Medical visits

The 5 categories of medical visits

Let’s talk about medical examinations now.

The certificate of psycho-physical fitness is divided into five categories:

• the first class, which is used by professional pilots;
• the second class for enthusiasts (private pilots, glider pilots, hot air balloon pilots);
• the examination for LAPL which is a “reduced” second class that takes into account the more limited operations that can be carried out with this license;
• the examination for cabin crew;
• the 3rd class examination for flight controllers

As we have already mentioned during the explanation of the various tutorials, it is always a good idea to carry out the medical examination before starting the course to avoid any unpleasant inconvenience.

It may happen that you have some parameters that are not within the norm, which in normal life do not bring any limitations and perhaps you have never noticed but which fall within the limitations of a certain type of certificate.

Professional pilots

If you decide to become a professional pilot for example, opting for a modular course, it is best to obtain the first class even before starting the PPL otherwise you run the risk of having to stop after the first phase. It is true that the PPL title remains which is still a goal, but it is not the goal of a future professional pilot.

To obtain the first class there are 3 Aeromedical Centers in Italy: Milan, Rome and Bari and they are hospitals of the armed forces also certified for the issuing of civil suitability certificates.

To get an appointment you must call at least 2 months in advance. Now that the licenses are European you can also obtain the first class abroad, however you must take into account that the other European centers are in Zurich, Vienna, Frankfurt, Paris, in practice there is almost always only one for each state and the visits, in addition to the trip, are much more expensive than in Italy. It is almost always worth waiting for our military hospitals.

For renewal, however, you can go to certified doctors both in Italy and in neighboring foreign countries.

Renewals of the "non-professional" categories

Instead, for other visits it is possible to request both the obtaining and the renewal from a certified doctor. There are some in almost every city and there is a list on the ENAC website that allows you to find them quickly and book the visit.

The validity depends on the age, the type of certificate obtained and any restrictions that doctors may decide to apply temporarily or permanently.

Limitations

Restrictions may include: flying only during the day, flying only with a co-pilot, flying only as a co-pilot, flying with a “safety pilot” alongside, flying without passengers (only for PPL and LAPL) or restrictions on the type of aircraft, limitation of validity for further checks and other particular limitations.

All this can be found in the specific regulations regarding medical examinations which, as we will see in the tutorial on the regulations, is a part of the European Regulation 1178/2011 which includes Part FCL (Flight Crew Licence) and Part MED which refers specifically to medical examinations. For medical examinations of air traffic controllers, the regulation is Part ATCO.MED

These regulations also define all the parameters used for these examinations so that each candidate can check for any pathologies they already know they have.

The classic examples are eyesight (how many diopters can I be missing?), diabetes (type A or type B?), heart murmur, etc. Civilian pilots are not like military pilots, they can also be “a little less perfect”.

To fly a civil aircraft you do not need to be superman, however it is always better to undergo medical checks beforehand to be sure you are suitable!

If you have any questions or curiosities fill out the info request form.