Aeromedical

Contact Us

Aeromedical Centre, Mater Private Day Hospital, Newenham House Northern Cross, Malahide Road, Dublin 17, D17 AY61 01 885 8615 aeromed@materprivate.ie

Useful Information

Further Information

About our service

Since 2000, we are an officially designated aero-medical centre for those wishing to obtain a license from the Irish Aviation Authority. This service is now available in Mater Private Northern Cross. 

Aeromedical assessments 

Whilst there is a regulatory standard to meet for safety reasons, most candidates meet the requirements. Where they don’t, your Aeromedical Examiner (AME) can advise and assist. 

The AME can provide a liaison service with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). 

Always bring your passport, your current certificate if you have one, and any vision correction you need. 

All applicants for aviation medicals should familiarize themselves with the regulations found on this website in particular with regard to any medical condition suffered from now or in the past.

Class One Medical Certificate 

  • A first-class (Class One) medical certificate is required for all pilots involved in commercial aviation. 
  • The holder of a medical certificate must be mentally and physically fit to exercise the privileges of the applicable license safely. 
  • A revalidation or renewal medical takes about 45 – 60 minutes to complete and are carried out on any of our clinic days in the Aeromedical Centre, by appointment. 
  • Class One holders who do not renew / revalidate before the permitted lapsed time is expired, must undergo a completely new initial Class One medical assessment.

 

Poppy seeds

These may cause a positive drug test at the aviation class one medical assessment. Eating these should be avoided for a while before the medical assessment.

 

Timing of consumption of poppy seeds

A drug test may detect poppy seeds in the urine within just 30 minutes of eating the seeds and for up to 48 hours after consumption.

If a person consumes large doses of poppy seeds, traces of opiates may remain in their system for up to 60 hours.

 

Foods with poppy seeds to avoid

Common foods that often contain poppy seeds include:

  • Bagels
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Muffins
  • Other baked goods
  • Granola
  • Babka
  • Salad dressing

 Individuals may wish to avoid these foods before taking a drug test.

Class Two Medical Certificate 

  • A second class (Class Two) medical certificate is required only for General Aviation pilots – those that fly as a private pilot / hobby. 
  • The holder of the medical certificate must be mentally and physically fit to exercise the privileges of the applicable license safely. 
  • An initial class two medical assessment or renewal takes about 45 – 60 minutes to complete and may be carried out on any of our clinic days in the Aeromedical Centre, by appointment.
  • A Class Two medical certificate is valid for five years up to the age of forty, valid for two years from forty up to the age of fifty, valid for one year from fifty onwards. 

Class One Initial Medical Assessment 

  • If you have never held a Class 1 or Class 3 (Air Traffic Control Officer) certificate, you need an initial examination. 
  • Initial Class 1 or Class 3 medical can take many hours to complete and are carried out on specific clinic days. 
  • All applicants for aviation medicals should familiarize themselves with the regulations, (www.iaa.ie/personnel-licensing/aero-medical-section) in particular regarding any medical condition suffered from now or in the past.
  • Completion of application form online at aeromedical centre
  • Ophthalmology examination with a specialized consultant ophthalmologist. This assessment may take an hour to complete, the pupils are dilated to enable a comprehensive examination of the eye
  • Electrocardiograph (ECG)  
  • Spirometry (pulmonary function tests) 
  • Audiogram (hearing test) 
  • Bloods to include haemoglobin and cholesterol (please do not eat for 12-14 hours prior to your medical – please drink plenty of water only but no tea/coffee/other drinks)
  • General medical examination, to include height, weight, blood pressure, urinalysis by the aeromedical Nurse and full physical examination by the authorized aeromedical examiner
  • Please note from February 2019, as per EASA regulations, all Class I initial applicants must be screened for drugs and alcohol 
  • A psychological assessment

Please note the following: 

Please bring a photocopy (with clear pictures please) of your passport (driver’s license not acceptable).

