How long is an FAA medical good for? First, second, third class
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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Under 14 CFR 61.23(d) a first-class medical covers ATP pilot-in-command privileges for 12 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam, or 6 if 40 or older. A first or second class covers commercial privileges for 12 months at any age. Any class covers private, recreational, student and instructor-as-PIC flying for 60 months under 40, or 24 months at 40 and over. Each period ends on the last day of the month. BasicMed (Part 68) can replace the medical for private flying.
- First class: ATP PIC
- Under 40 at exam: 12th month after the exam month; 40 or older: 6th month
- End of the last day of that month
- 61.23(d)(1)(i)-(ii)
- First or second class: commercial, ATP SIC
- 12th month after the exam month, any age
- End of the last day of that month
- 61.23(d)(1)(iii), (2)(i)
- Any class: private, recreational, student, CFI as PIC
- Under 40 at exam: 60th month; 40 or older: 24th month
- End of the last day of that month
- 61.23(d)(1)(iv)-(v), (2)(ii)-(iii), (3)
- BasicMed course and exam
- Online course in the last 24 calendar months; physician exam in the last 48 calendar months
- Rolling
- 61.23(c)(3)
- BasicMed aircraft
- Up to 7 occupants and 6 passengers, max takeoff weight 12,500 lb or less
- Each flight
- 61.113(i)(1)
- BasicMed flight limits
- Not above 18,000 ft MSL, not above 250 KIAS, not outside the U.S. unless that country allows it
- Each flight
- 61.113(i)(2)
Which class of medical you need
61.23(a) sets the class by what you are doing. You need a first class to exercise ATP pilot-in-command privileges, to fly as SIC on an ATP in a Part 121 flag or supplemental operation that needs three or more pilots, and to serve as a required pilot in any Part 121 operation once you have reached your 60th birthday. You need at least a second class for other Part 121 SIC flying and for commercial privileges in anything other than a balloon or glider.
A third class covers student, recreational and private privileges, flight instructors acting as PIC or required crew, practical tests in an aircraft and examiners administering a test in an aircraft. Some flying needs no medical: gliders and balloons in the cases 61.23(b) lists, a flight instructor who is not acting as PIC or required crew (61.23(b)(7)), and tests or checks in a simulator or flight training device (61.23(b)(9)-(10)).
How long each class lasts, by age
The 61.23(d) table runs every period from "the month of the date of examination shown on the medical certificate" and ends "at the end of the last day of the" stated month. Your age is your age "on the date of examination". Turning 40 halfway through does not shorten a certificate issued at 39; it changes the next one.
Example at age 45: first-class exam on 10 March 2026. ATP PIC privileges last through 30 September 2026 (6th month), commercial privileges through 31 March 2027 (12th month), and private privileges through 31 March 2028 (24th month). The same exam at age 35 gives ATP PIC through 31 March 2027 and private privileges through 31 March 2031 (60th month).
What happens when a first class steps down
Nothing is reissued. The table gives each class a duration "for that operation", so one certificate carries different end dates for different privileges. When the first-class period for ATP PIC ends, the same certificate keeps covering commercial privileges to its 12th month, then private privileges to its 24th or 60th month. A second class steps down the same way from commercial to private.
An airline captain over 40 renews the first class every six months for that reason, while the commercial and private dates on the same certificate run further out. A pilot flying Part 121 after the 60th birthday falls in the 40-and-over row, so the first class lasts six months (61.23(d)(1)(ii)). Questions about your own fitness or a condition go to an Aviation Medical Examiner, who issues the certificate.
BasicMed: who can use it and its limits
BasicMed lets you fly without a Part 67 medical certificate under 61.113(i), with "a valid U.S. driver's license". 61.23(c)(3) requires that you held a Part 67 medical at any point after 14 July 2006 (the most recent one may have expired or included a special issuance, but must not have been suspended or revoked), that your most recent application was not denied, that you completed the medical education course in the last 24 calendar months, and that a State-licensed physician completed the Part 68 checklist exam in the last 48 calendar months. If you have been diagnosed with a condition that may affect your flying, you must be under a State-licensed physician's care (61.23(c)(3)(i)(E)). You keep the course certificate and the checklist in your logbook (61.113(i)(3)).
It covers student, recreational and private privileges, a flight instructor acting as PIC, and examiners (61.23(c)(1)(v), (vii) and (viii)). Commercial privileges still need a second class. The aircraft limits changed on 18 November 2024, when the FAA brought in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: up to 7 occupants (was 6), up to 6 passengers (was 5) and a maximum takeoff weight up to 12,500 lb (was 6,000), excluding Part 29 transport category rotorcraft. The flight limits stay at 18,000 ft MSL and 250 KIAS. Certain mental health, neurological and cardiovascular conditions need a special issuance first (68.9).
Mistakes pilots make
- Counting the medical from the exam date to the same date a year later. It runs to the end of the last day of the stated month.
- Using the age on the day you fly. 61.23(d) uses your age on the date of the examination.
- Thinking an expired first class grounds you. It steps down to commercial, then private privileges, for the longer periods in the table.
- Flying a BasicMed trip with 7 passengers or above 18,000 ft. The limit is 6 passengers and 7 occupants, at or below 18,000 ft MSL.
- Using BasicMed for commercial flying. It covers private-level privileges plus instructors acting as PIC and examiners, not 61.23(a)(2) commercial privileges.
What Off Chocks tracks
- You enter your medical in Credentials with its name (for example first class) and the expiry date you work out from the 61.23(d) table; Off Chocks reminds you before that date on the lead time you set.
- Off Chocks does not calculate the step-down dates from your age and class. If you rely on the stepped-down period, enter the date that matches the privileges you use, or add a second entry for it.
- You can add the BasicMed course and the physician exam as Credentials entries with their own dates and reminders; the app does not check the 61.113(i) aircraft and flight limits.
Common questions
- How long is a first-class medical good for if I am over 40?
- Six calendar months for ATP pilot-in-command privileges, 12 for commercial privileges, and 24 for private privileges, each ending on the last day of the month (61.23(d)(1)).
- Does a first class turn into a third class?
- The certificate is not reissued. 61.23(d) gives each privilege its own end date, so after the first-class period the same certificate covers commercial and then private flying until those dates.
- How often do I need a medical under BasicMed?
- The online course every 24 calendar months and a physician exam using the Part 68 checklist every 48 calendar months (61.23(c)(3)).
- What aircraft can I fly under BasicMed?
- An aircraft authorized to carry not more than 7 occupants, with a maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 lb or less, with no more than 6 passengers, below 18,000 ft MSL and 250 KIAS (61.113(i)).
- Do I need a medical to be a flight instructor?
- Only when acting as pilot in command or a required crew member (61.23(a)(3)(ii) and (b)(7)). BasicMed also covers an instructor acting as PIC.
Sources
- 14 CFR 61.23 Medical certificates: Requirement and duration (eCFR, up to date as of 27 Oct 2026)
- 14 CFR 61.113 Private pilot privileges and limitations, paragraph (i) BasicMed (eCFR)
- 14 CFR Part 68 Requirements for operating certain small aircraft without a medical certificate (eCFR)
- Regulatory Updates to BasicMed, final rule effective 18 Nov 2024 (Federal Register 2024-26935)
This is a plain-words summary to help you keep your own records, not legal advice. The regulation and your operator's procedures always take precedence.