Ear, Nose, Throat Equilibrium

Airmen or individuals applying for aeromedical certification with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must meet certain ear, nose, and throat equilibrium standards set forth under 14 C.F.R §§ 67.105, 67.205, and 67.305 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. If you are applying for medical certification with the FAA and do not meet the standards set forth under these regulations, the FAA will deny your application.

The ear, nose, and throat equilibrium standards, regardless of whether the applicant is applying for first (1st), second (2nd), or third (3rd) class medical certification, require, in part, that the applicant demonstrate an ability to hear an average conversation voice in a quiet room, using both ears, at a distance of 6 feet from the examiner, with the back turned to the examiner, demonstrate an acceptable understanding of speech as determined by audiometric speech discrimination testing to a score of at least 70% obtained in one ear or in a sound field environment, and provide acceptable results of pure tone audiometric testing of unaided hearing acuity. Moreover, these regulatory medical standards require the applicant to not have a history of disease interfering with the ear, nose, oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx that would be aggravated by flying or may reasonably be expected to do so.

If you have been deferred by your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) or denied by the FAA due to a history of Meniere’s disease, motion sickness, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), vertigo, or any other ear, nose, or throat equilibrium related matter, The Ison Law Firm is standing by to advocate for your eligibility to hold a medical certificate.