One of the more genuinely useful, and lesser-known, parts of the US system is BasicMed — a way to fly certain aircraft without holding a standard FAA medical certificate at all.
The core idea
Normally, exercising private pilot privileges requires a 3rd class medical certificate, issued by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) under 14 CFR Part 67. BasicMed, under Part 68, lets qualifying pilots skip that requirement for certain flying — provided they've held an FAA medical certificate at some point since 2006.
Instead of an AME visit and FAA paperwork, BasicMed just requires a physical exam with any state-licensed physician every 48 months, plus a free online medical education course every 24 months. No submission to the FAA at all.
The limits — updated as of the 2024 expansion
BasicMed was significantly expanded by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, effective November 2024. If you're reading an older article or blog post about BasicMed, there's a good chance it's quoting the original, smaller 2017 limits — worth checking the date on anything you read about this. The current limits:
- Aircraft weight: up to 12,500 lbs maximum takeoff weight (previously 6,000 lbs)
- Altitude/speed: below 18,000 ft MSL, under 250 knots
- Occupants: up to 6 passengers, 7 total occupants (previously 5 passengers, 6 total)
What it doesn't cover
BasicMed is for non-commercial, private flying. It doesn't substitute for the 1st or 2nd class medical certificates required to exercise commercial or ATP privileges — if you're on the airline career path, BasicMed isn't relevant to your professional flying, only potentially to personal flying alongside it.
Why this is worth knowing even if you're career-track
Even pilots pursuing an airline career sometimes rent or own a personal aircraft for currency or personal flying between training milestones. Understanding that BasicMed exists — and what it does and doesn't cover — is useful context, even if your professional certificates require the standard medical classes.