BasicMed

BasicMed - What is it?

On July 15, 2016, Congress passed the FAA Extension, Safety, Security Act of 2016 (FESSA) which included relief from holding an FAA medical certificate for certain pilots. This relief is called BasicMed.

If you choose to fly under BasicMed you are limited to flying as PIC of an aircraft that weighs no more than 6,000 pounds with seats for no more than 6 occupants. You may fly VFR or IFR, but with no more than 5 passengers and at less than 18,000 feet and you are restricted to 250 knots. You also may not operate for compensation or hire.

Note: Currently, BasicMed only allows you to fly as PIC, not SIC. As a result, BasicMed does not currently allow you to act as a safety pilot, as SIC, for someone else flying under the hood. This anomaly in the rule is currently being questioned and reviewed, and may possibly be changed at some time in the future. (But for now that's the rule.)

BasicMed stipulations. Very broadly, You must ...

    • You must hold a current and valid US driver's license and comply with all of its medical requirements or restrictions

    • You must have held a valid FAA medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006 and your most recent FAA medical may not have been revoked, suspended, withdrawn, or denied

    • You must undergo a comprehensive medical examination and have a Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC) completed by a state-licensed physician (every 48 months to the day)

    • You must take and FAA approved online BasicMed medical education course and receive a completion certificate (every 24 months to the end of the month) (available from AOPA or Mayo Clinic)

    • You must keep these documents with your logbook or in electronic format to be made available upon request to the FAA

The following links give more detailed information about BasicMed