class 2 medical fees !!

[jxc]

Just booked my class 2 medical initial and was knocked off my chair at the cost £170 i live on the Suffolk Essex borders does anyone know of a cheaper doc ?


Cheers

[Frelon]

Money for old rope - if you are an approved Medical Examiner. But you have to be a member of that elite club to charge those exorbitant fees.

Surely one's own GP would be a better person to do this medical? Especially as they have access to all of your medical records and nearly all of them now have access to quality ECG machines.

My GP (in France) is an approved Aviation Medical Examiner and only charges 30€ for a Class 2 Medical Exam (unfortunately no longer acceptable by CAA, for whatever reason).

[mike172]

It's a rip-off I agree. Mine was £150 but the doc was nice enough to cut about 30 quid of that when he found out I was at college and paying for lessons myself!

[niknak]

AMEs professional fees rarely exceed £30 (before tax and NI) per examination - the rest goes to the CAA - you can insist upon a detailed breakdown on your invoice.

Take into account that the AME is obliged to attend various mandatory conferences and undertake a revalidation of their "licences" to undertake the examination every year and it adds up to a tidy sum which they have to fork out before they make anything.

By all means ask around, but I think you'll find little difference in what each AME charges for ther own time.

[skydriller]

Frelon,
My GP (in France) is an approved Aviation Medical Examiner and only charges 30€ for a Class 2 Medical Exam (unfortunately no longer acceptable by CAA, for whatever reason).

Yes, this is what your GP in France charges you directly for the DGAC Class 2 Medical..... however, I recall that the Bloodwork/ECG and his time/consultation are charged to your Carte-Vital and Assurance Privee? At least this is what happened with myself before last year when the French Class 2 was still acceptable for JAA-PPLs.

Regards SD..

[znww5]

£150 for my initial Class 2, then £120 for subsequent renewals inc ECG.

You could go NPPL - far cheaper if you don't mind foregoing the extra ratings and (currently at least) not being able to fly abroad.

I believe an NPPL medical is around £30-50 from your own doctor and valid for 5 years - but I may be out of date so check the NPPL web site.

[PompeyPaul]

I, personally, don't want to look at old men's wee wee even if there's £150 in it for me.

[Monkeeeey]

90 quid for a Class2 from a Dr in Hove Sussex

[dublinpilot]

€100 in Dublin.

[jrh165]

Hi Dublin Pilot

Where in Dublin. Last one cost me €165 about 18 months ago. Ready to renew now and afraid to ask - so very interestred.

regards

Jrh

[C-dog]

I was going to be about £200 lastyear for my by now annual Class 2 medical so finally bit the bullet and went NPPL. Has no practical effect on my flying. If I want to go abroad I will have to get a class 2 again, but seems increasingly unlikely.

Turned out my GP is doing his PPL and it was the first NPPL medical declaration he's been asked to sign. After the general flying chat during the appointment it appears he forgot to charge me, though I've no doubt the practice administator will catch up in due course!

[BHenderson]

Class two: £50 Newcastle

[Maoraigh1]

£140 for medical + £90 to consultant to check ECG + £10 to CAA. December 2007.

[Mariner9]

It's a rip-off I agree

:rolleyes: Medicals take ~30 minutes. Does anyone on here really consider that ~£300-400 per hour is an unreasonable rate for a professional to charge for his services? How much do you pay to get your car serviced or repaired? :=

PS My AME charges £70 :E:ok:

[gyrotyro]

Just paid £85 inc an ECG in Cheltenham.

I only pay £20 for a French class 2 but unfortunately the CAA won't accept it.

[IRISHPILOT]

renewal here is 1750CZK (approx. GBP45), so you would spend the same, but with a long weekend in Prague included...

cheers, IP


http://www.ulz.cz/en/cenik.html

[dublinpilot]

jrh,

It was Dr Garret Hayes in Lucan, last summer. (No ECG needed...that would have been extra).

dp

[DFC]

Class 1 renewals cost me GBP 100 (South UK). Most expensive was GBP125 when bloods, ECG and Audiogram happened at the same time.

For those paying 175 for a class 2 - get a class 1 it's cheaper!!!!

