Basic Med popularity on MooneySpace

[Bolter]

How many of us are using Basic Med?  Very interested in the details, as well.  Post to share your

• ease or difficulty in getting it
• regrets or satisfaction
• your motivation in converting

 

[Bolter]

Just now, Bolter said:

How many of us are using Basic Med?  Very interested in the details, as well.  Post to share your

• ease or difficulty in getting it
• regrets or satisfaction
• your motivation in converting

 

Without commercial flight ambitions, the reduced potential for issues over time was a big motivator.  The big limitations do not bother me, I never fly over 18k and Mooney only has 4 seats.  It took some time to find a doctor, but once the rhythm was established, it was not an issue.  I miss that I cannot fly to nearby Canada, technically, and hope they accept Basic Med in the future.  

[McMooney]

currently basicmed, mostly due to my ame retiring during covid.

originally i had my class 2 and basicmed,  2nd has expired and until i get my commercial, i just have no reason to bother with renewing.

heck, i'm not really planning on flying for hire,  i may not bother with it.  well unless someone wants to hire me to fly jets 8)

 

[MikeOH]

I'd been on an SI for over 20 years to maintain my 3rd Class.  Had it down to a science.  Then, last year, without explanation, OKC decided they wanted not just a status letter, but my Dr.'s clinical notes with VERY specific items covered.  They made it clear that a 'Summary Notes' from my visit would NOT be acceptable!  While I had to sometimes go back and forth with nurses to get the required items included in a status letter, that was manageable.  Dr.'s clinical notes, on the other hand, are nearly impossible to get edited after the visit.  The odds of a Dr. including EXACTLY what the SI letter demanded would be slim to none... and slim was no where in the room!

This 'pushed me over the edge' to get Basic Med.  It was incredibly easy!  And, now, I don't need to deal with the OKC bureaucracy ever again.

The only Basic Med restriction that bothers me is not being able to fly out of the country.  But in nearly 5 decades I've never done that, so not sure it's going to matter much!  Of course if I hit lottery my spiffy new PC-12 will require me to deal with renewing a 3rd Class

[MikeOH]

12 minutes ago, McMooney said:

2nd has expired and until i get my commercial, i just have no reason to bother with renewing.

FYI, in case you didn't know: you do NOT need anything beyond Basic Med to get your commercial; 2nd Class only needed to actually get paid to fly.  

[M20F]

17 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

The only Basic Med restriction that bothers me is not being able to fly out of the country. 

For 99% it is Canada, Mexico, and Bahamas with the latter being the largest and they accept basic med. 

[MikeOH]

1 minute ago, M20F said:

For 99% it is Canada, Mexico, and Bahamas with the latter being the largest and they accept basic med. 

Yeah, Bahamas has been on my bucket list but recently they have decided to 'up the fees' so I'm no longer that motivated.

[M20F]

56 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

Yeah, Bahamas has been on my bucket list but recently they have decided to 'up the fees' so I'm no longer that motivated.

Thus basic med.  I dream of flying my plane to Mars, but mostly I just fly it to cheeseburgers. 

[midlifeflyer]

13 hours ago, Bolter said:

How many of us are using Basic Med?  Very interested in the details, as well.  Post to share your

• ease or difficulty in getting it
• regrets or satisfaction
• your motivation in converting

 

BasicMed since 2018.

Easy to get. I asked my PCP before my next annual checkup and sent some information on what it was. “Sure. No problem.”

No regrets. I guess it  precludes me from flying to Canada and potential ferrying, but I hadn’t been doing either anyway, so, it hasn’t made any difference in my flying or teaching.

Reasons were multiple.

[McMooney]

13 hours ago, MikeOH said:

FYI, in case you didn't know: you do NOT need anything beyond Basic Med to get your commercial; 2nd Class only needed to actually get paid to fly.  

yes i know, i just want to be able to say i can utilize the privs once i initially get it 8)

[midlifeflyer]

13 hours ago, MikeOH said:

I'd been on an SI for over 20 years to maintain my 3rd Class.  Had it down to a science.  Then, last year, without explanation, OKC decided they wanted not just a status letter, but my Dr.'s clinical notes with VERY specific items covered.  They made it clear that a 'Summary Notes' from my visit would NOT be acceptable!  While I had to sometimes go back and forth with nurses to get the required items included in a status letter, that was manageable.  Dr.'s clinical notes, on the other hand, are nearly impossible to get edited after the visit.  The odds of a Dr. including EXACTLY what the SI letter demanded would be slim to none... and slim was no where in the room!

