AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2023 - 18

ON COURSE
BasicMed success
Insider tips on GA's innovative medical
qualification program
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO / Editor in Chief
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
IN 1926, THE UNI TED STATES Department of Commerce's
Aeronautics Branch defined the first federal physical standards
and examination frequencies for determining the medical fitness
of civilian pilots. The Aeronautics Branch published a list of the
first 57 physicians qualified to give medical examinations for pilot
licenses, and private pilots were required to renew their medical
certificates every 12 months-a surprisingly frequent cadence in
the early days of aviation.
Other than changes to medical certificate classifications and
durations, and an increase in the number of disqualifying medical
conditions, pilot medical certification remained largely unchanged
for 91 years. Until 2017, when BasicMed-championed by AOPA in
a decades-long push for third class medical certification reform-
became an attractive alternative for many general aviation pilots.
Pilots who complete the steps for BasicMed qualification can
fly in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds gross takeoff weight,
with up to six seats and carrying up to five passengers-no FAA
medical certificate needed. They can fly day or night, VFR or IFR,
at speeds up to 250 knots and at altitudes less than 18,000 feet msl.
This covers a huge percentage of all GA activity. To date, 80,000
pilots have qualified to fly under BasicMed, and the FAA recently
determined there are no discernible differences in safety when
comparing pilots flying under BasicMed to pilots flying with a
third class medical certificate.
To qualify for BasicMed, you need to have had held a valid
medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006 (even if it's currently
expired). If that is true for you, the next step is to schedule a
BasicMed physical examination with a state-licensed medical doctor-ideally,
the doctor you already use for your annual checkup.
The doctor will complete the FAA Comprehensive Medical
Examination Checklist (CMEC) you'll bring with you. AOPA's
BasicMed website (aopa.org/basicmed) contains the CMEC form,
and all instructions needed to qualify for BasicMed. Call AOPA's
Pilot Information Center at 800-USA-AOPA with any questions.
After you've finished your BasicMed physical exam and have
your completed CMEC in hand (the doctor does not keep it), you'll
take an online medical education course. The course is a collaboration
between AOPA and the FAA and provides health and safety
tips related to flying you'll rarely get from an AME. The course and
educational materials cover such topics as health self-assessment,
18
AOPA PILOT / August 2023
when to see a doctor, conditions that may require a closer look, and
how to use diet and exercise to stay sharp while flying-and in life.
The course includes practical flying scenarios and decisionmaking
tips for times you're feeling less than 100 percent. One
section titled " Gotchas " explains: " Did you know that drugs with
no apparent side effects on the ground can create serious problems
at even relatively low altitudes? Changes in the concentration of
atmospheric gases in our blood can enhance the effects of seemingly
harmless drugs-watch out for impaired judgment, decision
making, and performance. " I certainly didn't know.
After you pass a 20-question quiz, you'll be prompted to
complete your BasicMed certificate by entering your contact
information and airman certificate number, the date of the
BasicMed-specific exam, and your doctor's name, contact information,
and state medical license number. Click " Submit to FAA
and download certificate, " and you're done. Do not send the actual
CMEC to the FAA; keep it in a safe place for future reference.
This next part is critical, and arguably the most important:
BasicMed consists of two parts-the BasicMed physical exam/
CMEC and the online course. The CMEC is valid for exactly four
years. The online course is valid for 24 calendar months. Both
must be current for you to be qualified to fly under BasicMed. For
example, if you complete a BasicMed physical exam/CMEC on
July 13, 2023, it will be valid through July 12, 2027-four years to
the day. If you pass the online course on the same day, the course
will be valid through July 31, 2025-24 calendar months. By August
1, 2025, you'll need to retake the online course to continue flying
under BasicMed. When you retake the course, you'll need to enter
the date and doctor information from your CMEC completed on
July 13, 2023. That's why you need to save your CMEC.
One final piece of advice from AOPA's Pilot Information Center
team: If either your CMEC or online course expires, you do not
need to get another FAA medical certificate with an AME. The
situation is treated like an expired flight review; just as you can't
fly as PIC until you have a new flight review, you won't be able to
fly under BasicMed until you
have a new BasicMed physical
exam or you retake the
online course.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org
KOLLIN STAGNITO, AOPA senior
vice president of media and
marketing, is a commercial pilot
and owns a 1947 Cessna 140.
http://www.aopa.org/basicmed
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2023

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