AME Marketing for Aviation Medical Examiners: How to Reach More Pilot Patients

The short answer

What makes marketing an AME practice different?

Most medical practices market to people who might need care someday. An AME practice is different in four ways:

• The market is large and defined. The FAA counted more than 887,000 active pilots at the end of 2025 (U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics), and every one who flies on an FAA medical needs an exam on a schedule.
• Every pilot has a deadline. A pilot can't fly without a current medical, and the FAA sets how long each medical lasts (14 CFR 61.23).
• The FAA publishes who is coming due. Its Airmen Certification Releasable Database lists each pilot's mailing address, medical class and medical dates.
• Pilots stay with an AME they like. In our conversations with AMEs, most say their new pilots come mainly by word of mouth, and that pilots return exam after exam once they've found someone they trust. Winning a pilot once can mean years of repeat exams.

Good AME marketing uses all of these: it reaches the right pilots at the right time, and makes it easy for them to book with you.

How often do pilots need a new medical?

How long a medical lasts depends on its class and the pilot's age (14 CFR 61.23):

Because pilots come due on different schedules, some pilots near your office are coming due every month of the year. See how many medicals are coming due in each state on FAA pilot medicals coming due by state.

How do aviation medical examiners find pilots whose medicals are coming due?

There are four common routes:

1. Use the FAA's free data yourself. Our guide How AMEs find pilots whose medicals are coming due shows how.
2. Buy a pilot mailing list. Ask whether it is built from FAA data and includes medical dates. See Pilot mailing list vs. a done-for-you postcard service.
3. Use a done-for-you service that handles the data, the card, the printing and the mailing each month.
4. Rely on word of mouth alone. It works well, but it rarely reaches pilots who don't know you yet, such as pilots new to the area or pilots whose AME has retired.

Is direct mail or email better for reaching pilots?

For pilots you don't know yet, direct mail is usually the only practical choice. The FAA's public airmen data includes mailing addresses, not email addresses or phone numbers. Email works well for pilots who are already your patients, such as reminders before their next exam.

A postcard works best when it:

• Says who you are and where you are
• Shows your photo or logo, so the pilot recognizes you at the door
• Gives one clear way to book, such as a QR code to your online booking page
• Arrives a few weeks before the pilot's medical is due

What should AME marketing cost?

Compare the total monthly cost, not the price of one piece:

• Do it yourself: the FAA data is free; you pay for design, printing, postage and staff time each month.
• Mailing list: usually priced per name, plus everything above.
• Done-for-you service: one monthly price that covers the data, the card, printing and mailing.

PlaneLists Self-Service is $149 a month plus $0.97 for each postcard actually sent, with no contract. See pricing.

Does marketing work differently for HIMS AMEs?

Yes. The FAA's list of HIMS-trained AMEs had about 250 names as of February 2026, so there are far fewer HIMS AMEs than regular AMEs across the United States. Pilots who need one often travel a greater distance to reach the nearest HIMS AME. That means a HIMS practice should market across a much wider area than a typical AME, often hundreds of miles. See Managed HIMS Growth.

What should a first-class-focused practice do differently?

Pilots who use first-class privileges come due every 6 or 12 months, depending on age (14 CFR 61.23). One airline pilot over 40 can mean two exams a year, every year. Their careers depend on a current medical, so a lapse can mean they can't work. Only a Senior AME can issue a first-class medical, which makes these pilots the core of a Senior AME's practice. See Marketing for Senior AMEs.

Common questions