Treat Basic Class 1 as a naming error, not a CASA credential. CASA's published pathways are Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Basic Class 2, the Class 5 medical self-declaration, and the RAMPC. If your goal is a commercial pilot, air transport pilot, multicrew pilot (aeroplane) or flight engineer licence, you need a full Class 1 assessment with a Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME). Confirm your target licence first, then assemble a complete document pack of conditions, medications and specialist letters so the DAME and CASA's delegates can assess your full health picture, including any conditions they could manage on the certificate.
Why Basic Class 1 is not a CASA pathway
CASA's published medical pathways are Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Basic Class 2, the Class 5 self-declaration and the RAMPC. No Basic Class 1 appears in official material, so treat that label as a naming error rather than a separate credential.
CASA issues a Class 1 certificate for commercial-level licences and a Class 2 for private and recreational Part 61 licences, with Class 3 covering air traffic control. Lighter alternatives carry operational restrictions, and the word Basic attaches only to Class 2. Because the Basic Class 2 assessment runs against the commercial motor vehicle driver standard rather than the aviation medical standard, a GP-level pathway built for it cannot simply be renamed into a Class 1 examination.
The practical implication is straightforward: when a training provider or course listing says Basic Class 1, ask which examination is actually meant. If you are heading toward commercial or air transport privileges, the assessment you need is a full Class 1 with a DAME. If you fly privately, Basic Class 2 or Class 5 may suffice. Confirming your licence target before booking prevents paying for a medical that does not cover what you intend to fly.
| Pathway | Licences it supports | Who examines | Flexibility for conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | ATPL, CPL (non-balloon), multicrew pilot (aeroplane), flight engineer licences | DAME | Full aviation assessment; CASA delegates manage risk and can attach certificate conditions |
| Class 2 | RPL, PPL, commercial balloon; some CPL operations | DAME | DAMEs can consider individual circumstances |
| Basic Class 2 | Part 61 RPL and PPL only, with operational restrictions | Any medical practitioner doing commercial driver medicals | No management of medical conditions; must meet the unconditional commercial driver standard |
| Class 5 self-declaration | RPL, PPL entry, RAAus pilots in controlled airspace | None; self-assessment plus an online module | Excluded-conditions list; you self-certify against eligibility rules |
| RAMPC | Part 61 recreational pilot licence | Any medical practitioner doing private driver medicals | No management of conditions; unconditional private driver standard plus extra disqualifiers |
Official sources: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 1 certificate privileges, validity and application context; Basic Class 2, Class 5 medical self-declaration and RAMPC | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Basic Class 2 restrictions and requirements
Which licences a Class 1 certificate covers
You need a Class 1 certificate to exercise the privileges of air transport pilot, commercial pilot (other than balloons), multicrew pilot (aeroplane), and flight engineer licences, and it is generally valid for one year.
CASA generally grants a Class 2 certificate at the same time as the Class 1, and the Class 2 may remain valid for longer. That pairing matters for planning: if you step back from commercial flying, the underlying Class 2 may still support private operations. The certificate class follows the licence privileges you exercise rather than your aircraft type.
Your medical examiner and CASA's AvMed team assess your medical conditions, medications and health status, and CASA delegates then decide whether you gain the certificate for your licence type. A condition does not automatically end flying: in most cases a certificate is still possible even when a medical issue is present, with safety measures such as conditions on the certificate. That should change how you approach the assessment, because you are presenting a managed health picture for risk assessment rather than facing a pass-or-fail guess.
Official sources: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 1 certificate privileges, validity and application context
What the Class 1 examination involves
A Designated Aviation Medical Examiner — a doctor CASA has designated to perform medical examinations against the aviation medical standard — carries out the assessment. It combines an applicant questionnaire, a clinical examination and, where relevant, additional tests.
The Examiner Handbook sets out the process your appointment follows: identifying you and your Aviation Reference Number, completing the applicant questionnaire, performing the medical and clinical examination, obtaining further clinical information or referrals where needed, and mapping your reported findings before the results go to CASA. Knowing the structure helps you see why complete, honest questionnaire answers matter: they are mapped directly against what the examination finds.
The Handbook also lists the test areas examiners cover, including blood pressure, hearing tests, visual acuity, colour vision screening, urine analysis, ECGs, cardiovascular risk assessment, spirometry, sleep apnoea risk assessment and tests for alcohol and other drugs. Additional tests apply to Class 1 and 3 assessments, with separate requirements for ATPL holders aged over 60. The retrieved material confirms these areas exist but does not reproduce the numeric standards, so read the relevant Handbook chapter for the detail rather than relying on summaries.
Official sources: CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook, V6.1 (December 2025) — Chapters 2 and 4 (examiner duties, examination process) and chapter 6 (medical tests)
Safety-relevant and medically significant findings
The Examiner Handbook asks examiners to work with two distinct ideas: medically significant findings, which are clinically important, and safety-relevant findings, which matter for aviation safety. Your DAME determines and reports safety relevance, and CASA acts on that assessment.
Under the Handbook framework, a DAME determines and reports whether a new diagnosis or chronic disease is safety relevant. CASA's response is proportionate to that assessment and can include conditions on a certificate or, in some cases, suspension, cancellation or refusal. CASA states that its decisions are made case by case on the individual circumstances of the applicant, so the same diagnosis can lead to different certification outcomes depending on treatment, stability and follow-up.
When you review your own history before the appointment, it helps to separate two questions: how significant a condition is clinically, and whether it could affect flight safety. Forming your own view prepares you for the conversation, but only your DAME and CASA make the actual call, which is another reason complete documentation matters.
Worked example
You are a commercial pilot licence applicant with newly diagnosed high blood pressure, now controlled with daily medication. You worry the diagnosis will end your application and are considering describing it to your DAME as just stress. What should you do, and why?
