Definition
A second-class medical certificate is an FAA airman medical certificate required for pilots exercising commercial pilot privileges (other than airline transport pilot duties). It is issued by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner after a physical examination meeting the standards of 14 CFR Part 67, Subpart C, and authorizes commercial flying such as paid charter, banner towing, agricultural operations, and flight instruction for hire (when commercial privileges are exercised).
Plain English
It is the medical clearance a pilot needs from an FAA-approved doctor in order to fly for pay as a commercial pilot. It sits in the middle of three medical levels: stricter than the one private pilots use, but less strict than the one airline pilots need.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning which medical certificate a student, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot may need before acting as pilot in command.
Derivation
The word "class" here means a category or grade, from the Latin classis, meaning a division or group. The FAA uses "first," "second," and "third" class to rank medical certificates by how strict the health standards are, with first class being the most demanding.
Why Pilots Care
It determines whether a pilot may legally accept compensation for flying without holding a first-class medical.
Intuition Check
Do not read second class as “second-rate” or lower quality. In this context, it is simply the name of a specific FAA medical certificate category.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting his first paid charter flight, the commercial pilot confirmed his second-class medical certificate was still within its validity period.
Example Sentence 2
The second class medical remains valid for twelve months when used for commercial operations by pilots under age forty.