FAA airman's database includes BasicMed course completion information
The date pilots complete the BasicMed course is now included in an airman’s FAA record. The information, found under the medical section of the database, reflects the completion date of the online medical course. Pilots can now verify their medical status with the FAA, making it easier to keep track of their expiration date.
Richard McSpadden, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, said this change will help pilots and flight instructors.
“Besides validation of a pilot’s status, this update allows flight schools and flight instructors to verify that their students are qualified under BasicMed,” McSpadden said.
AOPA has produced a Pilot and Physician Guide that also includes the FAA checklist a physician uses to complete the BasicMed physical. When making an appointment with a doctor, McSpadden recommends pilots make clear they are interested in a BasicMed exam and send the guide to the physician’s office for review ahead of an appointment. Pilots should arrive at the examination with the self-assessment portion of the checklist already completed. After the exam is complete, pilots should then take the online course and finish the steps remaining to fly under BasicMed.
Other resources, including the free online course, answers to frequently asked questions, and AOPA’s video guide to BasicMed, are available in AOPA’s Fit to Fly resources.
To contact experts in the AOPA Pilot Information Center with questions, call 888/462-3976 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, or send an email to [email protected]. Pilot's also can submit BasicMed physician recommendations.
