Medical Certificate Duration Extended

An InFO contains valuable information for operators that should help them meet certain administrative, regulatory, or operational requirements with relatively low urgency or impact on safety.

Subject: Pilots under age 40, airman’s medical certificate duration periods extended

Purpose: To announce changes in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 61.23(d), effective July 24, 2008.

Background: The FAA last revised standards for holders of an airman’s medical certificate in 1996 when it extended a third-class medical certificate’s duration period from two years to three years for pilots under age 40, with no evidence to date of adverse effects on aviation safety.

Discussion: Since 1996 the FAA has reviewed relevant medical literature, its own aeromedical certification data, and accident data, and has found no compelling evidence that the U.S. should not conform to the standard adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in November, 2005. That revised standard extended the duration period of medical certificates from two to five years for private pilots under age 40.

The FAA also explored the possibility of extending the duration period of the first-class medical certificate, with similar findings, namely that there is little or no evidence that extending that duration period for pilots under age 40 would have any adverse effect on aviation safety.

Accordingly, § 61.23(d) will reflect the following duration periods, effective 7/24/08:

First-class medical certificate 12 months for pilots under 40

6 months for pilots 40 and older

Second-class 12 months regardless of age

Third-class 60 months (5 years) for pilots under 40

24 months (2 years) for pilots 40 and older

Recommended Action: Directors of safety, directors of operations, schedulers of pilots, and pilots themselves should be aware of the extended validity periods of airman’s medical certificates for pilots under age 40.

For more information go to: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published//FONT

For More Information About the Content of This InFO: Any questions regarding the content of this InFO should be directed to Judi Citrenbaum, Office of Aerospace Medicine, 202-267-9689.