Regards,

DFC

[Frelon]

Just had my JAA Class II medical renewed in France, cost €40 and that includes ECG! In response to skydriller's earlier comment, the state pays nothing and all JAA Class II medicals are charged at that rate irrespective of whether they are a patient or not.

Oh by the way, my AME tells me that the French JAA Classe II medical is now valid for two years!! CAA seems to think they have jumped the gun, but the AME says it is the new rules:rolleyes:

[pulse1]

In my experience it helps to chose an AME who only does Class 2 medicals. I had one who charged me £85 inc and ECG.

I now pay £12 for a NPPL declaration. Much more comfortable as, so far, there has been no medical, just a declaration that he is not aware of any reason etc.

[Vems]

Huh! I paid 190 pound for my class 2!

[S-Works]

I pay £90 for my Class 1. Paid $35 for an FAA Class 1 renewal last week.

I am trying to get the JAA and FAA dates in sync so that I can renew them at the same time with a certain forumite in the Midlands who can now do FAA/JAA.

[Lurking123]

Pah, £170! Try £950 for a CPL skills test and licence issue!! You then have to add aircraft hire on top of that.

That said, £170 sound a little excessive for e renewal. I'm with Bose and will be giving Flying Dutch a call.

[gyrotyro]

I can echo Frelon in that I have just had my medical here in France. It cost 30 euros (non recoverable) and is valid for two years even though I am 60.

It is now valid in the UK since May 2008. I have to provide an ECG trace which I have booked for next week and cost 50 euros which may be recoverable as the doctor has given me a letter.

[MCR01]

Frelon,
Tell us more of this French JAA Class 2 medical for a mere 40 Euros!
When I last asked the CAA I was told the following: -
That the French had not "signed up" to the JAA Class 2 medical and that for UK citizen to to fly a G-reg A/C in France one needed a JAA Class 2.
That a Brit can fly a F-reg on a DGAC Class 2 medical (in France).
That one needs a JAA Class 2 to to renew a JAA licence.
Finally French DGAC Class 2 medicals are indeed cheap but are not accepted by the CAA.
Has it all changed?
Any CAA person care to enlighten us all?
My last JAA Class 2 was £160 (Cambridge, UK).

[Frelon]

MCR01

Things change (sometimes for the better)!

Don't just take my word for it, see Sue Vire's blog at francoflyers: About Francoflyers (http://www.francoflyers.org)

She says: From May 19th 2008, however, the French have fully-implemented the JAR-FCL medical requirements for Private Pilots and the relevant certificates should be acceptable to support any JAA licence.

Specific changes include the requirement for an electrocardiogram (ECG), as needed and at each medical examination after the age of 50.

I have checked with the UK Civil Aviation Authority who have confirmed that French Class 2 medical certificates, issued from May 19th 2008, are now acceptable for the issue and revalidation of UK-issued JAA licences.

These must be clearly stamped as JAA certificates issued in accordance with JAR-FCL medical requirements.

The French JAA issued medical is valid for five years for pilots under the age of forty and two years for the rest of us!!

[MCR01]

Frelon,
Well I am amazed - something in aviation just got cheaper and simpler?
I remain unsure how "Gyrotyro" can have a French medical valid for 2 years when he (?) is over 60 years old; the source mentioned (francoflyers: About Francoflyers (http://www.francoflyers.org/) ) says medicals must be issued in accordance with JAA rules. In the UK my JAA medical is valid for 1 year, as I too am over 60. Can a French JAA medical really be valid for 2 years for over 60's? Surely there can't be two sets of JAA rules?
Thanks for the info; I am going to call the CAA to hear it from the horses' mouth and thanks for the link to Francoflyers.

[VOD80]

Just back from Dr Mouchard at Blagnac. Apparently, the problem before was that the French Minister for Transport (or something like that) hadn't fully ratified all of the paperwork. Now it's been done and it's a real "JAA" medical.

Cost 100€ all in. Blagnac specialises more in commercial pilots so there are specialists for each subject. Pretty slick operation! I had a very extensive eye examination - taught me a thing or two!

[Will Hung]

Had mine this week. £ 150 + VAT

In the time I was there, one person left as I entered, two more turned up a bit early, and a third arrived as I was paying. Medical itself took about 12 minutes.

