June 11, 2025
NBAA welcomes recent upgrades to the FAA’s MedXpress website to assist pilots in preparing for their next visit with an aviation medical examiner (AME).
In addition to clear instructions for using the system and a frequently asked questions tab, the upgraded MedXpress landing page also includes educational resources and information on FAA requirements for addressing a variety of common medical conditions.
Additionally, a comprehensive “Know Before You Go” document walks applicants through the necessary steps in preparing for their AME exam, including gathering any medical records that must be submitted to the agency and guidance on any post-exam procedures that may be necessary.
“This is the first of many steps we plan to implement to make the process clearer and faster,” said FAA Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup in a message announcing the changes, which came about through the agency’s engagement with industry stakeholders, including NBAA.
Disposition tables offer a roadmap for how the FAA and AME address many medical conditions. The new resources also provide guidance for AMEs in submitting required information and transmitting exam results within the required 14-day timeframe.
“These new resources are really about helping you to help yourself,” said Mark Larsen, CAM, NBAA director for safety and flight operations. “Unless you had been through the process before, applicants were often unaware of all that was involved in addressing specific conditions.
“Having this new information, all in one place, offers greater clarity and the comfort of knowing what to expect when applying for, or renewing, your medical certificate,” he added.
The upgraded MedXpress website follows the FAA’s retraction earlier this year of a controversial policy, under which pilots who submitted a medical certificate application without full exam results, or required information of a given condition, would have been initially denied medical approval, in lieu of deferral, until they provided that information.
As the FAA looks to further improvements to MedXpress, Larsen noted other resources – including a Medical Exam Checklist developed by NBAA and other industry stakeholders to reduce application processing time for diagnosed conditions requiring FAA review, as well as the FAA’s Pilot Minute online learning series – can offer further clarity into what can be an intimidating process.
“We thank the FAA and Dr. Northrup for making this valuable information accessible to our aviation community, and we look forward to continuing our work on this and other matters affecting pilot health and medical certification,” he said.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.