U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular
Subject: BasicMed Date: 5/3/17 AC No: 68-1A Initiated by: AFS-800 Change:
This advisory circular (AC) describes how pilots can exercise student, recreational, and private pilot privileges in certain small aircraft without holding a current medical certificate. It outlines the required medical education course, medical requirements, and aircraft and operating restrictions that pilots must meet to act as pilot in command (PIC) for most Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 91 operations. This AC is intended to be used as a resource for pilots operating under BasicMed. It is also intended to be a resource for State-licensed physicians who will be providing the required medical examination to those pilots.
John Barbagallo Deputy Director, Flight Standards Service
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CONTENTS Paragraph Page
Chapter 1. General1-1
1.1 Purpose1-1
1.2 Audience1-1
1.3 Where You Can Find This AC1-1
1.4 Cancellation1-1
1.5 Background1-1
1.6 AC Feedback Form1-2
Chapter 2. References2-1
2.1 Related Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Parts2-1
2.2 Related Reference Material2-1
2.3 Definitions2-2
2.4 Abbreviations/Acronyms Used in This AC2-2
Chapter 3. Summary of BasicMed Requirements3-1
3.1 What Do I Need to Fly Under BasicMed?3-1
3.2 What Are My BasicMed Privileges?3-1
3.3 What Do I Need to Maintain My BasicMed Privileges?3-1
Chapter 4. Pilot Requirements4-1
4.1 Applicability4-1
4.2 Valid Driver’s License4-1
4.3 Medical Certificate Issued by the FAA4-2
4.4 Completion of Medical Education Course4-4
4.5 Care and Treatment by a Physician4-4
4.6 Receipt of Medical Exam During the Previous 48 Months4-4
Chapter 5. Covered Aircraft and Operating Requirements5-1
5.1 Covered Aircraft Requirements5-1
5.2 Operating Requirements5-1
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Chapter 6. Medical Education Course Requirements6-1
6.1 Availability of the Medical Education Course6-1
6.2 Course Requirements6-1
6.3 Documents the Course Must Provide to the Individual and Transmit to the FAA6-1
Chapter 7. Comprehensive Medical Examination Requirements7-1
7.1 General7-1
7.2 Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC)7-1
7.3 Physician Qualifications7-4
Chapter 8. Special Basicmed Requirements for Certain Medical Conditions8-1
8.1 General8-1
8.2 Special Issuance Medical Certificates Required8-1
8.3 BasicMed Prohibitions for Persons with Mental Health Conditions8-2
8.4 BasicMed Prohibitions for Persons with Neurological Health Conditions8-2
Appendix A. Comprehensive Medical Examination ChecklistA-1
1-1 CHAPTER 1. GENERAL
1.1 Purpose. This advisory circular (AC) provides information to pilots and other stakeholders about complying with the medical certificate relief described in section 2307 of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 (Public Law (PL) 114-190) (FESSA), enacted by Congress on July 15, 2016.
That relief is referred to as BasicMed.
1.2 Audience. This AC is intended to provide information to pilots who wish to operate under BasicMed. It is also intended to provide information for nonprofit and not-for-profit general aviation stakeholder groups who wish to offer the required medical course. Lastly, this information may be used by State-licensed physicians who are providing a medical examination to a pilot intending to operate under BasicMed.
1.3 Where You Can Find This AC. You can find this AC on the FAA’s website at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars.
1.4 Cancellation. AC 68-1, Alternative Pilot Physical Examination and Education Requirements, dated January 9, 2017, is canceled.
1.5 Background. The FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 (PL 114-190) (FESSA) was enacted on July 15, 2016. Section 2307 of FESSA, Medical Certification of Certain Small Aircraft Pilots, directed the FAA to “issue or revise regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as pilot in command of a covered aircraft” without having to undergo the medical certification process under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 67 if the pilot and aircraft meet certain prescribed conditions as outlined in FESSA.
The FAA refers to the implementation of section 2307 as alternative pilot physical examination and education requirements (BasicMed). This AC provides guidance regarding the regulations the FAA has enacted to conform to this legislation. This AC does not provide, nor is it intended to provide, a legal interpretation of the regulations.
1.5.1 Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC). This AC uses mandatory terms, such as “must,” only in the sense of ensuring applicability of these particular methods of compliance when using the AMC described herein. This AC is not mandatory and does not constitute a regulation.
