FAA Medical Certificate for Flight Training: Classes and Timing
Somewhere between “I want to learn to fly” and your first lesson at St. Louis Downtown Airport sits a document most new students have never heard of: the FAA medical certificate. You do not need it to climb into the airplane with an instructor. You do need it before you fly solo, and the students who handle it early protect both their budget and their training calendar.
Here is the short version. There are three medical classes, a third-class medical covers student and private pilot flying, you get one from an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner after filling out an online application, and BasicMed is a separate pathway that a first-time student cannot use yet. At Ideal Aviation, the medical exam is the first milestone in our Private Pilot program for exactly this reason.
You can start lessons now, but plan the medical before solo
The FAA lets you take flying lessons with an instructor before you hold a medical certificate or a student pilot certificate. That means your discovery flight and your first several lessons are open to you today. The medical becomes a hard requirement the day your instructor says you are ready to solo.
That timing creates a trap. A student who waits until the solo conversation to book an exam can end up grounded for weeks while paperwork works its way through the FAA, and every week away from the airplane costs proficiency. Schedule the medical during your first month of training, before you have invested heavily, so the solo endorsement and the certificate arrive on the same timeline.
The airplanes are ready before your medical is. Your first lessons with an instructor do not wait on it.
The three medical classes, and which one fits your goal
Every FAA medical certificate is issued in one of three classes. The class you choose should match the flying you plan to do, and it is worth thinking one step past your first certificate. A higher class also counts for lower-class flying while it remains valid for that operation.
| Medical class | Generally covers | Who usually chooses it |
|---|---|---|
| Third-class | Student, recreational, and private pilot privileges | Students starting the Private Pilot program for personal flying |
| Second-class | Commercial pilot privileges | Pilots planning the Commercial Pilot certificate and paid flying |
| First-class | Airline transport pilot privileges | Career-track students who want to know early that an airline path is open |
To sum it up, a Private Pilot Certificate has a third-class medical or higher as a prerequisite and a Commercial Pilot Certificate calls for a second-class medical or higher. If you are a career changer, consider taking the first-class exam at the very beginning. It costs a little more, and it answers the biggest question a career changer has before spending a dollar on the full training sequence: does my medical history support the career I am picturing?
How long a medical lasts, and why age 40 matters
Duration is where new students get confused, so here is the general rule. A third-class medical is good for 60 calendar months if you were under 40 on the exam date, and 24 calendar months if you were 40 or older. The exact rules live in 14 CFR 61.23, and your AME will tell you the date your privileges change.
First-class and second-class medicals work a little differently. They carry a shorter validity window for the airline or commercial privileges they support, then continue at lower-class privileges for a longer period. For a student pilot, that detail rarely changes the plan; it matters more once you are flying for hire. If you are mapping the whole path, our career-changer training plan shows where each medical decision falls.
MedXPress, the AME visit, and what to have ready
The process has two parts. First, you complete the FAA MedXPress application online, which asks for your medical history, medications, and prior visits to health professionals. Second, you visit an Aviation Medical Examiner, a physician the FAA has designated to perform pilot exams. The FAA’s online locator lists AMEs around St. Louis and across the Metro East.
Bring the confirmation number from MedXPress, a photo ID, your current glasses or contact prescription if you use one, and any records related to a condition you listed. Answer every MedXPress question completely and honestly. Most exams for healthy applicants end with a certificate issued in the office that day, and you walk out ready to add it to your logbook.
Health history questions: talk to an AME before the exam
This is the section that removes the fear most students carry into the process. If you have a diagnosis, a medication, a past surgery, or anything else you are unsure about, call an AME and ask before you submit MedXPress. Many AMEs will talk through what documentation to bring so the exam does not stall on a missing letter.
Some medical histories go through a longer FAA review, sometimes called a special issuance. Starting early is the single best protection for your training calendar if that turns out to be you, because the review can run in the background while you keep flying with an instructor. Nobody at a flight school can tell you whether a condition qualifies; that answer belongs to your AME and the FAA. What we can do is help you sequence the Private Pilot milestones so a medical review never becomes a surprise.
Where BasicMed fits, and where it does not for new students
You will hear about BasicMed as soon as you start reading pilot forums. It is an FAA pathway that lets some pilots fly certain operations without holding a current medical certificate. The requirements are a valid U.S. driver’s license, having held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006, an online medical education course, and a comprehensive exam with a state-licensed physician.
Read that second requirement again. If you have never held an FAA medical, BasicMed is not yet an option for you. Your first medical comes from an AME. BasicMed also excludes flying for compensation or hire and limits the aircraft and altitudes involved, so it is a tool for private flying later in your life, not a shortcut around the first exam. Career-track students on the Commercial Pilot or Certified Flight Instructor path will need a second-class or first-class medical for the privileges they use.
Students who get the medical done early move through solo, cross-country, and checkride without an administrative pause.
How the medical fits your budget and your first month
The AME’s exam fee is a training cost you pay directly to the examiner’s office, separate from aircraft and instruction time. Put it on the same budget worksheet as your headset, knowledge test, and examiner fee, using our guide to budgeting for flight training. Financing options may be available to qualified applicants, and outside scholarships can help, but the medical exam is small enough that most students simply pay it up front.
A realistic first month looks like this: a discovery flight, two or three lessons to confirm you enjoy the work, the MedXPress application at your kitchen table, and the AME appointment before the solo conversation begins. You keep flying the whole time. That sequence is why our program puts the medical first.
FAQ
Do I need a medical certificate to take a discovery flight?
No. A discovery flight and your early lessons with an instructor do not require a medical or a student pilot certificate. The medical is required before you fly solo in an airplane.
Which class should a student pilot get?
A third-class medical covers student and private pilot flying. If you are planning a professional path, consider taking the second-class or first-class exam early so you learn where you stand before committing to the commercial sequence.
How long does a third-class medical last?
As a general rule, 60 calendar months if you were under 40 on the exam date and 24 calendar months if you were 40 or older. The exact rule is in 14 CFR 61.23.
Can I use BasicMed instead of getting a medical?
Not as a first-time student. BasicMed requires that you held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006. It also excludes flying for hire. Your first medical comes from an AME.
What if I have a medical condition?
Talk with an Aviation Medical Examiner before you submit MedXPress. Some histories require additional FAA review, and starting early keeps that review from pausing your training. Our team can help you plan the training milestones around it.
Get the medical done, then get in the airplane
The medical certificate is a checkpoint, and it is one you can clear in the first few weeks of training with a single online form and one appointment. Book it early, bring your records, and keep flying while the paperwork moves. If you want help sequencing the medical, the knowledge test, and your first solo, contact our team and we will walk through how it fits your schedule.
