Medical Certificate reqirement

MikeD

MikeD

Administrator
Staff member
Curious question regarding civil medicals, based on what I was reading in 14 CFR 61.3.

(c)Medical certificate.

(1) A person may serve as a required pilot flight crewmember of an aircraft only if that person holds the appropriate medical certificate issued under part 67 of this chapter, or other documentation acceptable to the FAA, that is in that person's physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft. Paragraph (c)(2) of this section provides certain exceptions to the requirement to hold a medical certificate.

(2) A person is not required to meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section if that person—

[other not related exceptions]

(xii) Is a pilot of the U.S. Armed Forces, has an up-to-date U.S. military medical examination, and holds military pilot flight status.


Is xii referencing this for military pilots flying military aircraft only in the National Airspace System? Or is the implication that the above factors being met, a military pilot can pilot or be a crewmember of a civil aircraft? It doesn't appear to necessarily specify, oddly.....
 
FWIW, my take (not legal opinion) is that, since the FAR generally applies to civil aviation and doesn't control what the military does with respect to its own flight requirements, (2)(xi) necessarily means that your current military medical is a substitute for an FAA medical. IOW, you can pilot civilian aircraft based on your current military medical status.
 
That was specifically added to allow military pilots to use military medicals as a substitution for certain FAA medicals in order to operate civil aircraft using civil certificates.
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
FWIW, my take (not legal opinion) is that, since the FAR generally applies to civil aviation and doesn't control what the military does with respect to its own flight requirements, (2)(xi) necessarily means that your current military medical is a substitute for an FAA medical. IOW, you can pilot civilian aircraft based on your current military medical status.
Click to expand...

That's the direction of thinking that I was reading it, but was thinking to myself I must be reading it wrong, only because I'd never seen the change. I'd known that certain military flight surgeons can offer Class 2 medicals, or something like that. But this is saying a regular military medical suffices? I'm assuming at Class 2 level?
 
@Hacker15e prompted me to look for the change (thanks). This is from the 2009 Final Rule that added the provision.
A conforming change has also been made to new § 61.3(c)(2)(xii) to exclude U.S. military pilots from having to carry an FAA medical certificate when exercising the privileges of their FAA pilot certificates. However, an up-to-date military medical examination is required for that person's active status as a military pilot. If requested by the FAA, the pilot will be required to show active status as a military pilot in lieu of the FAA medical certificate. To clarify, by "active status" we mean that the military pilot has an up-to-date medical examination and clearance issued by the U.S. Armed Forces authorizing pilot flight duty. Common military terminology for this authorization is an "up slip" or medical clearance to fly.
​
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
@Hacker15e prompted me to look for the change (thanks). This is from the 2009 Final Rule that added the provision.
A conforming change has also been made to new § 61.3(c)(2)(xii) to exclude U.S. military pilots from having to carry an FAA medical certificate when exercising the privileges of their FAA pilot certificates. However, an up-to-date military medical examination is required for that person's active status as a military pilot. If requested by the FAA, the pilot will be required to show active status as a military pilot in lieu of the FAA medical certificate. To clarify, by "active status" we mean that the military pilot has an up-to-date medical examination and clearance issued by the U.S. Armed Forces authorizing pilot flight duty. Common military terminology for this authorization is an "up slip" or medical clearance to fly.
​
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Interesting. Thanks for finding that Mark. Curiously, how far does this extend, and to what class level? In that, can someone who say is a current reservist military aviator with current military medical, use said military medical in lieu of an equivalent civil medical while working in their civilian flying job? In that, the FAA allows this?
 
It is only a suitable substitute for flying requiring a third class medical and below.

From 61.23:
(9) When a military pilot of the U.S. Armed Forces can show evidence of an up-to-date medical examination authorizing pilot flight status issued by the U.S. Armed Forces and—
(i) The flight does not require higher than a third-class medical certificate; and
(ii) The flight conducted is a domestic flight operation within U.S. airspace
Click to expand...
 
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