When it comes to flight training in the UK at least there are 3 types of medicals that you can which are a Class 1, Class 2 or LAPL Medical.
The medical you need to choose depends on what your goals are with your flying. In this post I will go through all the medicals to make sure that you pick the correct medical for the type of flying that you wish to do.
Class 1 Medical
- Needed to train for a CPL or ATPL
- Done at an AeMC (Aeromedical Centre).
- Also provides a class 2 medical.
- Valid for 12 months unless you are over 40 and carry out single pilot operations or if you are over 60 in both cases it would be valid for 6 months
- You can read about my initial class 1 medical at CAA Gatwick.
Class 2 Medical
- Needed to train for a PPL
- Done with an AME (Aeromedical Examiner) rather than at a medical centre.
- Less strict than your Class 1 medical
- Valid for 60 months if you are under 40 years old, 24 months if you are 40-49 years old and 12 months if you are 50 or over.
LAPL Medical
- Needed to train for the LAPL (Light Aircraft Pilot Licence)
- Done by your GP or an AME
- Valid for 60 months if you are under 40 and 24 months if you are over 40
So you have three medicals to choose from for your flight training. I see a few people get their class 2 medical because they are doing their PPL but they have plans to fly commercially so they should really get their class 1.
The reason for this is because your class 1 also provides you with a class 2 medical, and more importantly if you cannot obtain a class 1 medical then you cannot fly commercially. So if your only goal is to fly for the airlines, you will never be able to achieve it until you can hold a class 1 medical. I hope this has helped you pick which medical you need to achieve your goal.
