FAA & Korean Aviation Medical Examination

At Magok Sky Internal Medicine Clinic in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Our director is an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner and performs Class 1, 2 and 3 examinations.

Bring your passport or national ID and your glasses or contact lenses. For an FAA exam, complete FAA MedXPress (medxpress.faa.gov) beforehand and bring your confirmation number; esky.go.kr is for the Korean exam only.

Before your visit, create an account at esky.go.kr, complete the online medical examination application, and bring the application number issued there. Also bring your passport or national ID and your glasses or contact lenses. The Korean Class 1 examination requires corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or better (20/20) in each eye, so glasses or contact lenses are fine.

Yes. One examination covers both certification processes, so it still takes about one hour. The online pre-registration site and the required documents differ between the two, so please tell us when you book that you want both exams in one visit — otherwise we may not be able to complete the Korean exam on the day.

About one hour. Your results and your medical certificate are issued on the same day.

A urine test is part of the examination.

Your results and your medical certificate are issued on the same day as your visit.

If a finding requires follow-up, additional testing is performed on the same day. Our director spent 15 years as an aviation medical examiner at Korean Air and provides a detailed consultation on your results.

The vision requirements differ by class of medical certificate. For Class 1, distant visual acuity must be 1.0 or better in each eye, and you may meet this standard with glasses or contact lenses. There is no separate requirement for uncorrected vision.

An aviation medical examination is possible after LASIK, LASEK or other refractive surgery. Your vision must be sufficiently stable and free of problems such as halos, glare, reduced contrast sensitivity or impaired night vision. An ophthalmology report stating your pre-operative refraction, the procedure performed and any post-operative complications may be required, and contrast sensitivity and glare testing are added in some cases.

Heterophoria or strabismus does not automatically make you unfit. Manifest strabismus, the presence of diplopia, the angle of deviation, and binocular and stereoscopic vision are assessed together, and a detailed ophthalmology examination may be required if the limits are exceeded.

Colour vision is screened using Ishihara plates and similar tests. If the screening test is abnormal, a detailed colour vision test is used to determine the type and degree of the deficiency before the final assessment is made.

A deviated nasal septum generally does not prevent issuance if it causes no symptoms such as nasal obstruction or impaired sinus ventilation and requires no treatment.

An aviation medical examination is possible with hepatitis B or C if liver function is stable and there are no complications. If liver function is abnormal or you are taking antiviral medication, blood tests, abdominal ultrasound and a specialist's opinion may also be required.

Gallstones that cause no symptoms may allow issuance depending on your condition. If you have recurrent abdominal pain or cholecystitis, or a high risk of complications, re-assessment after treatment or cholecystectomy may be required.

Kidney stones can cause sudden pain during flight, so the location of the stone and the likelihood of it moving are assessed carefully. If the stone is unlikely to move and causes no symptoms, a certificate may be issued on condition of regular follow-up.

Having received psychiatric treatment or taken medication does not automatically make you unfit. The diagnosis, duration of treatment, current symptoms, any recurrence and current medication are assessed together, and medical records or a specialist's report may need to be submitted.