Class 2 Medical - Being Fit to Fly

In this blog post, I shall discuss everything you need to know about the Class 2 medical as well as my personal experience of the medical exam. For those who are going onto commercial pilot training and want to know about the Class 1 medical process and my personal experience, this blog will not cover information about the Class 1 as that will be a topic for another day so I recommend you keep an eye out on my blog page for my Class 1 medical blog.

When I did my initial Class 2 medical exam, which was a while back at my local aeromedical clinic, I had to undergo a range of medical tests and I was asked many medical-related questions (including a quick look at my family health history) to ensure I was fit to fly. Before being able to fly solo in the United Kingdom, you need to have minimum a Class 2 medical so before my first solo and prior to starting my pilot training, I did my medical exam.

To start the process of booking a Class 2 medical exam, the firsts step is to go onto the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) website. On the homepage, hover over “I am a…” text on the top of the page and hover over “Individual.” From the drop down list, select Private Pilot because in essence, after getting your PPL, you would be a Private Pilot. For more information on the PPL (Private Pilot License) check out my first blog called “Private Pilot License – The First Step for Modular Pilot Training.” Once on the Private Pilot page on the CAA website, look at the “Learning to Fly” section of the page and click on “Introduction to Medical Requirements.” There is a some useful information on this page which you can read in your own time but to book a medical exam at the nearest aeromedical clinic near you, click on the “Find an AME service” text highlighted in blue. Enter your postcode in the box below and select “Search.” A list of nearer Aeromedical clinics should appear along with their contact details and links to their website so choose the clinic nearest to you and go on their website.

Check to see if the aeromedical clinic offer Class 2 medicals and check out their price. Usually they cost between £189 to £300 depending on the clinic. If the clinic offers a Class 2 medical for PPL, which they should, there should already be a list of instructions on what to do. Some clinics would like you to do an extended eye test before hand. Make sure you book your eye test first before booking the actual Class 2 medical exam in case your eye test is moved to a later date or you can’t get one booked before the Class 2 medical date. Local opticians as well as Specsavers and Boots usually do free eye tests. Next you will need to fill in the CAA medical forms which will ask you to enter many information such as past health conditions, any present health conditions you have (choosing from a list or stated medical conditions), your family’s health history and general information about you for example: your weekly alcohol intake in units or whether you smoke tobacco etc. Your optician would be required to fill in the CAA Ophthalmology Report Form which you must print out before the date of your eye examination. Specsavers usually charge to fill in forms – the cost would usually be £10 but may change in the future after time of writing. For those aeromedical clinics who do not precisely require an extended eye examination to be done before the Class 2, the eye test would most likely be done on the day so you’ll be glad to know you do not need to do all this.

After filling in the necessary forms which would usually be stated on the clinic’s website, it is now safe to book in a Class 2 medical. Look at your calendar – see when you’re free. Please be aware that the initial medical exam would take between 1 to 2 hours so make sure you leave enough time for your exam to be done and you choose a suitable time and date when you’re free. After booking your medical exam either online or via phone, on the day of the exam before you go – I recommend you do the following things:

· Make sure you bring all the important forms and the required documents to your Class 2 medical exam – see the clinic’s website to see what precise identification documents you need to bring.

· Any questions you do have prior to the medical exam, email your aeromedical examiner or ring the clinic up – I’m sure they will be happy to answer any questions or specific queries you may have.

· A couple of mins/hours before the exam – drink lots and lots and lots of water because you will need to do a urine test where you have to urinate in a cup so turn up with a full bladder. Go to a Welcome Break or a supermarket on the way for some water if you have to. Water will also help with the nerves in case you’re nervous but you wouldn’t be as the exam is done quickly and there’s nothing major you need to worry about.

· Leave home early so you arrive early to your exam and you have plenty of time to locate the clinic. A quick google maps search of the clinic before leaving would be useful to!

· Take a deep breath and relax!

During the Class 2 medical exam, your lungs and blood pressure will be checked. You will also need to do an ECG test, a hearing test, a neurological examination and a balance test to ensure you’re fit to fly. Your height and weight will also be checked. Finally, your aeromedical examiner will check your family health history based on the form you previously filled. If you meet all the CAA medical requirements and you’re fit to fly – congratulations, you have passed your Class 2 medical. All there’s left to do is for you to pay for medical exam and you get your certificate along with your CAA reference number if you don’t already have one. If you fail or do not precisely meet the requirements due to ill health or family health history, you would be referred to the CAA body and a report of you will be generated to the CAA for decision making. They usually decide whether you get the certificate or not if the worst was to occur, but, it is rare for a pilot to fail their Class 2 medical exam. If you’re of general health and you exercise, you will be perfectly fine and I guarantee you, you will leave the aeromedical clinic with certificate in your hand.

My personal experience of my Class 2 medical has been remarkably positive. The medical exam process was stress free – the clinic’s website was fantastic in terms of explaining step by step what to do before and on the day of my exam. The staff were extremely friendly and for those interested, I passed the medical exam with flying colors and left the aeromedical clinic with a Class 2 medical certificate in my hand and a smile on my face. I am officially fit to fly and my Class 2 medical certificate is valid for the next 5 years. After 5 years, I would have to renew my Class 2 medical certificate until I am 40 years of age. Between 40-50 years of age, a Class 2 medical is valid for 2 years. Then after 50 years, the medical is valid for 1 year so you’ll have to renew it every year should you choose to keep flying light aircrafts around then. The cost of a Class 2 renewal is usually around £199 depending on the aeromedical clinic. For those looking for an aeromedical clinic in the Midlands and want a Class 2 medical for their flight training, I strongly recommend my local aeromedical which is Flying Medicine in Leicester. My aeromedical examiner is very friendly and doesn’t over complicate the Class 2 medical process. With informative information, he will tell you everything you need to know and I am really happy with the aeromedical clinic’s service. If you have any questions regarding the Class 2 medical exam, feel free to email me at shalin2013@outlook.com

alternatively, you can send me a direct message on Instagram @PilotShalinOfficial 

Wishing you all the best with your pilot training my aviators, your Pilot Shalin.