BasicMed - the Part Sixty-Eight Pathway That Brought Thousands of Pilots Back to the Ramp

BasicMed, established under 14 CFR Part 68, is an alternative medical pathway that allows most general aviation pilots to fly without a traditional FAA medical certificate. It took effect May 1, 2017, following a provision in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016. For the vast majority of general aviation flying, it covers nearly every airplane most pilots will ever sit in.

Why BasicMed Exists

The traditional third-class medical system was designed for a younger pilot population. Today, the median age of a general aviation pilot in the United States sits in the mid-fifties - a demographic where manageable health conditions are common. Controlled hypertension, a past procedure, a single medication: these things were triggering lengthy special issuance processes that bore little relationship to actual safety risk.

What the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) documented over years of study was a “worried-well” problem. Perfectly safe pilots were grounding themselves rather than face a medical exam they feared failing. Skills degraded. Currency lapsed. Airplanes sold. General aviation was losing experienced pilots to bureaucratic friction, not to actual medical unfitness.

Congress responded. BasicMed repositions oversight rather than removing it - shifting it from a federally designated Aviation Medical Examiner to the pilot’s own physician, who already knows the full medical picture.

What BasicMed Actually Requires

The requirements are straightforward, but every one of them must be met:

1. A valid U.S. driver’s license. Current and valid. If your license has been medically revoked or suspended, BasicMed is not available to you.

2. A prior FAA medical certificate issued after July 14, 2006. You must have actually held one - past tense. If you have never obtained an FAA medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner, you cannot go directly to BasicMed.

3. No revocations, suspensions, or recent denials. Your most recently held FAA medical certificate cannot have been revoked, suspended, or withdrawn. If you’ve had a medical application denied since your last examination, BasicMed is not a workaround. That situation requires consultation with an aviation attorney who specializes in FAA medical certification.

4. A physician visit every 48 months. Any state-licensed physician - your family doctor, your internist - works through the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist with you. This checklist covers cardiovascular history, medications, vision, hearing, substance use, and mental health. Your doctor signs it. You keep it with you whenever you fly under BasicMed.

5. An approved online medical education course every 24 months. AOPA offers a course that satisfies this requirement. It takes a couple of hours and can be completed at home. Save the completion certificate - it’s part of your documentation package.

Set calendar reminders for both renewal intervals. Let either one lapse, and you are no longer legal under BasicMed.

What Aircraft Can You Fly?

The operational envelope under BasicMed is more generous than many pilots realize. The aircraft must have:

• An original standard airworthiness certificate
• A maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds
• Authorization to carry no more than six occupants
• Operations at or below 18,000 feet MSL (keeping you out of Class A airspace)
• Airspeed no greater than 250 knots indicated

That covers the core of the general aviation fleet. The Cessna 172 (~2,300 lbs), the Piper Cherokee, the Cessna 182 Skylane, the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 (~3,600 lbs), the Cirrus SR22 (~3,600 lbs), the Piper Seneca (~4,700 lbs), and the Beechcraft Baron 58 (~5,500 lbs) all qualify.

What’s excluded: anything requiring a type rating, large transport aircraft, and most turboprops and business jets. BasicMed also applies only to domestic operations - for most international flying, a traditional FAA medical certificate is still required. Verify specific country requirements before any international flight rather than assuming bilateral provisions apply.

The Self-Certification Obligation Still Applies

This is the part that’s easiest to overlook, and it’s the most important.

Under BasicMed, you certify every time you climb into the left seat that you are medically fit to fly. Not that your doctor signed a form four years ago. Not that you completed the course. You are taking personal responsibility for your own medical picture on every flight.

The regulation is explicit: if you have - or reasonably believe you might have - a medical condition that would prevent you from obtaining a standard third-class medical certificate, you cannot fly under BasicMed. The conditions that remain disqualifying are serious: specific cardiac diagnoses, epilepsy, active substance dependence, certain mental health conditions requiring FAA action.

But many conditions pilots fear most do not automatically disqualify. Controlled hypertension, Type 2 diabetes managed without insulin, stable and well-managed anxiety - these are conditions the FAA has addressed through special issuance programs and acceptable treatment protocols. The fear of what a diagnosis means is frequently worse than the actual answer.

If you have a health condition and aren’t sure where you stand, contact AOPA’s Medical Certification Services before making any decisions. They’ll give you an honest assessment of your path - whether that’s BasicMed, a standard third-class renewal, or a special issuance. Don’t self-diagnose your certificate situation.

Action Steps for Student Pilots

If you’re currently in training, one item from this applies to you directly: get your student pilot certificate and your third-class medical from an Aviation Medical Examiner sooner rather than later.

The BasicMed prerequisite - holding a valid FAA medical issued after July 14, 2006 - requires that you have actually held one at some point. If you defer your medical exam and transition to BasicMed before ever obtaining a traditional certificate, you won’t qualify. Get that foundation in place now. Years down the road, if you want to switch to BasicMed instead of renewing through an AME, you’ll have the prerequisite already satisfied.

The BasicMed Checklist

1. Confirm you have held a valid FAA medical certificate issued after July 14, 2006
2. Verify your driver’s license is current and valid
3. Schedule a visit with your regular physician; bring the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (available on the FAA website); have your doctor sign it and retain it
4. Complete the AOPA BasicMed online course; save the completion certificate
5. Set reminders: physician visit every 48 months, online course every 24 months

Key Takeaways

• BasicMed (14 CFR Part 68), effective May 1, 2017, lets most GA pilots substitute a personal physician visit every 4 years and an online course every 2 years for the traditional FAA medical certificate process
• You must have held a valid FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006 - BasicMed cannot be your first-ever medical pathway
• The 6,000-lb MTOW ceiling and six-occupant limit cover the vast majority of the GA fleet, including the 172, Cherokee, Bonanza, Cirrus SR22, and Baron 58
• BasicMed does not eliminate self-certification - you remain responsible for assessing your fitness on every flight
• Conditions you fear may disqualify you often don’t; AOPA Medical Certification Services can tell you honestly what your specific situation looks like before you make any decisions