Match the medical to the licence
An LAPL needs an LAPL medical. A PPL needs at least a Class 2 medical (a Class 1 also covers it). A CPL or ATPL needs a Class 1 medical. Holding a higher class covers the lower privileges, but you still have to keep the certificate that your actual flying requires valid.
The point of going early is practical. Some conditions need extra reports, a specialist, or a limitation on the certificate. Finding that out after you have prepaid a course is the expensive way.
Who does the examination
An initial Class 1 is normally arranged through an aeromedical centre (AeMC), not a routine visit to a local doctor. Revalidations and renewals are often done by an aeromedical examiner (AME). A Class 2 is done by an AME.
The LAPL medical is the lightest of the three. Who is allowed to issue it depends on the country. Do not assume a general practitioner can sign it. Ask the national aviation authority, or the school’s usual examiner, before you book the wrong appointment.
What the visit is for
Expect a history, a physical examination, and checks such as vision and hearing. A Class 1 initial commonly includes more investigation than a Class 2, which can mean blood tests, an electrocardiogram, and other items the centre requires. If something in the history needs a report from your own doctor or a specialist, the certificate waits for that paperwork.
Common topics the standards cover include vision, colour vision, hearing, the heart and circulation, neurology, mental health, and medication. That list is not complete, and it is not a pass/fail key. An examiner interprets the standard. Turning up with a full list of medicines and a summary of past operations or illnesses makes the visit shorter.
FAA medicals, for comparison
The FAA uses a different certificate. Under 14 CFR 61.23, a third-class medical is the minimum for private pilot privileges, a second-class medical for commercial pilot privileges, and a first-class medical for pilot-in-command privileges of an airline transport pilot certificate. BasicMed is an alternative for some private flying inside the United States. It is not an EASA medical and does not replace one.
An EASA Class 1 is not an FAA first-class medical, and you cannot swap the pieces of paper. If you might train in the United States or fly an N-registered aircraft, ask an FAA aviation medical examiner what that operation needs. If you will fly under EASA rules, stay with the EASA process.
A sensible sequence
- Decide the licence, because that decides the class of medical.
- Find an AeMC or AME approved for that class in the state you will train under. The national authority publishes lists.
- Declare the history honestly. An undisclosed condition is a worse problem later than a limitation you can plan around.
- Keep the certificate valid while you train. A lapse can stop solo flying until it is renewed.
- If the goal is an airline job, remember that an employer may want a Class 1 with no limitations even when the regulation would allow a limitation. That is a hiring policy, not the medical rule itself. Ask the employer, not a forum.
Sources
Checked on 17 October 2026. Rules are amended, so read the current text before you rely on a figure.
- EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew, Part-MED (MED.A.045 validity of medical certificates): https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/document-library/easy-access-rules/online-publications/easy-access-rules-aircrew-regulation-eu-no
- 14 CFR 61.23, medical certificates: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-A/section-61.23
- FAA, BasicMed: https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/basic_med