Medical, MOSAIC & Which Certificate to Start With | Becoming a Private Pilot Ep 3

Third-class medical, BasicMed, or a driver's license: which one you need depends entirely on which certificate you are going after and what MOSAIC changed in October 2025. Planning a flying career? Commercial flying takes a second-class medical, airline captains need a first-class, and flight instructors can teach on a third-class or BasicMed. This episode walks through each medical option, what the regulations actually say, what the MOSAIC final rule (effective October 22, 2025 for sport pilot privileges) did and did not change, and a practical decision tree for whether to start with a sport pilot or private pilot certificate. Every number is sourced directly from 14 CFR sixty-one twenty-three, 61.113(i), and the FAA MOSAIC final rule published July 24, 2025. If you missed Episode 2 on what flight training actually costs, that is linked below. Episode 4 covers your first lessons to solo - the four fundamentals, pattern work, the pre-solo written, and the day the instructor gets out. Sources: 14 CFR 61.23 - Medical Certificates: Requirement and Duration (eCFR): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14... FAA MOSAIC Final Rule, 90 FR 35213, July 24, 2025: https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/MOSAIC AOPA MOSAIC Explained FAQ (August 14, 2025): https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/a... FAA BasicMed Program Updates (FAA Reauthorization Act 2024): https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-upda... FAA U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics 2023: https://www.faa.gov/data_research/avi... 14 CFR 61.313 - Sport Pilot Aeronautical Experience (eCFR): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14... #entireflight #privatepilot #learntofly #sportpilot #MOSAIC Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 0:26 Three Options Explained 2:19 What MOSAIC Changed 3:45 What MOSAIC Did NOT Change 4:34 The BasicMed Fine Print 5:32 Who Should Start Where 6:40 The AME Appointment 8:00 What's Next EntireFlight: Built By Pilots, For Pilots. Shop our pilot gear (kneeboards, flight pads, flight bags): https://www.entireflight.com/collecti... Get our apps for pilots: https://www.entireflight.com/pages/apps Some visuals in this video are AI-generated.