FAA documentation
What to gather before your AME visit, and how to ask your clinician for it. This is the reference hub — your planner captures the readings and dates; the AME summary assembles the one-page packet you control.
Planning support only — not an FAA determination. Your AME and the FAA make all certification decisions.
Adverse events and long-term outcomesFAA hypertension documentation checklist
Common hypertension readiness items, each marked on track, needs documentation, or unknown — so you can see what to gather before your AME visit.
- Current detailed clinical progress note (≤ 90 days)Often needed — treated hypertension / CACI
- Medication list with doses and stabilityUnknown
Statuses are examples and reflect information you provide for planning. Your planner fills these in from your own entries.
The “current detailed clinical progress note”
For many hypertension cases the FAA expects an actual clinical progress note from your treating clinician, dated no more than 90 days before the exam. A patient-portal note or an After-Visit Summary (AVS) usually does not meet the bar, and an “OK to fly” letter is not an acceptable substitute.
A complete note generally includes:
- • History of the condition
- • Current medications, doses, and side effects
- • Clinical exam findings (incl. BP)
- • Relevant testing / lab results
- • Diagnosis, assessment, and plan
- • Prognosis and follow-up
Checking your account…
Doctor-request letter template
Send this to your treating clinician to request an FAA-useful note (not an “OK to fly” letter). Replace the bracketed fields, then copy it into your clinician’s message portal or print it.
Dear Dr. [Clinician name], I am preparing for an FAA aviation medical exam and need a current, detailed clinical progress note for my blood pressure, dated within the last 90 days. A patient-portal note or After-Visit Summary is not sufficient for the FAA, and I am not asking for an "OK to fly" letter. Please include: • history of the condition • current medications, doses, and any side effects • exam findings, including blood pressure • relevant test/lab results • diagnosis, assessment, and plan • prognosis and follow-up My exam is scheduled for [AME exam date]. Thank you. [Pilot name] — DOB [date of birth]
This letter is for you to send to your clinician — it is not part of the summary you bring to your AME.
Exam-day checklist
Bring with you
- • Government-issued photo ID
- • Your MedXPress confirmation number
- • Current medication list
- • The detailed clinical progress note (≤ 90 days)
- • Glasses / contacts / hearing aids, if used
MedXPress timing
You submit Items 1–20 in FAA MedXPress yourself — this app does not submit anything. After submitting, save or print your application and keep the confirmation number. A MedXPress application stays active for 60 days, so submit close enough to your exam date that it won’t expire first.
Before you fly
Under 14 CFR § 61.53, you must not act as a required flight crewmember when you know — or have reason to know — of a medical condition, or are taking medication, that would make you unable to meet your medical-certificate standards. If a new symptom, condition, or medication side effect comes up, self-ground and contact your AME.
FAA resources
Reflects FAA guidance reviewed for this app in June 2026. The FAA updates the AME Guide regularly (typically the last Wednesday of each month) — confirm the current revision at faa.gov/ame_guide.