This AC does not change, add to, or delete regulatory requirements or authorize deviations from regulatory requirements. It does describe a new qualification for people exercising certain pilot privileges. Pilots may elect to continue to meet the medical certification requirements that existed before BasicMed, or, if eligible, may use the BasicMed qualifications.
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1.5.2 Part 68 Provisions. This AC is not intended to cover every provision of 14 CFR parts 61, 68, or 91. Rather, this AC is intended to provide guidance on those provisions of the regulations where additional information may be helpful. The FAA emphasizes, however, that persons subject to those regulations are responsible for complying with every applicable provision, regardless of whether the provision is discussed in this AC.
1.6 AC Feedback Form. For your convenience, the AC Feedback Form is the last page of this AC. Note any deficiencies found, clarifications needed, or suggested improvements regarding the contents of this AC on the Feedback Form.
2-1 CHAPTER 2. REFERENCES
2.1 Related Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Parts. The following regulations and parts can be found at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/faa_regulations/.
• Part 1, Definitions and Abbreviations.
• Part 61, Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors.
• Part 67, Medical Standards and Certification.
• Part 68, Requirements for Operating Certain Small Aircraft Without a Medical Certificate.
• Part 91, General Operating and Flight Rules.
2.2 Related Reference Material. The following listed reference materials contain additional information necessary to meet FAA medical certification standards. Interested airmen may consider seeking additional publications to supplement the lists below.
2.2.1 FAA ACs, Notices, and Orders (current editions). You can find the following publications on the FAA websites:
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/ and http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_notices/.
• AC 68-1, BasicMed.
• FAA Order 8900.1, Flight Standards Information Management System (FSIMS).
2.2.2 Additional FAA Online Sources.
• BasicMed website: http://www.faa.gov/go/basicmed.
• FAA website: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/medical_certification/.
2.2.3 FAA Handbooks, Manuals, and Other Publications. You can find the following handbooks, manuals, and other publications on the FAA website at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/.
• The FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners (AME Guide):
http://www.faa.gov/go/ameguide.
• The FAA Pharmaceuticals (Therapeutic Medications) Do Not Issue - Do Not Fly List:
http://www.faa.gov/go/dni.
• The FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapter 8, paragraph 8-1-1, which addresses medical facts for pilots: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/.
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2.3 Definitions. The following defined terms are used throughout this AC:
1. Calendar Months. Known also as “unit months,” is defined as beginning on the first of the month and ending on the last day of the month. For example, a certificate issued on July 15, 2016 with a 24 calendar-month duration does not expire until July 31, 2018.
2. Corrective Lenses. Spectacles or contact lenses.
2.4 Abbreviations/Acronyms Used in This AC.
1. AC Advisory Circular.
2. AME Aviation Medical Examiner.
3. CMEC Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
4. ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization.
5. FAA Federal Aviation Administration.
6. FESSA FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 (Public Law (PL) 114-190)
7. MSL Mean Sea Level.
8. NDR National Driver Register.
9. PIC Pilot in Command.
10. U.S.C. United States Code.
3-1 CHAPTER 3. SUMMARY OF BASICMED REQUIREMENTS
3.1 What Do I Need to Fly Under BasicMed?
1. Hold a current and valid U.S. driver’s license.
2. Hold or have held a medical certificate issued by the FAA at any point after July 14, 2006.
3. Answer the health questions on the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC).
4. Get your physical examination by any State-licensed physician, and have that physician complete the CMEC (be sure to keep the CMEC).
5. Take the BasicMed online medical education course. Keep the course completion document issued to you by the course provider.
3.2 What Are My BasicMed Privileges? You can conduct any operation that you would otherwise be able to conduct using your pilot certificate and a third-class medical certificate, except you are limited to:
1. Fly with no more than five passengers.
2. Fly an aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 lbs.
3. Fly an aircraft that is authorized to carry no more than 6 occupants.
4. Flights within the United States, at an indicated airspeed of 250 knots or less, and at an altitude at or below 18,000 feet mean sea level (MSL).
5. You may not fly for compensation or hire.
3.3 What Do I Need to Maintain My BasicMed Privileges?
1. Be sure you have a CMEC that shows that your most recent physical examination was within the past 48 months.
2. Be sure you are being treated by a physician for medical conditions that may affect the safety of flight.
3. Be sure you have a course completion certificate that was issued by a BasicMed medical training course provider within the past 24 calendar-months.
