Definition
A physician designated and trained by the FAA to conduct medical examinations of pilots and other airmen, and to issue, deny, or defer the medical certificates required to exercise the privileges of an airman certificate.
Plain English
A doctor approved by the FAA to give pilots their required medical exam and decide whether they are fit to fly.
Context Anchor
A student pilot meets an Aviation Medical Examiner when applying for the medical certificate needed for certain pilot privileges.
Derivation
“Examiner” comes from a Latin word meaning to weigh, test, or consider carefully. That helps here because this doctor is not just giving routine care; the doctor is officially evaluating whether the pilot meets FAA medical standards.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must obtain a valid medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner to exercise most pilot privileges.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this means any doctor who examines a pilot. In aviation, an Aviation Medical Examiner is a doctor specifically designated by the FAA for pilot medical certification.
Example Sentence 1
Before her first solo, the student pilot scheduled an appointment with a local Aviation Medical Examiner to obtain her third-class medical certificate.
Example Sentence 2
Before her airline interview, the commercial pilot scheduled a first-class medical with an Aviation Medical Examiner.