This 'pushed me over the edge' to get Basic Med.  It was incredibly easy!  And, now, I don't need to deal with the OKC bureaucracy ever again.

The only Basic Med restriction that bothers me is not being able to fly out of the country.  But in nearly 5 decades I've never done that, so not sure it's going to matter much!  Of course if I hit lottery my spiffy new PC-12 will require me to deal with renewing a 3rd Class

At least at the beginning, the FAA's often revolving door of expensive and repeated testing for SIs probably sent more people to BasicMed than any other single factor. 

[Paul Thomas]

I have an expired class 2, valid class 3. For my last medical, I ended doing a 4 hour medical exam ... I was out of town and picked the only Dr. that had availability since I had never tried to game the system with easy Dr.

I plan to go to basic med for my next one. I don't want to subject myself to the whim or a Dr. and be forced to accept any test thrown at you. Once you start, if you don't complete the medical, it's considered a denial. As a result, I spent 4 hours there. The Dr. indicated that he just came back from a seminar and the FAA wanted them to give throughout exam and would send undercovers to check compliance... I'm not buying that the FAA has the resources to do that but I also don't want to be poked and prodded for 4 hours without the ability to say enough.

Basic med is way simpler and give the patient more control; it's also likely covered by insurance.

[Fly Boomer]

14 hours ago, Bolter said:

How many of us are using Basic Med?

Motivation seems simple:  bust a medical, and you are probably screwed for life.

[Pinecone]

BasicMed since returning to flying in 2021.

No problems getting it.  I get an annual physical from my PCP.  Every other year I take a set of forms and he fills them out.

I keep thinking I will do a consult with my local AME to get a 3rd or 2nd Class.  But the only thing that would do for me is let me fly in the flight levels.

[DXB]

16 hours ago, MikeOH said:

I'd been on an SI for over 20 years to maintain my 3rd Class.  Had it down to a science.  Then, last year, without explanation, OKC decided they wanted not just a status letter, but my Dr.'s clinical notes with VERY specific items covered.  They made it clear that a 'Summary Notes' from my visit would NOT be acceptable!  While I had to sometimes go back and forth with nurses to get the required items included in a status letter, that was manageable.  Dr.'s clinical notes, on the other hand, are nearly impossible to get edited after the visit.  The odds of a Dr. including EXACTLY what the SI letter demanded would be slim to none... and slim was no where in the room!

This 'pushed me over the edge' to get Basic Med.  It was incredibly easy!  And, now, I don't need to deal with the OKC bureaucracy ever again.

The only Basic Med restriction that bothers me is not being able to fly out of the country.  But in nearly 5 decades I've never done that, so not sure it's going to matter much!  Of course if I hit lottery my spiffy new PC-12 will require me to deal with renewing a 3rd Class

Once can and should write out a narrative for the clinician to document and sign if they are comfortable with its veracity.  It's nice if someone with a medical background writes the narrative - I have personally done it for others in need.  Also electronic medical records (e.g. Epic) do allow entry of edits and addenda well after the note is signed at the time of the visit - folks should not hesitate to ask for this to be done if necessary.  It is also a very wise alternative to have one of the handful of lawyers nationally who are versed in aeromedical issues guide the clinician on the documentation the FAA wants to see. This approach costs money, but one should never leave anything to chance when dealing with the FAA Medical Branch - be as proactive as possible.  They are not your friends - just lazy bureaucrats tasked creating a fake facade of protecting public safety.  

[ArtVandelay]

My PCP is a pilot, so that makes it a lot easier. Also my checkups mostly consist of us talking about aviation.

[Rick Junkin]

18 hours ago, Bolter said:

your motivation in converting

My first cancer diagnosis prompted me to switch.

I had a valid Class 2 with a special issuance for obstructive sleep apnea at the time so I immediately transitioned to BasicMed. This move preserved my ability to keep flying when my doc and I judged I met the requirements of paragraph 61.53, and never having to worry about a future Class 2 or 3 being denied or submitting to the ass pain associated with the recurring reporting and pile of documentation OKC requires.

It was quite an easy decision and transition. I briefed my primary doc using the materials AOPA provides, answered a few questions she had and she was immediately on board. After surgery and adjuvant cancer treatment, a later bout with a different cancer that required surgery, and a total hip replacement, my doc and I are still making excellent informed decisions on when I am and am not good to fly without needing the okeedokee from a remote government official who has never seen me. I can't fly for hire anymore, but I'm fortunate to be retired and not in financial need.