4-1 CHAPTER 4. PILOT REQUIREMENTS
4.1 Applicability. The BasicMed privileges apply to persons exercising student, recreational, and private pilot privileges when acting as pilot in command (PIC). It also applies to persons exercising flight instructor privileges when acting as PIC. You cannot use BasicMed privileges to fly as a safety pilot, except when that pilot is acting as PIC.1
4.1.1 Pilots operating under BasicMed may act as PIC2 of an operation conducted under the conditions and limitations set forth in part 61, § 61.113 (i.e., charitable, nonprofit, or community event flights, search and location flights). Persons exercising privileges of a student pilot or recreational pilot certificate must comply with the limitations in §§ 61.89 and 61.101, as applicable, when those limitations conflict with § 61.113(i).
4.1.2 BasicMed does not apply to persons exercising privileges of a Commercial Pilot Certificate or an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate. Persons exercising the privileges of a Commercial Pilot or ATP Certificate must hold a first or second-class medical certificate in accordance with § 61.23(a)(1) and (2).
4.1.3 BasicMed does not apply to persons performing the duties as an examiner in an aircraft when administering a practical test or proficiency check for an airman certificate, rating, or authorization. Accordingly, persons performing such duties must hold at least a third-class medical certificate in accordance with § 61.23(a)(3)(iv).
4.1.4 Persons exercising pilot privileges in a balloon or glider can operate without any medical certification. Similarly, persons exercising sport pilot privileges can operate by merely holding a driver’s license. While the FAA encourages pilots to obtain qualifications and certificates above those necessary for their operation, sport pilots and pilots operating balloons or gliders may not operate under BasicMed. However, the BasicMed online course can be used by any airman for educational purposes.
4.2 Valid Driver’s License. In accordance with §§ 61.23(c)(3) and 61.113(i), pilots operating under BasicMed must hold a current and valid U.S. driver’s license and comply with all medical requirements or restrictions associated with that license. Each State determines what, if any, medical requirements or restrictions are necessary and associated with each driver’s license issued. While an official passport may serve as a valid form of photo identification under § 61.3(a)(2), it may not be used in lieu of a driver’s license as required in § 61.23(c)(3) to operate under BasicMed. An international driver’s license or any driver’s license issued by a country or territory other than the United States does not suffice to meet this requirement.
Individuals who hold or have held a medical certificate issued by the FAA that was valid at any point after July 14, 2006 but whose driver’s license has been revoked or rescinded for any reason are not eligible to use BasicMed unless and until the driver’s license is reinstated. Any restrictions on a driver’s license (e.g., corrective lenses, prosthetic aids
1 The plain language of the requirements described in FESSA explicitly apply only to the PIC (“…the FAA shall issue or revise regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as pilot in command of a covered aircraft…”).
2 §§ 61.3 and 61.23
4-2 required, daylight driving only, etc.) also apply under BasicMed. Similar to the pilot certificate, when using a driver’s license in lieu of a medical certificate, the driver’s license needs to be in the pilot’s personal possession when they are operating under BasicMed.
4.3 Medical Certificate Issued by the FAA.
4.3.1 General Requirements. In accordance with § 61.23(c)(3)(i)(B), persons operating under BasicMed must hold or have held a valid medical certificate issued under part 67 at any point after July 14, 2006. This medical may have been a first, second, or third-class medical certificate, including any FAA medical certificate issued under an authorization for special issuance (“special issuance medical certificate”).
4.3.1.1 A person who has not held a medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006 must obtain a medical certificate issued under part 67. The person may choose to use BasicMed even while holding an unexpired medical certificate. After that medical certificate expires, that pilot may use or continue to use BasicMed, provided that person meets the other conditions and limitations.
Note: An FAA medical examination associated with an application for an FAA medical certificate may not be used in lieu of the CMEC requirements of BasicMed.
4.3.1.2 A person should use the expiration date of his or her most recent medical certificate to determine whether it meets the after July 14, 2006 requirement.
Special issuance medical certificates are always time-limited and will explicitly state the date when the certificate expires or is no longer valid.
