots with the national license for Light Sport Aircraft and private pilots can receive a so-called Basic Med as an alternative to the medical certificate . The prerequisites for this are:

  • American driver's license
  • Examination by the family doctor every four years
  • Take an online course

restrictions

Limitations of the fitness do not lead to the exclusion of the flying activity. In a multi-stage process it is determined to what extent the medical restrictions affect the fitness to fly and which flight restrictions are imposed on the license holder. The Aviation Medical Examiner can enter simple requirements, such as the use of vision aids or hearing aids , while the FAA can specify more extensive requirements, such as a night flight ban or passenger transport. A case-by-case examination must be carried out and exceptions within the framework of a Statement of Demonstrated Ability must be examined.

A decision on disqualification or restriction by the Federal Aviation Administration can be appealed to the National Transportation Safety Board , an agency independent of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Criticism of the fitness requirements

The need for a medical for private pilots is often questioned by pilots. In Great Britain , the medical for glider pilots is not issued by the Aeromedical Examiner (AME), but by the family doctor . No medical is required for glider pilots in the USA .

On the other hand, experts point out that the medical examinations contribute to the level of safety through which there is a low risk of the pilot's health-related failure in flight. This view can also be supported by the fact that the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) again prescribed regular medical fitness examinations for glider pilots from the age of 60 in 2008 due to the increasing frequency of accidents. Experts from the German Aviation Medical Association point out that Germany has one of the most densely flown airspaces in the world and that the number of aircraft per square kilometer is one of the world's highest.

With the introduction of Regulation (EU) No. 1178/2011, some points of criticism have been resolved. For class 2, the requirements for eyesight are no more stricter than those required internationally by the ICAO . Member States may also have the general practitioner issue the medical certificate for LAPL.

literature

  • Jochen Hinkelbein, Eckard Glaser: Aviation Medicine . 1st edition. UniMed-Verlag, Bremen 2007, ISBN 978-3-89599-954-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Appendices to the Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Appendix 1: Personnel Licensing.
  2. ↑ Regulation (EU) No. 1178/2011 (PDF; 2.7 MB)
  3. ↑ European Aviation Safety Agency (Ed.): Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material to Part-MED . December 15, 2011 (English, europa.eu [PDF; 268 kB ; accessed on February 19, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR § 61.23 - Medical certificates: Requirement and duration
  5. ↑ BasicMed. In: www.faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration, October 29, 2019, accessed February 19, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. In: www.faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration, July 10, 2015, accessed February 19, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Swiss action plan for more safety in gliding ( Memento from February 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive )