Renewal, initial issue, or not sure where to start?
Your CASA medical, without the runaround.
Class 1, 2, 3 and Basic Class 2 assessments in Adelaide, with ECG, audiometry and spirometry done here rather than sending you across town for each one.
I am a private pilot. I hold one of these certificates and renew it the same way you do.
Read this before you book
This one is your maintenance release. Overdue and you are not flying — and not filled in, you are not getting your medical.
Two things you must do yourself, before you arrive.
This happens at every medical, not just your first one.
Bring your CASA Medical Records System (MRS) record up to date.
Your half of the application happens there, online, before your appointment — not in the room with me. Your half has to be in the system before mine can be completed.
All of this needs updating before you arrive:
- Class applied for
- Flight hours
- Endorsements
- Medications
- Your doctor
- Your dentist
- Tests
- Clinical visits
- Procedures
Pay CASA for your application.
This is the part CASA is particularly worried about. It is CASA’s own fee, around $75, and it has nothing to do with what you pay this practice. It has to be lodged AND processed before you walk in.
First medical, and no ARN yet? You need an Aviation Reference Number before you can do either of those. Apply for one on the CASA website first — it needs 100 points of ID and it is not instant, so do it well before you want an appointment.
If either one is outstanding I can sometimes rescue it afterwards. But at that point your five minutes of admin has become several hours of mine, your certificate is delayed anyway, and we are doing your paperwork in time that was set aside for your medical.
An appointment that runs beyond the hour can be reassessed as a complex medical, which is charged per minute. This is the rare piece of admin that can genuinely cost you money, and it is the single most avoidable hold-up in the whole process. Please just check both before you come in.
And this one is your walk-around — the tie-downs and the chocks. Miss one and you are not going anywhere.
Must know before you book
Four questions to settle on the phone
Each of these adds time to your appointment. Reception needs to know before your booking is made, not on the day — a booking made for the wrong length is the difference between finishing your medical and coming back a second time.
- Do you need blood tests?
- Do you need an ECG?
- Do you need a hearing test?
- Do you need spirometry?
If you do not know the answers, say so when you ring — that is a normal question and reception will work it out with you. What does not work is finding out on the day.
Release signed off, walk-around done. Only now is your job over — and the rest of it is mine.
If you need blood tests
Ask reception to post a form out to you. Bloods are done at a pathology collection centre rather than here, so the form needs to reach you with enough time to get it done before your appointment.
The standard request is glucose and cholesterol. CASA sometimes asks for more than that.
Applying for the first time
The standard tests will be fine.
Reapplying
Read any CASA letters carefully. If they have asked for additional tests, those will be named there, and the standard panel on its own will not be enough.
Also handy when you ring
None of this is essential. It just makes the call quicker, and if you do not have any of it we will work it out on the phone.
- Your ARN, if you have one
- The class of medical you think you need
- When your current certificate expires
- Anything that has changed medically since last time
Reception will talk you through what your assessment involves, what it costs, and how long to allow. If you are not sure which class applies to you, that is a normal question and a good reason to call.
Which class of CASA aviation medical do you need?
Called a few different things — a CASA medical, an aviation medical, a pilot medical, or just “my class 1”. Same assessment, and a DAME is the person who does it.
Commercial operations
Class 1
For commercial pilot licences and air transport operations. The most thorough of the assessments, and the one with the most add-on testing.
Private operations
Class 2
For private pilot licences. Renewal intervals depend on your age and what turned up last time.
Air traffic control
Class 3
For air traffic controllers and flight service operators.
Recreational operations
Basic Class 2
A lighter pathway for certain private and recreational operations. Worth asking about if a full Class 2 is more than your flying requires.
Done here
Base medical assessment
All classes.
Complex medical assessment
Where there are several significant issues to work through, or where an appointment runs beyond the hour for any other reason. Charged per minute past that point.
ECG
Heart tracing, done here rather than sent elsewhere.
Audiometry
Hearing assessment on site.
Spirometry
Lung function testing — available again on site. New mouthpieces have finally arrived after a long supply hold-up, so if you were turned away for this previously, it is back.
Private consultation
Thirty minutes, for anything that needs proper time.
Done elsewhere
Eye examination
With a Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist. A separate appointment — book it early, they fill up.
Blood tests
Cholesterol and blood sugar, through a pathology collection centre.
Audiogram or ECG done recently
If you have had either within the last two months, bring the results and we will not repeat them. Otherwise we can do both here.
What to bring
- Photo identification
- Your Aviation Reference Number (ARN)
- A list of your current medications
- Any specialist reports, letters or hospital discharge summaries
- Your glasses or contact lenses — and your spare pair if you have one
- Recent audiogram or ECG results, if you have them
Worried about something before you commit?
If you have a condition, a new diagnosis or a medication and you are not sure how it sits with your certificate, you can come in and talk about it before you lodge anything.
That conversation is worth having early. A surprising amount is manageable when it is dealt with in advance rather than discovered halfway through an assessment.
Have a chat first — (08) 7135 8030Common questions
- What is a DAME?
- A Designated Aviation Medical Examiner — a doctor CASA has authorised to carry out aviation medical assessments. Not every GP can do them; it requires specific CASA authorisation. If you have been told to see a DAME, that is what you are looking for.
- Which class of medical do I need?
- It follows what you intend to do rather than what you currently hold. Class 1 covers commercial operations, Class 2 covers private flying, Class 3 covers air traffic control, and Basic Class 2 is a lighter pathway for certain private and recreational operations. If a full Class 2 is more than your flying actually requires, Basic Class 2 is worth asking about.
- Where do I get a Class 1 medical certificate in Adelaide?
- From a DAME. We carry out Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Basic Class 2 assessments at both Adelaide clinics, with ECG, audiometry and spirometry done on site rather than sending you across town for each one.
- Do I need a separate eye examination?
- Usually yes, and it catches people out. The eye examination is done by a Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist — a different specialist, a separate appointment, and they book out. Sort that early rather than discovering you need it the week your certificate expires.
- What do I need to do before my appointment?
- Complete your part of the application in CASA's Medical Records System, and pay CASA's application fee — both before you arrive, or the assessment cannot proceed. If this is your first aviation medical you will also need an Aviation Reference Number from CASA first, which requires 100 points of identification and is not instant.
- What happens if something turns up?
- It is rarely the end of it. Some findings need more information, a specialist opinion, or a review once something is treated or stable. You will be told plainly what the issue is and what the realistic options are. If you are worried about a condition or a medication, come and talk about it before you lodge anything — that conversation is much easier had early.
Where to come
Mile End
69 Henley Beach Road, Mile End SA 5031Book at Mile End →Salisbury Downs
Shop 105B, Hollywood Plaza, Winzor Road, Salisbury Downs SA 5108Book at Salisbury Downs →Before you come in: MRS details filled in, CASA application fee paid and processed. Without both, the assessment cannot proceed.
Missed appointments
Cancelling ahead of time is completely fine — life happens, and a slot given back can be offered to someone else. Just let us know.
Not turning up is the problem. Clinic days are limited and a no-show is a slot another pilot needed and could not have.
Two no-shows means permanent disqualification from the practice.