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Does military aircrew physical count as third class certification?

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FAA Regulations, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

I'm a fixed wing CG aircrew member that is looking to start PPL lessons.  I asked my pilots about this, and while they said us aircrew members go through the exact same physical test as pilots, they are still unsure.  Anybody have any encounters like this before?

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2 Answers

  1. Best Answer


    Kris Kortokrax on Sep 09, 2016

    See 61.23 (b)(9).

    It states that a military pilot has a medical exam by a U.S. Armed Force, that will suffice for a third class medical certificate within the U.S.

    Your wording suggests that you are not a military pilot. If not, your military flight physical would not count. It’s all in the wording of the regulation.

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  2. Steve Butler on Sep 10, 2016

    When I started flight training 45 years ago, my physical was done by a military flight surgeon at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO and I was issued a standard first class medical certificate. This may have been some sort of special arrangement or may have changed over the many years since, but I think it would be worth a call to your flight surgeon to ask.

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