BasicMed is an alternative way for pilots not holding an FAA Medical Certificate to fly aircraft, provided that the pilots and aircraft meet certain requirements. It came into existence through legislation as part of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of July 2016. The FAA then implemented it through regulation in May 2017. According to AOPA, “nearly 80,000 pilots have qualified to fly safely under BasicMed since its inception in 2017.”
Since then, there have been a few changes to BasicMed. Let’s review the changes since BasicMed’s inception, most of which came from the 1000-plus-page short title, “FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024,” that was signed into law on May 16, 2024, where Section 828 of that Act included changes to BasicMed.