  •  If you hold a PPL or any other licence you need to have a photocopy of same with you. 
  • If you hold a previous medical certificate you need to have a photocopy of same with you also. 
  • If you wear spectacles (or have spectacles) please bring them with you, please also bring your most recent prescription with you. 
  • We recommend you bring sunglasses with you as your eyes may be sensitive following the ophthalmology examination. In addition, we recommend you have a preliminary eye examination with your local optician or eye doctor only if you have an existing eye problem. Please bring report of same with you. 
  • If you have had laser eye surgery, you will need to bring a copy of the full eye assessment that was carried out before, during and after the lasik / lasek procedure. 
  • You must ensure that your ears are free of wax to enable a thorough examination by the aeromedical examiner, failure to do so will result in a delay in your certification. You may wish to consider visiting your doctor prior to your medical in order to ensure both ears are clear of wax and the eardrums visible. It is advisable not to listen to or be exposed to loud noises / music / machinery for 72 hours prior to your hearing assessment. The ear sometimes responds to loud noise, by initiating a defensive reflex which results in reduced hearing for up to 72 hours. (earphones, discos, concerts, cutting grass or hedge should therefore be avoided before your medical). 
  • If you have a history of asthma requiring hospitalization (even in childhood), it is necessary for you to have a letter from the respiratory physician you attended. If this is not possible you need to attend a respiratory physician for an aviation respiratory consultation.  Professor S. Gaine, has provided a service to the aeromedical Centre over many years, and may be contacted at 69, Eccles Street, Dublin 7.   (Ph. No. O1-8858395).   
  • If you have had a hospital admission you need to bring a report from the doctor you attended. This includes assessment for concussion requiring an overnight stay. 
  • If you have ever required a consultation with a specialist doctor, you will need to bring a medical report for each one outlining the reasons for attendance, tests carried out, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. All medical reports must be in English or be translated by a certified translator with an appropriate stamp and letterhead. 
  • The examination starts at approximately 08.00 on a Tuesday morning, for phlebotomy (blood tests). The administrative team will advise what time you should arrive. 

The cost of the above is €650.00. Please confirm your attendance one week prior to your appointment either by email aeromedical@materprivate.ie or by telephone +353 (0)1 885 8615.

  • Always attend your medical being well rested, having abstained from alcohol for at least 24 hours. ensure you are well hydrated. 
  • Under EASA regulations, initial applicants must pass a drugs and alcohol test., and psychological assessment. 
  • If you are under 17 you must bring an adult relative with you. 
  • Haemoglobin assessment is administered via a finger bleed blood test.  It is acceptable to eat normally before this.  
  • Fasting lipids and cholesterol testing are required at some medicals, it is important that only water is consumed before this test. It is acceptable to bring a snack to eat after this test is carried out. 
  • There is no restaurant in the Aeromedical Centre building. However, there are many restaurants and cafes in the immediate vicinity. There will be an opportunity to leave the Aeromedical Centre in between some tests/examinations. 
  • Clare Hall Shopping Centre is also close by, should accompanying persons wish to pass the waiting time shopping. 

 Have you: 

  • Confirmed your attendance one week prior to appointment date? 
  • A photocopy of your passport? 
  • A photocopy of your PPL or license from any other country if applicable? 
  • A photocopy of previous medical certificate if applicable? 
  • Attended your optician or respiratory physician if applicable? 
  • Ensured that your ears are free of wax? 
  • Obtained reports from your doctor/hospital if you had an admission to hospital? All medical reports must be in English or be translated by a certified translator with an appropriate stamp and letterhead. 
  • Copies of all relevant medical reports from specialists attended? 
  • If you wear glasses – have you the glasses and most recent prescription with you? 

In about one in three cases, a medical certificate cannot be issued on the day.  

  • In this situation, your case will be deferred to the IAA Aeromedical Section pending additional assessments and/or reports.  
  • Once all the reports are available, the AME will review them with the Irish Aviation Authority.  This process takes time.  It can take just a few days, or it can take many weeks.   We recommend that you have your medical assessment as early as possible in your career or flight training to prevent these issues delaying the medical certificate and your flight training. Currently, we do not charge further for this additional casework.        
  • Whilst the additional reports are awaited, regrettably the doctor or any other staff cannot enter telephone conversations.  However, emails will be responded to, as these maintain a clear record of all communication.  Unless consent is given in writing, all correspondence is with the applicant only. If the applicant is over 18 years of age, parents should understand that the assessment is with the applicant, and we communicate directly with them. 
  • If the additional reports and assessments are satisfactory, you will be issued with a certificate. Most applicants are issued with a certificate on the day of assessment. 
  • Occasionally the IAA deems that your medical remains deferred as a result of medical problems and no certificate can be issued.  If this happens you have the right of appeal to the IAA Aeromedical section, and the method of appeal is available from their website.
  • Holders of EASA aviation medical certificates should ensure they are aware of the regulatory requirements where sickness is concerned.  
  • Conditions that lead to a risk of subtle or sudden incapacity must be reported to your AME. 
  • Information regarding the relevant conditions for reporting on are on the back of the Class One EASA medical certificate, if issued in Ireland. 
  • New updates from EASA can also be checked via the Irish Aviation Authority who have the final say on certification. IAA aeromedical section  
  • Our AMEs can provide letters as required for the IAA or employer to prove fitness status and to be used where the pilot or ATCO is temporarily unfit (TU).   
  • When TU, the AME will work with you to collate the evidence required to prove fitness and organize a referral to the IAA or other authority if this is a requirement.  
  • If significantly unfit, albeit temporarily, your case will be deferred to the IAA Aeromedical Section pending additional assessments and / or reports.  
  • All medical reports must be in English or be translated by a certified translator with an appropriate stamp and letterhead. 

