FAA Medical Exams: First, Second & Third Class | Grand Rapids
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FAA Medical Exams

Every class of FAA medical certificate, at one airport office.

Dr. Steve Edmondson is an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner performing First, Second, and Third Class exams, student pilot initial certificates, and on-site FAA-approved EKGs on airport property at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Choose your exam

Which class you need depends on the privileges you exercise, not the aircraft you fly. If you are not sure, pick the closest match and note it on your booking request.

How long each certificate lasts

Duration runs from the end of the month of your exam date, and a higher-class certificate keeps working at lower privilege levels after its primary window closes.

How long each certificate lasts
First Class
12 mo · under 40
First Class
6 mo · 40 and over
Second Class
12 mo · any age
Third Class
60 mo · under 40
Third Class
24 mo · 40 and over
Measured from the last day of the month of your exam. A First Class certificate steps down to Second, then Third, as each window closes.
First Class
12 months for ATP privileges if you are under 40 at the exam; 6 months if you are 40 or older.
Second Class
12 months for commercial privileges, at any age.
Third Class
60 months if you are under 40 at the exam; 24 months if you are 40 or older.
Step-down
A first or second class certificate continues to cover lower-class privileges for the longer period that applies to that class.

Source: 14 CFR 61.23 (eCFR) (opens in new tab)

What happens at the exam

Every FAA medical exam follows the same core protocol: vision including distant, near, and color vision, hearing, blood pressure and pulse, urinalysis, and a general physical review of the systems the FAA specifies. Dr. Edmondson reviews the history you submitted through MedXPress with you before the physical begins.

Most routine exams are finished in a single visit, and qualified applicants leave with their certificate in hand. Where an EKG is required, it is performed on site during the same appointment.

The Great Salt Lake from cruise altitude, its north arm split pink and deep blue by the causeway
Every class

One examiner, all five certificates, one flat price.