...until you take and pass (even with Special Issuance) another FAA medical exam, which you can then let lapse and continue flying as a Sport Pilot.
The exact wording in the regulation is "A person must hold and possess either a medical certificate issued under part 67 of this chapter or a U.S. driver's license..."
Correct.
Depends on the reason for denial. Even for glider/balloon, "a person shall not act as pilot in command, or in any other capacity as a required pilot flight crewmember, while that person knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner." So, if the medical was denied for something like epilepsy or schizophrenia, you would not be legal to fly even those aircraft for which neither medical certificate nor a drivers license is required.
You do not renew a medical certificate you hold. Medicals expire after a certain amount of time based on the age of the certificate holder and the type of flight operation involved. Before that time, if you want to keep doing that type of flying where a valid medical certificate is required, you must apply for, be examined, and receive a new medical certificate. If you do not, and want to fly only in operations where a medical certificate is not required, but a drivers license will suffice, you can simply not go back to the FAA aviation medical examiner, and your old medical lapses without any adverse action. You can no longer fly where a medical certificate is required, but as long as you still have a US drivers license, you can keep flying as a Sport Pilot as long as you do not know, and have no reason to know, of any medical reason you can't fly safely as a Sport Pilot,
Agreed.
That's not quite true. First, Sport only requires a US drivers license if you don't hold an FAA medical certificate -- those without a US DL can fly Sport with a valid FAA medical. Second, simply holding a US DL is not sufficient -- the regulation says you must be able to honestly say you do not know or have reason to know of any medical condition that would make you unable to operate an LSA in a safe manner. There are, I'm sure more than a few medical conditions which would allow one to continue holding a DL without being able to operate an LSA in a safe manner.
Correct. Further, depending on the reason for denial, that denial might constitute "reason to know of a medical condition" that would make you unable to operate even a glider or balloon in a safe manner.
First, 20/40 corrected in each eye separately is good enough for a Third Class medical, so you're good on that for the time being.
No, but if you do not hold an FAA medical now, but do hold a US DL, and you are not planning to get a Private Pilot certificate, it's much ado about nothing -- you have no reason to get an FAA medical certificate, and would be wasting time and money doing so. Just keep working on your Sport Pilot training and don't lose your US DL.
As long as you currently hold a Third Class medical (and I'm assuming you do because at 40 hours of training, you have probably already soloed), and you haven't been told by your eye doctor that your right eye corrected vision is less than 20/40, you don't have to go to an AME again until you current medical expires after 2-5 years (depending on your age). Stop worrying, keep flying, and pass the PP practical test. You can worry about the rest when your medical is running out.
61.303
If it makes you worry, stop thinking about it unless you don't already have a Third Class medical. If you don't already have one, then follow the advice above and then you'll know and can stop worrying.
From what Bruce Chien told me, the AME is allowed to use an examination by a doctor of optometry (OD) or ophthalmologist (MD) documented an 8500-7, but not required to do so. My AME has always been happy with that, but YMMV.
Completely up to your AME.
Maybe, maybe not. No way to tell in advance what the report will say or whether the AME will accept it, and if the AME doesn't, how the eye test with the AME will come out.
Explained earlier -- correctable to 20/20 left, correctable to a bit better than 20/40 right.
Kevin said earlier he's training for PPL and has 40 hours. He hasn't said if he already has a Sport Pilot or if he already has a Third Class.
Then go get your consultation with an AME. If the AME says you'd pass, fill out the paperwork and get the medical certificate. If the AME says otherwise, record the details and come back here with those details for further advice.This is pretty much correct. I am done with the sport, but I want to fly larger planes. Larger planes = medical. I fail the medical and I can't fly.