Show answer
Declare the diagnosis and the medication explicitly, and bring a letter from your treating GP summarising the diagnosis, recent readings, the medication and your response to treatment.
The examination is built to compare what you report with what is measured: the Handbook process includes an applicant questionnaire, clinical measurements and problem mapping before the findings reach CASA. A treated blood pressure condition and its readings sit directly in that data, so a softened story creates a mismatch rather than a clean record. CASA delegates assess medical risk and commonly manage it with safety measures such as conditions on the certificate instead of refusal, and decisions are made case by case. An honest declaration lets that decision rest on your actual, documented health picture; an incomplete one leaves the assessors working with gaps, which can only push the outcome toward the conservative end.
Official sources: CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook, V6.1 (December 2025) — Chapters 2 and 4 (examiner duties, examination process) and chapter 6 (medical tests)
Choosing the right pathway before you book
Match the examination to your licence target before booking, not after training begins. A cheaper GP-level certificate that does not cover commercial privileges will cost you a second examination and possible training interruption.
The Basic Class 2 can be done by any medical practitioner who performs commercial motor vehicle driver medicals, and CASA notes it is cheaper and easier than a full Class 2, so it is tempting for a new student. But its restrictions are significant: private day operations under the visual flight rules below 10,000 feet, a maximum of five passengers, piston engine aircraft under 8618 kg maximum take-off weight, and no use of operational ratings such as an instructor rating or endorsements like aerobatics. Student pilots can fly solo on a Class 2 or Basic Class 2, but commercial pilot privileges require Class 1.
One nuance worth knowing: those Basic Class 2 restrictions do not apply when another pilot holding a valid Class 1 or Class 2 certificate sits in a control seat and is authorised to act as pilot in command. That can matter during dual training, but it does nothing for solo commercial operations. Getting the pathway right once avoids rebooking mid-course.
Worked example
A student is training toward a commercial pilot licence (aeroplane) and will soon fly solo. A local GP offers a cheaper Basic Class 2 examination. Assuming the student's health meets every standard, which examination should the student book, and what would each option actually cover?
Show answer
The student should book a Class 1 assessment with a DAME. The Basic Class 2 would cover solo student flying and private operations only, not the commercial privileges the licence is building toward.
CASA requires a Class 1 certificate for the privileges of a commercial pilot licence (other than balloons), while students may fly solo on a Class 2 or Basic Class 2. The Basic Class 2 restricts the holder to private day VFR operations below 10,000 feet, five passengers, piston aircraft under 8618 kg, and no operational ratings or flight activity endorsements. The tempting distractor is the control-seat exception, which lifts those restrictions only when a pilot with a valid Class 1 or 2 certificate is in a control seat and authorised as pilot in command. That helps during dual instruction but does nothing for the student's own solo or future commercial flying, so the Class 1 with a DAME is the correct booking.
Official sources: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 1 certificate privileges, validity and application context; Basic Class 2, Class 5 medical self-declaration and RAMPC | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Basic Class 2 restrictions and requirements
Fees, processing times and booking steps
The CASA processing fee for a Class 1 medical application is $75, paid in the Medical Records System (MRS) before you can submit. CASA's service standard for assessing an application is 20 business days from receipt of all fees and documentation.
The fee depends on the certificate class, not on whether it is an initial issue or renewal, and if you apply for multiple classes in one application you pay a single $75 processing fee. It is separate from your DAME's consultation costs, which you settle with the practice directly. Payment runs through MRS in myCASA by credit or debit card.
Processing timeframes vary with complexity. A complete application needing no further tests or specialist reports currently takes up to four weeks, complex cases referred to Complex Case Management can add three to four weeks, and applications needing additional results or reports average about 50 days from the initial form. That clock starts only when CASA receives the last required document, so ask your DAME whether any age-related tests apply before your appointment, and contact CASA promptly if your certificate expires within two weeks.
Official sources: Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fee table and processing timeframes
Your preparation checklist
Confirm the licence target, book the right examiner, prepare your documents, and pay before you submit. These are preparation steps, not official requirements beyond the ones CASA itself sets.
Start by confirming which licence you are training toward, because that determines the certificate class. Book a DAME for a Class 1 or full Class 2, and keep in mind that GP-level pathways such as Basic Class 2 or RAMPC cannot manage medical conditions, so a significant history points you toward the full assessment. Have your Aviation Reference Number ready, since it identifies you across CASA's systems.
Assemble a document pack before the appointment: every diagnosed condition with approximate dates, current medications with doses, GP or specialist letters for significant conditions, recent relevant readings, and your vision correction prescription. Complete the applicant questionnaire honestly and check it against the pack line by line. Pay the fee in MRS before submitting, book with enough lead time for any referrals, and afterwards record your certificate's expiry and any conditions so renewals are planned rather than rushed.
- Confirm your target licence and book the matching examination type with the right examiner.
- Bring your Aviation Reference Number and a complete pack of conditions, medications, letters and readings.
- Answer the applicant questionnaire truthfully and cross-check it against your documents.
- Pay the $75 processing fee in MRS before you submit the application.
- After certification, diarise the one-year expiry and note any conditions attached to your certificate.
Official sources: Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Class 1 certificate privileges, validity and application context; Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority — Processing fee table and processing timeframes
Official sources
Facts checked against CASA sources:
- Classes 1 to 3 medical certificates | Civil Aviation Safety Authority
- CASA Aviation Medicine Examiner Handbook, V6.1 (December 2025)
- Medical certificate fees, payments and processing | Civil Aviation Safety Authority
- Basic Class 2, Class 5 medical self-declaration and RAMPC | Civil Aviation Safety Authority