Medical records and reports 

We frequently request medical reports and medical records for such purposes as assessing a client’s fitness for certification, to arrange specialist referral, to forward to the IAA Aeromedical Section Department or other aviation authority or other agency.

Reports and records can be posted to us or scanned and e-mailed; in all cases they must be written in English, or professionally translated by an accredited translation agency into English. 

Please note the terminology:

  • A medical report is written by the applicant’s GP or specialist, in response to a request by the applicant, AME or aviation authority. 
  • A medical record is a pre-existing record, held by an applicant’s GP or specialist.

The Aeromedical team can assist in obtaining medical records or medical reports if required.

  • We can accept scanned documents, but they MUST comply with ALL the following requirements: 
  • Use a proper scanner, not a mobile phone or tablet. Use pdf format ONLY. 
  • Use grayscale ON or OFF as appropriate, bearing in mind the required quality and nature of the document. Unnecessary use of grayscale is wasteful of storage media resources – the pdf file is typically 15 times bigger than the same document scanned with grayscale off. Only use colour for scans of colour reports, e.g., corneal topography charts. 
  • Use an appropriate resolution, e.g., 200 dpi for most documents, 250 – 300 dpi for documents such as ECGs which need to be reported. 
  • Scaling should be 100% – i.e., if document is printed out, it is about the same size as the original, without extra borders. 
  • Orientation should be correct – e.g., a landscape format document may need to be rotated 90 degrees so that the text is upright. 
  • Send multiple-page documents as a single pdf file. If your scanner will not do this – use software to assemble it. If neither your scanner nor software will do this, post it. 
  • Send one document per pdf file – not multiple documents per file. 
  • Document title format – Surname, Forename, IAA Ref No, Name of author, type of report, date of consultation (without punctuation, e.g., Murphy John 235469G Dr ABC Cardiology report 12/02/2020). Some documents may contain 2 dates, e.g., clinic date and date letter was typed – use the clinic date. For 24-hour ECG or BP recordings use the start date. 
  • Attach the pdf files to an e-mail addressed to aeromedical@materprivate.ie – do not include it within the body text of an e-mail. 
  • Open the document and check that it is complete, easily readable in its entirety, and quality is satisfactory. 
  • If you do not have the equipment or expertise to send scanned documents in accordance with the above, please post good-quality photocopies instead. 
  • A female staff member experienced in chaperone duties is always present, as a matter of policy. 
  • A female chaperone is always present for female Initial Class One Medical Assessments, unless a parent is present for persons under 18 years of age – male or female. 
  • All female patients are routinely offered a chaperone if any undressing is required. 
  • A chaperone is not normally offered for any examination not requiring the patient to undress, e.g. examination of eyes, ears, nose, throat. 
  • Male pilots are not normally offered a chaperone when examined by a male doctor. 
  • Any specific wishes or preferences should be mentioned to the doctor in advance of the medical assessment. 
  • A chaperone can be present if either the patient or doctor feels uncomfortable with the assessment process. 
  • Colour vision testing is carried out when required using the Ishihara test. If the applicant passes, no further testing is required. 
  • If an applicant fails the Ishihara Plates test (please note that the criteria for a pass vary depending on the authority or agency for whom the test is conducted) we have further colour vision testing facilities as follows: 
  • Holmes Wright lantern Test. This is acceptable to the IAA and EASA for professional pilots. Pairs of coloured lights are displayed; the applicant has to name the colours correctly. It is acceptable to several Aviation Authorities worldwide. This can be arranged by contacting the Aeromedical Centre directly. 
  • CAD Test.  The Lantern Tests have recently been superseded by the CAD test); This is a computer-based test acceptable to the IAA for EASA Class 1 and 2 certification, and European Class 3 certification for air traffic control officers. 
  • We do not carry out the CAD test in conjunction with an initial Class 1 or 3 medical, or as required for certificatory purposes by holders of aircrew licences or medical certificates. If an applicant fails the colour vision assessment via Ishihara plates, there is an option to pass using the Holmes Wright Lantern as outlined above. 
  • A colour vision test can be carried out at the Aeromedical Centre if an individual has concerns regarding same prior to their medical, if a more definitive assessment is required, we can arrange referral.