5 Ways to Find Pilots with Expiring Medicals

As an Aviation Medical Examiner, your patient pipeline depends on one simple fact: every pilot's medical certificate has an expiration date. The FAA tracks these dates publicly. Here are five ways to turn that data into booked appointments.

1. Set Up Automated Expiration Alerts

The most efficient method is setting a recurring alert that monitors pilot medical expirations within a radius of your practice. When a pilot's medical is 30, 60, or 90 days from expiring, you get their name, address, and certificate details delivered automatically. First contact wins.

2. Target Recently Expired Medicals

Pilots whose medicals expired in the last 30 days are often unaware or procrastinating. A well-timed postcard or email saying "Your medical expired on [date] and we have availability this week" is remarkably effective.

3. Focus on Class 1 Holders

Class 1 medical holders are professional pilots, often airline captains and first officers. They cannot work without a current medical, making renewals urgent and non-negotiable. They also tend to be higher-revenue exams. Filter specifically for Class 1 expirations in your area.

4. Cross-Reference with Student Pilots

Every new student pilot needs a first-time medical exam. New student certificates appear in FAA data monthly. Reach out to welcome them to aviation and offer to be their AME. This is lifetime patient acquisition: a student pilot who starts with you will likely stay with you through their career.

5. Use Geographic Radius Targeting

Most pilots choose an AME within 30-50 miles of their home. Use ZIP code radius filtering to find every pilot with an expiring or expired medical within driving distance of your office. This is your addressable market, quantified and accessible.

Putting It All Together

The AMEs who are growing their practices in 2026 are not waiting for patients to Google them. They are proactively reaching out to pilots who need them, at the exact moment they need them, using public FAA data.