BTW, the score is Junkman - 2, Cancer - 0. I'm hoping that remains as a final score.

[Fly Boomer]

5 minutes ago, Rick Junkin said:

BTW, the score is Junkman - 2, Cancer - 0. I'm hoping that remains as a final score.

Just have to stay in front of it.  Nice stats!

[midlifeflyer]

3 hours ago, DXB said:

 It is also a very wise alternative to have one of the handful of lawyers nationally who are versed in aeromedical issues guide the clinician on the documentation the FAA wants to see.

You are right about there being not more than a handful. There are probably far more consulting physicians than lawyers who are truly competent at this.    Lawyers are better when the medical problem becomes a legal problem, but that's the thing we want to avoid if possible. 

But I agree - if it's important, get some professional advice. A good senior AME leading the way is worth their weight in gold, but we don't always have that.

[DXB]

1 hour ago, midlifeflyer said:

You are right about there being not more than a handful. There are probably far more consulting physicians than lawyers who are truly competent at this.    Lawyers are better when the medical problem becomes a legal problem, but that's the thing we want to avoid if possible. 

But I agree - if it's important, get some professional advice. A good senior AME leading the way is worth their weight in gold, but we don't always have that.

It's great to find an occasional AME who wants to help pilots, but never forget they are accountable to the FAA Medical Branch, not to you.  Carefully worded factual information from medical specialists can greatly help address nonissues capriciously flagged by the FAA in the medical record - I myself have played this role a couple of times to help pilots.  However nothing stops a frivolous medical certification challenge by the FAA better than a lawyer showing them why they are about to create a bunch of work for themselves, only to arrive at an embarrassing outcome before an NTSB judge (or in extreme cases even a civil suit in federal court).  I will never communicate with the FAA medical branch again except through one of a handful of attorneys they know well. No issue is too small to get a lawyer when dealing with these folks.  Doing so from day one would have saved me a ton of hassle and worry - money extremely well spent.  One can inadvertently dig the hole much deeper by going it alone.

[dkkim73]

5 hours ago, DXB said:

 

 

5 hours ago, DXB said:

Once can and should write out a narrative for the clinician to document and sign if they are comfortable with its veracity.  It's nice if someone with a medical background writes the narrative - I have personally done it for others in need.  Also electronic medical records (e.g. Epic) do allow entry of edits and addenda well after the note is signed at the time of the visit - folks should not hesitate to ask for this to be done if necessary. 

You (generic you, not DXB who clearly understands this scene) will find benign mistakes in clinical notes as well (misunderstood what you were saying) which weren't particularly germane at the time but could imply problems downstream. Esp. with auto-scribe software and hurried, often ex post facto, documentation of visits, etc.  So requesting corrections is reasonable and most conscientious practitioners haven't given me much pushback. 

 

[Bolter]

On 10/7/2025 at 3:53 PM, Bolter said:

How many of us are using Basic Med?  Very interested in the details, as well.  Post to share your

• ease or difficulty in getting it
• regrets or satisfaction
• your motivation in converting

 

I was not expecting such a consistent even split between BASIC Med and conventional medicals.  The total population of the poll grows, and remains at 50/50.  Perhaps more commerically active pilots on here than I expected.   I believe you can act as CFI/CFII under Basic Med.  

[DXB]

Basic Med is a FAR greater success than I predicted. I wonder if any physicians have caught blowback from signing off medicals they shouldn't have.  I suppose not since accidents due to pilot incapacitation remain very rare events even in the GA world - which was predicable based on the (albeit limited) Sport Pilot experience.  Honestly, physician liability and resistance to signing it off was my greatest concern when it appeared on the scene.  

Once the Canadians accept Basic Med, I'll probably go that route too, given my lack of aspirations to be in the flight levels, carry lots of passengers, or make money flying.  Unfortunately US relations with Canada  are at a new low at the moment, so that may take some time as yet...

[Rick Junkin]

1 hour ago, Bolter said:

 I believe you can act as CFI/CFII under Basic Med.  

Yes, this is true and I do.

[MikeOH]

1 hour ago, Bolter said:

 I believe you can act as CFI/CFII under Basic Med.  

The FAA rationale is that you are being paid to INSTRUCT, not to fly for hire.