Returning to Passenger Operations After a Layoff
You are a PPL(A) holder with a Class 2 medical certificate that expired three weeks ago. You have not flown for seven months and your last biennial flight review was 31 months ago. You now want to take your partner and two friends for a local scenic flight in a Cessna 172. The aircraft is available, has a current maintenance release, and the weather is CAVOK. You feel well, have been taking a new blood-pressure medication for two months, and have not told CAA about the medication or the diagnosis. You have kept your logbook, but your last three take-offs and landings were seven months ago. You believe that because you are still 'current' in your own mind, you can take passengers as long as you do a few circuits first; a friend who is not an instructor has offered to sit in the right seat.
1. Can you act as PIC for the passenger flight? Identify every barrier.
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No. Three separate barriers apply. First, the Class 2 medical certificate has expired, so you cannot exercise PPL privileges. Second, the flight review is more than 24 months old, so you are not authorised to act as PIC. Third, you have not made three take-offs and landings in the preceding 90 days, so you cannot carry passengers. The new blood-pressure medication and diagnosis may also affect your medical fitness and must be declared to CAA or the medical examiner; some medications require a period of stability and specialist review.
The friend in the right seat is not an instructor and cannot conduct a flight review. Doing circuits with a non-instructor does not cure the medical or review deficiencies. The correct decision is not to operate the passenger flight until all three barriers are removed. Flying with passengers while medically uncurrent or without a review would breach Part 61 and Part 67 and would also raise insurance and safety concerns.
2. What must you do before you can lawfully carry passengers?
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Book an appointment with a CAA-approved medical examiner and renew the Class 2 medical, disclosing the diagnosis and medication. Complete a flight review with an appropriately authorised instructor, who will assess your flying and sign the logbook. Then make at least three take-offs and landings within the preceding 90 days before carrying passengers. Confirm the aircraft maintenance release and weight and balance, and self-assess fitness on the day.
You should also check any medical limitations, such as a requirement to wear glasses, and ensure your passenger briefing and insurance are in order. The sequence matters: the medical and flight review restore your authority to act as PIC, but recency is a separate passenger-carrying requirement. Only when all three are satisfied should you plan the scenic flight. If the medical examiner imposes a waiting period or restriction, that must be respected.
3. During a later flight you develop chest pain but continue and land. What are your obligations?
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Chest pain is a potential emergency. Prioritise control of the aircraft, declare urgency ('PAN PAN') if needed, and land at the nearest suitable aerodrome. Do not continue the scenic flight. After landing, seek medical assessment. Do not fly again until cleared by an AME and, if required, CAA. The medical certificate holder has a duty to notify CAA of any change in medical condition that affects fitness. Also complete an occurrence report if the event was safety-related.
The key judgement is that the pilot's fitness is a continuing obligation, not a one-off certificate. Continuing to fly with chest pain could incapacitate you and endanger passengers. The correct decision is to land, get help, and accept that the flight is over.