PLT427: Medical Certificate Requirements
What code PLT427 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Medical Certificate Requirements before your checkride.
Recall regulations - medical certificate requirements / validity
What this means for your checkride
A medical certificate's class and validity depend on the operation and the airman's age. First-class is needed for ATP privileges, second-class for commercial, third-class for private, recreational, and student. For third-class, it lasts 60 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam, 24 months if 40 or older.
Flying without a currently valid medical is a violation, so the FAA tests the classes, what each covers, and how long each lasts.
Pilots think a medical lasts a fixed time for everyone. Duration depends on the class and the airman's age at the exam, and a higher class downgrades to lower-class privileges as it ages.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.