Willamette Aviation | FAA Medicals

An FAA Medical Certificate is more than a little piece of paper you keep in your flight bag or clip inside your pilot's logbook — in fact, it's best described as the other half of your FAA Pilot Certificate. Just as you cannot take to the air as Private Pilot without a valid pilot's license, you can't fly without a current Medical, which confirms that you have no disqualifying health conditions that would prevent you from flying as Pilot in Command. A Medical also serves as the basis of your own self-certification of health, which all pilots are required to affirm before every flight.

At Willamette Aviation, we offer on-field FAA Medical examinations with FAA Designated Medical Examiner Jim Tarro, M.D. Dr. Tarro is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, flying F-100 aircraft while stationed in Europe. After leaving the service, he enrolled in medical school, where he specialized in internal medicine. Dr. Tarro retired from private practice several years ago, but "retirement" wasn't so simple, and before long he found himself drawn to one of his foremost passions — conducting clinical trials in pharmaceutical research — while continuing to serve as an FAA Designated Medical Examiner for the local aviation community. When not practicing, Dr. Tarro enjoys golf, cycling, and spending time with his family.

If you would like to meet with Dr. Tarro for an FAA Medical exam on the Willamette Aviation campus at the Aurora State Airport, please contact our front desk at (503) 678-2252 to reserve a time — he's here on the third Saturday morning of every month, and exams for First, Second, and Third Class Medicals are just $90. Alternately, he offers examinations at his office in John's Landing on Tuesdays and Thursdays — please contact him at (503) 294-7193 or email drtarro@willametteair.com to schedule an appointment. (Exams requiring an EKG are done at Dr. Tarro's office.)

Requirements and Exceptions

The FAA approves Medical Certificates in three classifications, although nearly all pilots who do not act in a commercial capacity will pursue a Third Class Medical Certificate, which is good for 36 calendar months if the date of the examination is prior to the pilot's 40th birthday, or 24 calendar months if after the pilot's 40th birthday. As previously mentioned, in addition to holding a valid Medical Certificate, all pilots acting as Pilot in Command must self-certify their fitness for flight before every flight operation — this means that the pilot confirms that he or she is not ill, is not taking disqualifying medication, is not suffering from undue stress or fatigue, is properly rested and nourished, and is not under the effect of alcohol or drugs, with no alcohol consumed in the past eight (8) hours and a blood-alcohol level of less than 0.04%. Even with a valid Medical, any pilot who cannot meet these basic requirements must disqualify himself or herself from acting as Pilot in Command or a required member of any aircrew.

The FAA Medical itself is an uncomplicated physical exam that's meant to assess a pilot's health history and overall fitness for flight, including blood pressure, vision, hearing, and reflex response. Most people who are in reasonably good health will have no problem passing an FAA Medical, provided that they do not suffer from a disqualifying condition, which primarily comprises health issues affecting the heart and nervous system, as well as any concerns surrounding mental stability and substance abuse. You don't have to be in the best shape of your life to get a Medical. In fact, pilots with poor eyesight normally are allowed to fly with corrective lenses, while hearing-impaired pilots may be granted a Medical and fly with several operating restrictions. If you've scheduled an FAA medical examination, you can expect to answer questions about your own personal health history while having your vision and hearing checked, along with a few other things (if you wear contact lenses, please be prepared to remove them in order to test your uncorrected vision). A typical exam is a stress-free experience and takes no more than 20 minutes.

The only exception to the FAA's Medical Certificate policy is the Sport Pilot rule, which permits pilots holding a Sport Pilot certificate or better to fly restricted operations without a current Medical, provided that any previously approved Medical is not suspended, denied, or revoked. Please see our Sport Pilots page for more information.