What are Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs)?
Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) are physicians that conduct flight physical examinations and issue medical certificates. Pilots, flight engineers, flight navigators, and air traffic controllers must participate in and pass these examinations.
What do Aviation Medical Examiners do?
Aviation Medical Examiners are trained, designated, and certified by the FAA. They are trained on examining and evaluating medical conditions that can cause “sudden incapacitation in flight and/or cause an interruption in the smooth flow of or threat to the safety of our nation’s airspace.”
What are the different types of Aviation Medical Examiners?
There are four different types of Aviation Medical Examiners - junior AMEs, senior AMEs, HIMS examiners, and employee examiners. Each specialize in conducting different types of medical exams.
Junior AMEs
All examiners start out as Junior AMEs after completing their initial training by the FAA. Junior AMEs are certified to conduct 2nd and 3rd class medical exams only. They must conduct exams for a minimum of three years before they can petition to become a Senior AME.
You can find the closest AME in your area with our locator tool.
Senior AMEs
Senior AMEs are certified to conduct 1st class medical exams (in addition to 2nd and 3rd class exams). After a minimum of three years as a senior aviation medical examiner, the AME can request training to be designated for the HIMS program.
You can easily find a AME that conducts 1st class medical exams with our locator tool.
HIMS examiners
HIMS AMEs are trained in evaluating airmen for substance-related or alcohol-related conditions or other mental conditions. They can provide sponsorship and monitoring for such conditions when required by the FAA for medical certification purposes.
Airmen who have ever been arrested for an alcohol related event such as a DUI, have sustained an injury where alcohol use was involved; or have self-admitted substance problems will most likely be asked by the FAA to work with a HIMS AME.
HIMS stands for Human Intervention Motivation Study and was formed in a partnership with ALPA (the Airline Pilots Association) and the FAA in the 1970s.
You can easily find a HIMS AME in your area with our locator tool.
Employee Examiners (AME-EE)
Employee examiners are certified to conduct exams for employees of the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) and Aviation Safety (Flight Standards and Aircraft Certification) who require Federal Aviation Administration Aerospace Medical Certification.
You can easily find a employee examiner in your area with our locator tool.