Whether you're a student pilot applying for your first FAA medical certificate or a professional pilot with thousands of hours of flying time, this section of Aerospace Medicine at Mayo Clinic is committed to making the process of applying for entertaining FAA medical certification a positive experience. With a highly trained group of senior FAA aviation medical examiners who pride themselves on having an appreciation of the importance of medical certification to pilots and who possess deep knowledge of the clinical aspects of medical care, just a little bit of preparation on your part make your examination more streamlined and efficient.
If you have not previously applied for a flight physical at Mayo Clinic or do not have a scheduled appointment already confirmed, simply contact an appointment coordinator to begin the process. Typically, an appointment will be scheduled for you during your initial phone call.
You will be asked several questions regarding what class of medical certificate you are requesting, as well as some general information regarding any current medical conditions. This will determine if you had a medical waiver in the past or will likely require one. Depending on your specific situation, the coordinator may set up a consultation with a male flight physician to discuss your medical status in more detail or schedule a full flight physical. For some pilots who have already obtained a special issue on its authorization waiver, an interim visit with the flight physician maybe set up to review the results of the required surveillance testing and to expedite reissuing your medical certificate.
Every effort will be made to simplify and condense your itinerary as much as possible. It is recommended that the FAA medical application be completed online using medexpress. The FAA is an online electronic version of the form. By going to www.FAA.gov, the process of filling out the medical application form can be completed ahead of time prior to your appointment.
You will need to have a valid email address in order to establish an electronic account with the FAA. Having an accurate tally of both total logged flight hours, and number of flight hours flown in the prior six months before completing the application is important and will be requested when you complete the medical application form. Alternatively, you may fill out your medical application form using a computer kiosk in our lobby.
You will have two appointments, one with the nurse and the second with an aviation medical examiner. When you arrive for your nurse appointment, you will be asked to present a form, a photo identification before your examination is started. Your height and weight will be recorded, and you will have your visual acuity screened. A urine sample will be obtained and tested. If you're screening sample is abnormal than a confirmatory urine test may be ordered. Some pilots will undergo an audio Graham as well.
The examination with the physician will include a detailed medical history and examination. The flight physician may have a trainee present in the room with your permission for educational purposes. At the conclusion of your examination, your medical certificate will either be issued immediately or deferred for further disposition to the FAA. Just a little bit of preparation on your part will make the FAA medical application process simpler and quicker.
The flight physicians at Mayo Clinic pride themselves on being active in aviation and in advocating for the safe medical certification of the pilots who they evaluate and treat. We look forward to your arrival.