Medical certifications for pilots

Medical pilot certifications follow rules set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which publishes standards and recommended practices (SARPS) in Annex 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Different classes of medical certificate exist, each with varying levels of strictness and applying to different types of pilot licenses. The medical exam covers physical and mental health, plus tests for vision (including visual acuity and color perception) and hearing, and must be performed by an approved aviation medical examiner. Certificates need regular revalidation or renewal if they expire. For Class 1 certificates, pilots aged 50 and older must get an electrocardiogram every year; those aged 30 to 50 are advised to have one every two years. Hearing tests for Class 1 are required every five years before age 40, then every two years. A certificate can be revalidated up to 45 days before its expiry date without changing the expiry calendar day. Pilots cannot work on international commercial air transport operations after turning 65 for multi-pilot aircraft or 60 for single-pilot aircraft. Over age 60, medical assessments must occur every six months. In the European Union, member states under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) share medical requirements. The state that issues a pilot's license holds their medical records, but exams can be done by a doctor registered with another member state's national aviation authority. In the United Kingdom, pilots with diabetes have been allowed to fly recreationally since 2002 and commercially since 2012—the UK was the second country to permit this, after Canada. In 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority lifted medical restrictions for pilots with HIV, offering a six-month amnesty for those who had previously concealed their diagnosis to come forward. In the United States, the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute handles pilot medical certification. Three classes of medical certificates exist, required to legally exercise the privileges of a Private, Commercial, or Airline Transport Pilot license. Glider, Balloon, Recreational, and Sport Pilot certifications do not need a medical certificate. Each certificate must be issued by a doctor approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, certifying stable physical and mental health.