5 X £ 150 = £ 750 per hour !!!!!

Man, I realy want my kidz to get into some kind of legalised theft !!! Medicine and law must be the way forward !!

[Helihound]

Having recently failed mine after 30 years flying, at this moment I would happily pay £thousands for a guaranteed pass.

[MCR01]

Helihound
Assuming you can drag yourself away from helicopters I think you can fly a French Microlight without a medical. Some of these two seat "microlights" do 130+knots cruise at 15L/hour Mogas. Insurance is cheap and you can do all your own maintenance too. Unless you need to fly >2 people IFR here is an answer.
Ever considered emigrating? There is no road tax on cars either so you can have a nice high performance car without paying HM Government a ransom. Weather and food better too.

[xj8driver]

The rate for a Class II renewal carried out by the CAA is £158, which is exactly what my AME charges - and it doesn't look like it's going up on 1st April either (when the new scale of charges comes into effect):D

www.caa.co.uk/ORS5No241 (http://www.caa.co.uk/ORS5No241)

[Lister Noble]

Just back from doc,passed for another year.:ok:,cost £188.60 inc ECG and blood haemoglobin.
If you fail,do you still have to pay?
Lister

[Echo Romeo]

Im PPL until march 30th then will become NPPL,reason £160 now annually, its a rip off,medical declaration from GP zilch!

[Mike Cross]

£140 Inc ECG in Petersfield

[jxc]

Am I right in thinking that if you do a class 1 medical and don't renew it then it reverts back to a class 2 for 5years before needing another medical ( probably depending on age )


Cheers

[Jumbo Driver]

A Class 1 (if not renewed) reverts to a Class 2, with the validity appropriate to the age of the holder at the date of the original examination.

The JAA Class 1 medical certificate states the following:
"A Class 1 medical certificate is acceptable for Class 2 privileges and validities".It also includes boxes setting out the relevant expiry dates for both Class 1 and Class 2.


JD
:)

[nickyjsmith]

A class 2 renewal in Cheltenham with Dr Ramsey is around £80-90. My class one ( don't need it for flying at the moment but i get the car mot'd so why not me ?) is around £120, last one included ecg and audiogram.
Extensive eye test was done by my local optician and repoted on for £10.

May i add that Dr Ramsey is a ppl holder in a local syndicate, so i guess he has some sympathy with ppl's.

Al the best.

[muffin]

If you fail,do you still have to pay?


Unfortunately yes.

[Lister Noble]

Today I spent an hour in the air with the L4 Cub,first time I've flown since early December and whatever the cost of the medical,right now it seems all very good value and worthwhile.
Lister:):):)

[QDMQDMQDM]

It costs about £5K to do the courses to become an AME. Add another £8K to cover locum fees while you're away from the practice. You train ten years at least to become a GP. You take on a lot of responsibility signing people off for flying.

Behind the medical itself is a building, which has to be paid for, heated and lit, a receptionist taking appointments, a computer system and a large amount of medical equipment, including an ECG machine.

You may do, say, 20 medicals in your first year.

The prices being quoted are not exorbitant in any way.

Quit yer whinging.

[Jumbo Driver]

... Hmmmm ...

Not so much whingeing as market forces in operation, I'd say ... :hmm:


JD
;)

[BabyBear]

Whinging?

Most businesses have the same overheads, many with more, and seem to manage on less than a rate around £300 per hour.

[DavidHoul52]

The French JAA issued medical is valid for five years for pilots under the age of forty and two years for the rest of us!!

Being one of the "rest of us" I'll definitely be heading across the channel for my next medical!

My recent medical cost £140 including ECG which wasn't unreasonable. The good doctor said I was borderline for driving after the eye test - I suspect the light was below standard (is there a standard?) as I very recently had a test with an optician and I had almost 20/20 vision!

[nannodnai]

My AME charges £148 for full class 2 renewal (or revalidation) including ECG.
Problem is that he has a large turnover, with a large class 1 practice as well, so he is VAT registered, and VAT has to be added to ALL pilot medicals, not just the class 1's.
Still a very thorough medical, though. I'm happy to pay a little extra.

[proplover]

Class 2 renewal £100 in the North West area incl. ECG.

On a point, Wil Hung - 12 mins for a medical? that does sound very brief for a full examination!