Medical certificate question: 3 class expired but within 10-year lookback

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jeffs chips

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Hello.

Low time private pilot looking to get back in the game. VFR, single-engine land. Had my last physical 1/2014 and haven't flown since before then. Want to get current and back in the saddle.

Do or don't I need to get a complete physical or will BasicMed fit the bill?

Very healthy no issues. Over 40.
 
thank you. so to be clear, even though prior to basic med I would have needed a medical exam every 2 years, because my 3rd. class medical was issued in 2014 I will only need BasicMed going forward so long as I comply with basicmed flying regulations?
 
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jeffs chips said:
thank you. so to be clear, even though prior to basic med I would have needed a medical exam every 2 years, because my 3rd. class medical was issued in 2014 I will only need BasicMed going forward so long as I comply with basicmed flying regulations?
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You will need to do an online medical course every two years and get a CME every 4 years.
 
Thank you for that added bit of information. The email I received said "general physical" every 4 years and the post here says "cme" every 4 years. If a general physical, when does the clock start ticking for that? At the issuance of the basicmed? If CME - what is that?

Thank you.
 
jeffs chips said:
Thank you for that added bit of information. The email I received said "general physical" every 4 years and the post here says "cme" every 4 years. If a general physical, when does the clock start ticking for that? At the issuance of the basicmed? If CME - what is that?

Thank you.
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CMEC (Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist) is the FAA Form 8700-2 that must be completed by the applicant and state licensed physician that performs the BascicMed physical examination every four years. The completed checklist signed by the physician is not forwarded to the FAA, but must be kept with your logbook along with the certificate certifying successful completion of the online self-assessment every two years.
 

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jeffs chips said:
Thank you for that added bit of information. The email I received said "general physical" every 4 years and the post here says "cme" every 4 years. If a general physical, when does the clock start ticking for that? At the issuance of the basicmed? If CME - what is that?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
A "general physical" doesn't qualify for either an FAA medical certificate or BasicMed. It requires a "Comprehensive Medial Examination" — you filling out a form asking questions substantially similar to a medical certificate application, your physician reviewing it and checking the boxes in accordance with FAA instructions, and ultimately sighing the form to say he or she did not find anything amiss enough to preclude you from flying.

BasicMed is you taking the quiz and uploading information from the form, basically date and identity of the doctor.

That's a very loose summary. What you want to do at a minimum is grab the form and instructions, ask your physician to review it to see if he or she is comfortable with it, and to ask you any questions he or she may have. Keep in mind this new new for many doctors and you will be expected to be their guide to the process.
 
kgruber said:
If you keep the paperwork in your logbook, how does the FAA know your basic med date?
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after you do the online course, that info will be submitted to FAA along with the dr you saw and details about him.
 
One weird thing, at least I think it is weird, is that the CMEC is 4 years to the day, while the online course is 24 months like most other things.

So, my CMEC expires on 05MAR2023 and my current online test expires 28FEB2023. I also did a FR last week so that's good until 28FEB2023.

Perhaps in 2023 I should do my condition inspection and switch insurance in Feb. Then I can have everything on the same cycle and I can get rid of the whiteboard in the hangar office.

Nah...
 
for basic med, i do it every year (at least the CMEC part). I have a annual health checkup that my insurance covers anyway, so every June i show up with a bunch of paper in my hand and get it over with. it helps if your Dr. has other friends who are pilots and you do not have to explain the entire process because he does like one CMEC every few years
 
WannFly said:
for basic med, i do it every year (at least the CMEC part). I have a annual health checkup that my insurance covers anyway, so every June i show up with a bunch of paper in my hand and get it over with. it helps if your Dr. has other friends who are pilots and you do not have to explain the entire process because he does like one CMEC every few years
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This is the great idea, as you can push back the CME date 4 years each year during your regular annual checkup, and there is no additional cost to you. The last thing you want to happen is to get caught short on scheduling a CME near your expiration date. The inconsistency in expiry dates (exact date or calendar month limits) of the CME and aeromedical quiz is due to crappy drafting of the rule. All in all, BasicMed is handy if you don't need a class 3 medical, and can make future special issuances easier and less expensive to maintain. The aeromedical quiz is informative, and not at all a bad idea for pilots. It is ironic that a class 3 medical doesn't require this minimal bit of recurrent effort to learn about health and self-certification issues.
 
WannFly said:
for basic med, i do it every year (at least the CMEC part). I have a annual health checkup that my insurance covers anyway, so every June i show up with a bunch of paper in my hand and get it over with. it helps if your Dr. has other friends who are pilots and you do not have to explain the entire process because he does like one CMEC every few years
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Ditto, I do both parts annually. I get a physical every year and it's easier to remember and never close to expiring.
 
jbarrass said:
Ditto, I do both parts annually. I get a physical every year and it's easier to remember and never close to expiring.
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Not annually but I expect to do it on my year 3 physical instead of worrying about scheduling in year 4. I suspect there's a benefit in just doing it when you do your 2-year quiz. Keep them both in the same month.
 
You might find your doctor/PCP doesn't want to to Basic Med. Either hasn't heard of it, concerned about liability, or simply doesn't have a color vision and distance/near vision test handy. I found "Doc in a Box" urgent care that does DOT physicals who also will do a Basic Med exam.
 
Thanks all. I’m
WDD said:
You might find your doctor/PCP doesn't want to to Basic Med. Either hasn't heard of it, concerned about liability, or simply doesn't have a color vision and distance/near vision test handy. I found "Doc in a Box" urgent care that does DOT physicals who also will do a Basic Med exam.
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bookmarking this thread for future reference.
 
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