FAA Pilot Medicals Coming Due in California

The short answer

In December 2026, 1,067 pilots with a California mailing address have an FAA medical certificate that expires, according to the FAA's airmen file; 717 of them are first-class medicals. Over December 2026 through February 2027, the total is 3,370. California ranks 3rd of the 50 states, with 7.6% of the medicals expiring nationwide that month. The most are in San Diego, Carlsbad and Los Angeles.

California pilot medicals by month and class

Pilots with a California mailing address whose FAA medical expires in each of the next three calendar months.

FAA pilot medicals expiring in California by class, December 2026, January 2027, February 2027
Medical class	December 2026	January 2027	February 2027	3-month total
First class	717	761	749	2,227
Second class	136	179	159	474
Third class	214	237	218	669
All classes	1,067	1,177	1,126	3,370

First-class privileges last 12 months for a pilot under 40 and 6 months at 40 or older (14 CFR 61.23), so first-class pilots come due most often. Only Senior AMEs can issue a first-class medical.

Which California cities have the most pilots coming due?

The California cities with the most pilots whose FAA medical expires between December 2026 and February 2027, by the city in each pilot's FAA mailing address.

California cities with the most FAA pilot medicals expiring
City	December 2026	3-month total	First class (3 months)
San Diego	62	209	158
Carlsbad	18	62	51
Los Angeles	18	52	36
Temecula	12	44	39
Huntington Beach	13	42	33
Long Beach	12	42	33
Sacramento	16	42	34
Irvine	19	38	31
San Francisco	13	36	23
Bakersfield	7	35	19
Coronado	16	34	29
San Jose	4	33	24
Camarillo	12	32	27
Murrieta	14	31	28
Vacaville	12	30	29

Top 15 cities shown. Cities with fewer than 10 pilots due in the three months are left out. A city's count covers pilots whose mailing address is in that city, not the surrounding metro area.

How does California compare with its neighbors?

California and neighboring states, FAA pilot medicals expiring
State	December 2026	3-month total
California	1,067	3,370
Arizona	515	1,495
Nevada	275	760
Oregon	161	493

Every state, with a class filter, is in the national table of pilot medicals coming due by state.

What does this mean for an AME practice in California?

Pilot medical renewals run on a fixed schedule and the expiration month is public, so demand for FAA physicals in California is unusually predictable. The state total shows the size of the market; what matters to a practice is how many of those pilots live within driving distance of the office, in the classes the AME can examine.

See how many pilots near your California office have a medical coming due, by class and radius.

Try the pilot calculator →

To pull the list yourself from the FAA file, follow the guide to finding pilots whose medicals are coming due.

Common questions

How many pilots in California need an FAA medical in December 2026?

1,067 pilots with a California mailing address have an FAA medical certificate that expires in December 2026, according to the FAA airmen file. 717 of them hold a first-class medical. Over December 2026 through February 2027, the total is 3,370.

Which California cities have the most pilot medicals coming due?

Over the next three months, the California cities with the most pilots whose FAA medical expires are San Diego (209), Carlsbad (62) and Los Angeles (52), counted by the city in each pilot's FAA mailing address.

How does California compare with other states?

California ranks 3rd of the 50 states for pilot medicals expiring in December 2026, with 7.6% of the national total. Among neighboring states, Arizona has 515, Nevada has 275 and Oregon has 161.

Where does this data come from?

The FAA's Airmen Certification Releasable Database, a free public file the FAA updates monthly. It lists each pilot's medical class, the month the medical expires and a mailing address. PlaneLists counts pilots by the state and city in that address.

Can I see the pilots near my office instead of all of California?

Yes. The free PlaneLists calculator counts pilots whose medicals expire within a radius of any U.S. ZIP code, by class, for the next three months. A wide radius can cross state lines, so it may count pilots from neighboring states too.

Sources

Counts pilots by the state and city in their FAA mailing address; pilots who asked the FAA to withhold their address aren't in the public file. To cite this page: PlaneLists, “FAA Pilot Medicals Coming Due in California,” ame.planelists.com/data/pilot-medicals/california, FAA data as of November 1, 2026.

More states: Florida · Texas · Colorado · Washington · Georgia · Arizona · North Carolina · Tennessee · Pennsylvania · All states

PlaneLists mails a postcard each month to every pilot in your area whose medical is coming due, with a QR code to your booking page. See how many pilots are coming due near you.