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Three US systems run side by side and are easy to confuse. IACRA handles your FAA certificate application, MedXPress and an Aviation Medical Examiner handle your medical, and the TSA handles flight-training security eligibility. Finishing one does not finish the others, so you work through each in turn.
Checked against: 14 CFR Part 61 (student pilot, solo and endorsement provisions, section 61.87 and Subpart B), 14 CFR Part 67 medical standards, FAA BasicMed guidance as updated in November 2024 and 49 CFR Part 1552 (Flight Training Security Program), as summarized in Aero Academic’s 27 October 2026 editorial brief; flight instructor and AME review pending before publication.
| System | Who runs it | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| IACRA | FAA | Handles airman certificate and rating applications with electronic validation and signatures | Does not issue a medical or a TSA determination |
| MedXPress and an AME | FAA and a designated examiner | Collects your medical history online, then an examination completes the standard medical certificate process | Submitting MedXPress alone is not a medical certificate |
| TSA Flight Training Security Program | TSA | Sets citizenship, nationality or eligibility requirements for covered flight training | Is not an FAA certification step and is not blanket permission for every kind of training |
| Medical class | General application |
|---|---|
| Third-class | Generally applies when exercising private, recreational or student pilot privileges, unless an exception applies |
| Second-class | Generally required when exercising commercial pilot privileges in aircraft other than the specified exceptions |
| First-class | Required for specified airline transport privileges and operations |
| Age at the examination | General duration |
|---|---|
| Under 40 | Through the end of the 60th month after the examination month |
| 40 or older | Through the end of the 24th month after the examination month |
| Endorsement | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Pre-solo | The instructor has evaluated your relevant knowledge, given the required flight training and endorses you for the applicable aircraft |
| Knowledge test | You have completed the required training or reviewed home study and are prepared for the private pilot knowledge test |
| Practical test | The instructor certifies your preparation for the required practical test |
The FAA certificate application, the aviation medical process and the TSA training-security process are separate systems, and completing one does not automatically complete the others. Students often assume that once they have a medical they are “cleared”, or that once they have applied for a certificate the medical is covered. Neither is true.
For a conventional private airplane or helicopter student, the key tasks are to obtain the student pilot certificate, to meet the applicable medical requirement and to receive the instructor authorizations required for solo. A fourth task applies only to some students: confirming TSA eligibility.
This guide is general education, not individual medical advice. Medical eligibility belongs to the AME, and the rules change, so confirm anything important with your instructor and the FAA before you rely on it.
IACRA is the FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application system. It is used for airman applications, including certificate and rating processes, and it incorporates electronic validation and signatures. You will use it for your student pilot certificate and, later, for your private pilot application.
Use accurate identity information that matches your identification, and have your instructor or another authorized application representative explain the next step. A small mismatch in a name or a date can delay an application, and a delayed student certificate delays your first solo.
Do not wait until you feel ready to solo before you start. It is far better to have the account and the certificate in place early than to have an otherwise-ready student held back by paperwork.
The FAA medical process normally begins with MedXPress, where you submit your medical application information online. You then need an examination by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner, or AME, to complete the standard medical certificate process.
Submitting MedXPress is therefore not the same as receiving a medical certificate. Treat it as the first half of a two-part process, and book the AME appointment while the MedXPress details are fresh.
If you have a medical condition, a medication or a past medical decision you are unsure about, speak to an AME early, before you spend heavily on training. Do not stop prescribed medication and do not leave out history to improve your chances. The AME can explain how it is assessed.
Table 2 shows the three classes in general terms. The important phrase is “privileges being exercised”. A certificate you hold and the medical standard required for a particular flight are related but distinct questions. A pilot can hold a commercial certificate and still need only a third-class medical when exercising private privileges.
For a student planning a professional career, discuss the relevant higher medical standard with an AME before you make a major financial commitment. A second-class or first-class medical examines more, and learning early that you are likely to qualify is better than learning late.
Individual certificate limitations and special-issuance conditions must also be considered. A general table is a map, not a promise about any particular applicant.
For operations that need a third-class medical, the general duration depends on your age at the time of the examination. Table 3 shows it: if you are under 40 the certificate lasts through the end of the 60th month after the examination month, and if you are 40 or older it lasts through the end of the 24th month.
Remember that other limitations can apply. A special-issuance certificate, a time-limited condition or a restriction on the certificate changes the picture. Read the certificate you are issued, and ask the AME to explain anything you do not understand.
Keep the date of your examination in your records, so that you know when you will need to renew.
BasicMed is an alternative medical qualification arrangement for eligible pilots operating within its conditions. It is not an unrestricted replacement for every FAA medical certificate.
Among its prerequisites, a pilot must have held an eligible FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006, with additional conditions about subsequent medical decisions and other eligibility requirements. A person who has never held an FAA medical should therefore not assume BasicMed lets them skip the initial medical.
The FAA expanded BasicMed in November 2024 to allow qualifying aircraft up to 12,500 pounds maximum takeoff weight and up to seven occupants, including no more than six passengers, with additional restrictions and exclusions. Do not quote the old 6,000-pound and six-occupant limits as the current rule.
For training covered by the Flight Training Security Program, providers must establish that the individual meets the relevant citizenship, nationality, Department of Defense endorsement or TSA eligibility requirements. Applicable non-US candidates must complete the security assessment process and obtain a valid Determination of Eligibility before the provider gives the covered training.
The revised program introduced security assessments that can remain valid for up to five years, subject to the program’s conditions. TSA eligibility should not be described as blanket permission for every kind of training, because the program applies to specified training events.
The practical advice is to ask your provider, in writing, whether your planned training is covered and what they need from you, before you pay for it.
Before you fly solo, an instructor must evaluate your relevant knowledge, provide the required flight training and endorse you for the applicable aircraft. Before a private pilot knowledge test, you need the required training or reviewed home study and an instructor endorsement certifying you are prepared. The practical test recommendation is another endorsement connected to your training and readiness.
A general “flight school letter” should not be described as replacing those required endorsements. Each endorsement has its own purpose and its own wording, and an examiner will look for the right one.
Keep copies of every endorsement in your logbook or your records, and note the dates. The solo endorsement is tied to the aircraft and to a period of currency, so check it before each solo session.
IACRA is the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application, the FAA’s web-based system for applying for airman certificates and ratings. It incorporates electronic validation and signatures and helps confirm that application requirements have been met. It does not issue your medical certificate.
No. MedXPress is the online application where you submit your medical history. You still need an examination by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner to complete the standard medical certificate process, so submitting MedXPress alone does not give you a certificate.
For conventional private airplane and helicopter training, a third-class medical is generally the relevant standard, unless an exception applies. Commercial privileges generally require at least a second-class medical, and specified airline operations need a first-class medical. Discuss your career plans with an AME.
Generally no. BasicMed has prerequisites, including having held an eligible FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006, plus conditions about later medical decisions. A person who has never held an FAA medical should not assume BasicMed lets them bypass the first one.
It depends on who you are and what training you take. For training covered by the Flight Training Security Program, applicable non-US candidates must complete a security threat assessment and obtain a valid Determination of Eligibility first. Ask your provider whether your training is covered.
https://www.aeroacademic.com/guides/us-student-pilot-medical-iacra-tsa