My instructor says I can do Basic Med, is he right?

[Baby Bird]

I am a high school senior and working on getting my pilot license. At the end 10th grade my therapist diagnosed me with ADHD and I was on meds for 5-6 months. When I went to get my medical I had to quit taking meds and do some tests to get a special medical. My special medical expires at the end of Feb and the letter from theFAA said that I would have to do the tests again to renew it. My flight instructor told me that I could just get a basic medical from my regular doctor and not have to do the tests again. Is that true?

 

[odie451]

Calling @bbchien , @lbfjrmd

 

[bflynn]

To clarify - you held a 3rd class with SI. If so, once the SI medical expires, you can go to BasicMed.

You could go ahead and work with your doctor to get the exam done before so you don't have a break. Just be aware that the expiration date of BasicMed exam is to the date, not to the end of the month.

 

[flyingron]

Actually, he can "basic med" any time. What he needs to do is maintain his current medical certificate (as stated in the SI letter) until the medical certificate expires. Many SIs say "NOT VALID FOR ANY CLASS AFTER (a year after issuance)," but the SI letter is good for several renewals. You don't need to renew at all, just not do anything while the current certificate is valid that would cause it to be revoked.

 

[bflynn]

Good catch, medical vs SI. I'm always writing that wrong.

You can go to BasicMed at any time, but why would you do it immediately? It doesn't gain you anything, you're still bound by the rules of the medical until it expires. Just do it before the medical expires so you don't have any flight down time.

 

[flyingron]

Gets the work out of the way. I happened to be seeing a new doctor and he was fine with doing the Basic Med form. Did that and the Mayo class and am good for 2 years even though my medical still had near a year to go on it.

 

[Chris Charanza]

I wish I could wrap my mind around Basic Med completely. I'm reading up on it and from what I'm understanding it is essentially saying that if you had a special issuance for say anxiety that as long as your physician or any state licensed physician thinks you are safely operate an aircraft under 6,000 pounds carrying no more than 5 passengers than medical be damned go fly. I mean how does that implicate things like anxiety medications? I use anxiety as an example because it is one of those that are medicated quite a bit but if you were on a special issuance but not on medication because you just can't be with the FAA medical rules but you let your medical expire then you still have anxiety (but were able to clear the FAA required testing) but your doctor can now say that even if you were on medication you are fine in their opinion to operate an aircraft or am I reading that completely wrong-don't get me wrong I think it's a great thing letting actual doctors whom might actually know you and your actual history clear you but it's just so strange to me and I'm still not 100% sure if the expiration for your special issuance certificate expires and you don't send them the info to get a new one does your medical certificate expire with it even though the medical certificate is good for 2 years (over 40) or do you have to renew your SI at least once?

 

[bflynn]

You do not have to renew the SI. You can get BasicMed immediately if you choose, but you must maintain your medical until it expires. You don’t get relieved of any of the medical requirements until it expires.

As far as understanding BasicMed, there is a large recognition that the FAA medical system is overloaded. They aren’t really worried about your average 3rd class medical weekend warrior, but they’re required to handle them the same as a 1st class professional pilot. To a lesser extent, I think pilots who are members of Congress don’t like the FAA medical system either.

Does it mean you can do things that you couldn’t with a 3rd class? Sure. For more, search for past discussions on far 61.53.

 

[Lindberg]

Yes, you can use Basic Med, but you must comply with any obligations for your SI until that expires. I don't know if you'd have any for ADHD though. If that was your only issue, then you shouldn't have to do any testing again to get reissued. But if Basic Med will work for your flying, go for it.

 

[SamSES]

Make sure you follow your special medical rules (or special issuance SI) until after the “not valid for any class after” date that’s on it, then simply don’t renew and forget all that nonsense, then go get your basic med done and don’t look back, a few friends who are basic just go to the clinic the truck drivers get their medicals at

The reason for basic was even politicians were getting sick of the FAAs nonsense

If I didn’t need to make money flying I would have gone basic med and that’s as a guy with a normal non special medical