06/10/08 00:00

Let’s start with a little info about the Medical before I go into the details. The medical exam is NOT required to start your flight training. You may fly with an instructor without one. It is, however, required before you do any solo flying. You might ask – Why are you getting one before you start? That’s a good question. The exam is pass-fail. You basically get one shot to pass. You can, of course, take the exam again, but it requires huge amounts of paperwork from you and your doctor proving to the FAA Flight Surgeon that you have successfully overcome whatever it was that caused you to fail the first time. If it is your eye sight and you get new glasses or contacts, it won’t be a huge deal, but if you have a medical condition that requires continued care or prescription medication, it gets more complicated. I chose to make sure I had that in my medical certificate / student license in my hand before spending a few thousand dollars on the first set of lessons – it just seemed logical to me.

If I might offer a couple more tidbits of advice. Learn everything you can about the requirements before you go for the exam. Be sure you will pass before you set the appointment. Talk to other pilots and get a recommendation on a good AME (Aviation Medical Examiner). If you have one in your area who is also a pilot, strongly consider seeing him or her as they have been in your shoes and know what this means to you.

O.K., it’s exam time. In the days leading up to the exam, I was regularly checking my blood pressure (my area of biggest concern) and eating foods that would keep my blood-sugar levels in the normal range. I also went to the eye doctor the week before just to make sure everything was on the up and up (conveniently, I also needed more contact lenses). When I arrived, I was given the FAA form to fill out. It’s a typical government form with way too much info illogically presented on one page (gotta save the tax payers that $0.07 by keeping it to one page). There is a section on medical history. Any question that I was unsure about, or thought I might need to answer yes to, I left blank to go over that with the doctor. He will be able to make the determination as to whether or not your answer is “Medically Relevant to Aerospace Safety” or not.

Here we go, here’s a run down of the actual exam process for me:
Pee in a cup
Eye test
Height
Weight
Blood Pressure
Pulse
Now the doctor comes in:
Eyes
Ears
Nose
Throat
Chest – Heart and Lungs
Abdomen
Check for Hernia
Boy parts check
Reflexes

That’s it, fill out the rest of the paperwork and I walk out with a Class III Medical / Student Certificate in my hand. Let’s go flying!!!