Definition
An FAA medical certificate issued under 14 CFR Part 67 that authorizes the holder to exercise the privileges of a commercial pilot, in addition to the privileges granted by a third-class certificate. It requires a more thorough medical examination than a third-class certificate, including specific vision, hearing, and cardiovascular standards, and is issued by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
Plain English
A medical clearance from the FAA that says you are healthy enough to fly for hire as a commercial pilot. It involves a more detailed medical exam than the certificate required for private flying.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning what medical certificate a pilot must hold before exercising commercial pilot privileges.
Derivation
Certificate comes from Latin words meaning “to make certain.” That helps here because the certificate is the FAA’s written confirmation that the pilot met a required medical standard. Second-class means it is the second level in the FAA’s three main medical certificate classes, not that it is poor quality.
Why Pilots Care
It determines whether a pilot may legally accept compensation for flying without meeting the stricter first-class standards required for airline transport pilot duties.
Intuition Check
Do not read “second-class” as “inferior” or “low quality.” Here it means a specific FAA medical category, used mainly for commercial-level flying.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting his commercial flight training, Marcus scheduled an appointment with an AME to obtain his second-class medical certificate.
Example Sentence 2
The second-class medical certificate remains valid for twelve months for pilots under age forty.