Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

EASA CPL completely useless without a Class 1 medical

I’ve just come across this and sure enough it is well discussed online, though very few people know about it.

From Part MED:

SECTION 2
Requirements for medical certificates
MED.A.030 Medical certificates
(a) A student pilot shall not fly solo unless that student pilot holds a medical certificate, as required for the relevant licence.
(b) Applicants for and holders of a light aircraft pilot licence (LAPL) shall hold at least an LAPL medical certificate.
(c) Applicants for and holders of a private pilot licence (PPL), a sailplane pilot licence (SPL), or a balloon pilot licence (BPL) shall hold at least a Class 2 medical certificate.
(d) Applicants for and holders of an SPL or a BPL involved in commercial sailplane or balloon flights shall hold at least a Class 2 medical certificate.
(e) If a night rating is added to a PPL or LAPL, the licence holder shall be colour safe.
(f) Applicants for and holders of a commercial pilot licence (CPL), a multi-crew pilot licence (MPL), or an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) shall hold a Class 1 medical certificate.
(g) If an instrument rating is added to a PPL, the licence holder shall undertake pure tone audiometry examinations in accordance with the periodicity and the standard required for Class 1 medical certificate holders.
(h) A licence holder shall not at any time hold more than one medical certificate issued in accordance with this Part

So if you have a CPL and your Class 1 medical lapses to a Class 2, or you have only a Class 2, the CPL cannot be used even as a PPL.

I don’t think the FAA CPL has this problem.

Note that this doesn’t affect PPL/FIs who need CPL or ATPL theory passes (expired or not) to teach the EASA PPL. They can do all this on a Class 2 medical.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter My Easa Atpl front page says Atpl,Cpl,Ppl .So is effectively all those licences if I dropped my class one but retained a class two I,d be able to use it as a Ppl with my associated ratings subject of course to the limitations of that licence and medical.Thats my understanding of it.Regards Stampe

EGMD EGTO EGKR, United Kingdom

To exercise commercial privileges with a CPL from the FAA you need to hold a class 2 medical. It lasts one year but after that reverts to a third class.

EGTK Oxford

Jason, just to be absolutely clear, an FAA CPL, Operating in part 135, part 119, single pilot, commercial privelige, can do that on a Class 2 medical?

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow

BeechBaby, yes. With the FAA you only need a class 1 for ATP.

EGTK Oxford

BB,

just be sure to understand that there are three classes of medicals in the FAA rules. The “private” medical is the class 3 there, whereas, in EASA terms, class 2 is the “private” one (no class 3 there).

So yes, under FAA, you need a “commercial” medical for commercial flying, at least AFAIK. EASA actually allows limited commercial flying with a “private” medical (such as PPL instructing).

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

The rules as explained to me by the CAA a few years back were that a Class 1 is required for license issue and for exercising commercial privileges, but not when not doing so. This may be one of those unnoticed messes created by EASA.

London area

So, what is the problem?

To excercise the priviliges of a CPL you need Class 1 medical…. makes complete sense.

To excercise the priviliges of a PPL you need Class 2 medical …. makes complete sense.

Or are you saying you got your CPL without getting a PPL?

I’ve been in this position for years. Can’t get a Class I due to my BMI without fighting for it but hold a class 2 with a CPL.

As I am not flying commercial at this time, I can live with it, as my CPL is not expiring. If I need to fly commercial, I’d fight to get a Class 1. Apart, at my age, I’d have to do the Class 1 every 6 months and once a year is enough for me, thank you very much.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

no class 3 there

on a sidenote: as microlighter in an EASA country, I used to get issued with class 3 medicals. Since perhaps two years I am getting a “class 4”, as I understand class 3 is now issued to ATC staff.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium
25 Posts
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top