BasicMed rules let certain private pilots fly using a valid U.S. state driver’s license in place of an FAA medical certificate, provided they pass a physical exam with any state-licensed physician every 48 months, complete an FAA-approved online medical course every 24 months, and stay within the program’s aircraft and operating limits.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed The driver’s license alone isn’t the ticket. It’s the anchor of a package that replaces the trip to an Aviation Medical Examiner for most routine renewals.
Who Qualifies
You need a valid driver’s license issued by a U.S. state or territory, and you have to follow any restrictions printed on it, such as corrective lenses. You must also have held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006. First-, second-, or third-class all count, and it’s fine if that certificate has since expired.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 44703 Airman Certificates
A few things disqualify you. Your most recent FAA medical cannot have been revoked, suspended, or withdrawn. Your last application cannot have been denied. Pilots who have never held a post-2006 medical must get one traditional FAA medical exam before switching to BasicMed.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 44703 Airman Certificates
You also cannot fly if you know of any medical condition that would make it unsafe. No one checks that for you. It is a self-certification obligation, and flying with a disqualifying condition violates the regulation.
Because your driver’s license is the foundation, losing it grounds you. If your license is revoked, suspended, or rescinded for any reason, you are ineligible to fly under BasicMed until it is fully reinstated.3Federal Aviation Administration. N 8900.420 – Demonstrating Eligibility to Operate Under BasicMed A DUI that costs you your driving privileges costs you your flying privileges too, and the FAA checks the National Driver Register for exactly those violations when you register.4DOT OIG. FAA Issued New Medical Requirements for Small Aircraft Pilots
Conditions That Require a Special Issuance First
Most health issues get handled between you and your physician during the BasicMed exam. A specific set of serious conditions, though, requires a one-time FAA special issuance medical certificate before you can use BasicMed at all. Once the FAA issues that certificate, future renewals run through BasicMed.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed
Mental health conditions on the list:
- Severe personality disorder that has repeatedly shown itself through overt acts
- Psychosis involving delusions, hallucinations, or grossly disorganized behavior
- Bipolar disorder
- Substance dependence within the previous two years
Neurological conditions:
- Epilepsy
- Unexplained disturbance of consciousness
- Unexplained transient loss of nervous system function
Cardiovascular conditions:
- Heart attack
- Coronary heart disease that has required treatment such as a stent, bypass, or angioplasty
- Cardiac valve replacement
- Heart replacement
If you have one of these diagnoses and have never received a special issuance, you’ll need to go through the traditional FAA medical process at least once.
What You Can Fly and How
The aircraft has to be type-certificated for no more than seven total occupants, with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds. You can carry up to six passengers on any given flight. Transport-category rotorcraft certified under Part 29 are excluded.5eCFR. 14 CFR 61.113
Operating limits are straightforward. Stay at or below 18,000 feet MSL, and keep indicated airspeed at or below 250 knots. BasicMed permits both VFR and IFR flight, and nothing in the rules prohibits night flying.1Federal Aviation Administration. BasicMed Pilots often assume the program is more restrictive than it is on those last two points.
You generally cannot fly for compensation or hire, but the usual private pilot exceptions still apply, including sharing flight expenses, flying in connection with your business, and charitable flights. BasicMed adds no new restrictions on those activities beyond what already governs private pilots.6Federal Aviation Administration. AC 68-1A – BasicMed
Flying Outside the United States
BasicMed flights are restricted to the United States unless the destination country has specifically authorized entry by BasicMed pilots. The Bahamas has accepted BasicMed. Canada and Mexico have not. Confirm the specific country recognizes it before departure, because landing somewhere that doesn’t puts you in violation of both FAA regulations and that country’s aviation rules.5eCFR. 14 CFR 61.113
The Physical Exam and the CMEC
The exam is built around the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist, or CMEC. Download the form, fill out the medical history section, and bring it to any state-licensed physician. It doesn’t have to be an Aviation Medical Examiner. Your family doctor can do this exam.7Federal Aviation Administration. Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
The CMEC covers neurological, psychological, and cardiovascular conditions, among others. Your physician reviews it with you, performs the exam, and signs a statement confirming the checklist items were discussed. The form must include the doctor’s full name, state medical license number, address, and phone number.8eCFR. 14 CFR 68.3
The completed CMEC stays in your logbook. You do not mail it to the FAA. It has to be available for inspection if asked.7Federal Aviation Administration. Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
The Online Medical Education Course
After the physical, you take an FAA-approved online medical education course. Providers include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Mayo Clinic. The material covers health awareness and self-assessment, focused on recognizing when a condition should keep you on the ground.
During the course, you enter your physician’s state license number and the date of your exam. You also certify that you are under the care of a physician for any diagnosed condition that could affect your ability to fly. When you finish, the system transmits a completion record to the FAA that includes your airman certificate number, your physician’s information, and the exam date.8eCFR. 14 CFR 68.3
You get a digital completion certificate with a unique identifier. Print it and keep it in your logbook next to the CMEC. Those two documents are what you show during a ramp check to prove you’re legal to fly.
The Two Renewal Clocks
BasicMed has two separate renewal deadlines, and confusing them is one of the more common pilot mistakes. The online course expires every 24 calendar months. The physical exam and CMEC are valid for 48 calendar months. Both deadlines run to the end of the month in which they fall.7Federal Aviation Administration. Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
That means you’ll retake the online course twice between each physical. If either one lapses, you cannot act as pilot in command under BasicMed until you complete the overdue item. No grace period.
How BasicMed Differs From the Sport Pilot Driver’s License Option
BasicMed is not the only way to fly on a driver’s license. Sport pilot certificate holders can use a valid U.S. driver’s license in place of a medical certificate too, but the programs are not interchangeable.
The main entry difference: BasicMed requires that prior post-2006 FAA medical, while sport pilot has no such requirement. Someone who has never seen an Aviation Medical Examiner can use a driver’s license from day one under sport pilot. However, sport pilots who have previously had a medical certificate denied, revoked, or suspended cannot use the driver’s license option either.9Federal Aviation Administration. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners – Operations
The tradeoff is what you can fly. Sport pilots are limited to light-sport aircraft, and they cannot fly IFR. BasicMed pilots can fly aircraft up to 12,500 pounds at up to 250 knots, operate under IFR, and fly at night. For a pilot who wants larger general aviation aircraft without the hassle of a traditional FAA medical, BasicMed is the program that fits.