Therefore, any special issuance medical certificate with an expiration date after July 14, 2006 would meet the 10-year period preceding the date of enactment of FESSA.
4.3.1.3 Unrestricted (“regular issuance”) medical certificates do not list a specific expiration date. Therefore, persons with an unrestricted FAA medical certificate should refer to the “Date of Examination” displayed on the certificate, and then use the table3 below to determine if you meet the requirements. The expiration date is based on a pilot’s age on the date of the examination as calculated from his or her date of birth (i.e., “under age 40” vs.
“age 40 and over”). For example, a person born on January 2, 1963 would be “under age 40” if the date of examination was January 1, 2003, but would be
3 The duration of FAA medical certificates was changed in a final rule issued on July 24, 2008. This rule extended the duration of a third-class medical certificate from 36 calendar-months to 60 calendar-months for persons under age 40. This table reflects the duration of third-class medical certificates prior to those changes. See “Modification of Certain Medical Standards and Procedures and Duration of Certain Medical Certificates” (73 FR 43059 July 24, 2008)
4-3 “age 40 and over” if the examination occurred one day later on January 2, 2003.
4.3.1.4 Persons age 40 or older on the date of their examination would meet the 10-year period described in the Act if their examination was on or after July 1, 2004. Pilots under age 40 on the date of their examination would meet the 10-year period described in the Act if their examination was on or after July 1, 2003.
Determining if your Unrestricted Medical Certificate Meets the July 14, 2006 Requirement
1. Determine certificate date of issuance.
2. Determine your age on date of issuance.
3. Determine validity: If you were under age 40 on the date of issuance and your medical certificate was issued after June 30, 2003, you are eligible; if you were age 40 or older on the date of issuance and your medical certificate was issued after June 30, 2004, you are eligible for BasicMed.
4.3.2 Medical Certificate Requirements. There are a few requirements in § 61.23(c)(3) that apply to the medical certificate the individual is using to meet BasicMed. The most recently issued medical certificate may have been a special issuance medical certificate and could be expired. However, it may not have been suspended or revoked, or in the case of a special issuance medical certificate, it may not have been withdrawn. Medical certificates can be suspended or revoked if the certificate holder does not meet the medical standards of part 67, or as the result of noncompliance with other regulatory requirements. The FAA may also suspend or revoke a medical certificate on the basis of a reexamination of that certificate under Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C.)
§ 44709.
4.3.2.1 If a person’s last medical certificate was under suspension at any point in time, that medical certificate does not qualify for BasicMed. Further, if the pilot’s medical certificate expired while under suspension, the pilot must apply for and be issued a new medical certificate to qualify for BasicMed.
Under § 61.23(c)(3)(iv), the most recent application for an airman medical certificate submitted to the FAA by the individual cannot have been completed and denied. The FAA considers the application to be in process once the AME accesses the individual’s application in FAA MedXPress. If the individual’s application is completed and denied, the FAA considers the applicant to no longer hold a valid medical certificate, even if the applicant is appealing the denial. In this circumstance, the applicant is unable to use BasicMed.
4.3.2.2 If a person held a medical certificate that was valid after July 14, 2006, but subsequently applied for a new medical certificate, that pilot could not revert to the previous medical certificate if his or her application for a new medical
4-4 certificate was completed and denied. That pilot would need to obtain a new medical certificate to qualify for BasicMed.
4.3.2.3 People operating under BasicMed do not need to maintain or provide documentation that proves their compliance with this medical certificate requirement.
4.4 Completion of Medical Education Course. Pilots flying as PIC under BasicMed must complete a medical education course during the 24 calendar-months4 before acting as PIC of a covered aircraft. The medical education course requirements are listed in part 68, § 68.3 and discussed in Chapter 6.
4.5 Care and Treatment by a Physician. Pilots flying as PIC under BasicMed must be under the care and treatment of a physician5 if the pilot has been diagnosed with any medical condition that may impact their ability to fly.
4.6 Receipt of Medical Exam During the Previous 48 Months. Pilots flying as PIC under BasicMed must undergo a comprehensive medical examination6 from a State-licensed physician during the previous 48 months. The requirements of the exam are listed in § 68.7 and discussed in Chapter 7.
4 § 61.23(c)(3)(i)(C) 5 § 61.23(c)(3)(i)(E) 6 § 61.23(c)(3)(i)(D