Expert Opinion
AINsight: When Can’t I Fly?
Are there medical circumstances when it is certain that a pilot cannot fly? Quite clearly there are, and these provisions are outlined in FAA Part 67.

As I previously noted, U.S. FAR 61.53 outlines basic medical responsibilities that a pilot must adhere to at all times between FAA medical exams with an aviation medical examiner (AME). Pilots have both leeway and ethics in self-assessing whether they are fit-to-fly on any given day.

Are there circumstances, however, when it is certain that a pilot cannot fly? Quite clearly there are, and these provisions are outlined in Part 67 “Medical Standards and Certification.”

Robert Sancetta, M.D.
AIN Contributor
About the author

Dr. Robert Sancetta is a former DC-10 captain with 11,000 flight hours. He has worked as a Senior AME since 1993 and is appointed as AME Consultant to the FAA Federal Air Surgeon.

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