What are the medical requirements for pilots?
Question
What are the medical requirements for pilots? How often do commercial pilots go through health checks? For instance their vision, hearing, general health, mental health and so forth.
Answer
What are the medical requirements for pilots?
Here is what you should know about what are the medical requirements for pilots. In aviation we have specialized doctors, we call them AME’s, Aeronautical Medical Examiners. These doctors have special authorization by the state transport authority to conduct examinations and validations of professional aviation employees. For commercial pilots, there are quite a few rules and regulations they must abide by, in both terms of precaution with medicine, alcohol and so forth but also different sports in order to exercise their right to fly a commercial aircraft.
Depending on the age of the pilot, they must attend an examination every year, where the most common health issues are checked. This is eyes, ears, reactions, liver and kidney function and so on, along with their weight, blood and urine profiles. This license is called a medical, and you need it for your pilot’s license in order to fly. The license can be renewed in all of the European states who are part of EASA (European union Aviation Safety Agency)
Commercial pilots have a class 1 medical, and private pilots have a class 2. You can read more about the different requirements here.
Pilot medical
There are more strict requirements for your first examination and will likely last a full day to complete. This is to make sure there are no underlying issues that will prevent you from flying in the future. This includes for instance epilepsy.
As to the intervals between examinations, they wary with age and occupation along with the risk factors imposed dependent on your current medical status.
Bedsides the test, the examiner will also conduct an interview to make sure you are not suffering from stress, anxiety and depression. As a pilot, you are required by law to notify your AME if you have an accident or get admitted to a hospital.
There are similar rules for private pilots, air traffic control and cabin crew. Here you will be able to find the EASA medical requirements for pilots.
We hope that you found this answer about what are the medical requirements for pilots useful.
Happy landings,
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