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Find an AME in California

AME offices by area, HIMS AMEs from the FAA's own list, the FAA regional flight surgeon office for California, and how to pick an Aviation Medical Examiner.

Need an AME? Here are some in your area. This isn't a complete list. Use the FAA's AME locator to see every examiner.

What is an AME?

An Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) is a doctor the FAA has designated to examine pilots and issue FAA medical certificates.[7] You need an exam with one to get a first-, second- or third-class medical.[5] New to this? Read how to get your first FAA medical.

Areas on this page: Los Angeles & South Bay (LAX, VNY, LGB, TOA) · Orange County (SNA) · Inland Empire & Desert (ONT, PSP) · San Diego (SAN, MYF, CRQ) · San Francisco Peninsula & North Bay (SFO) · South Bay & East Bay (SJC, OAK) · Sacramento & Central Valley (SMF, MOD, BFL) · Central Coast (MRY, SBP)

Not medical advice. Verify with the FAA and your AME. This page lists AME offices in California from public sources (each entry cites its own), including the FAA's published HIMS AMEs, and summarizes FAA guidance, with every source cited below.

Los Angeles & South Bay (LAX, VNY, LGB, TOA)

6 listings

Orange County (SNA)

1 listing

Inland Empire & Desert (ONT, PSP)

5 listings

San Diego (SAN, MYF, CRQ)

12 listings

San Francisco Peninsula & North Bay (SFO)

5 listings

South Bay & East Bay (SJC, OAK)

7 listings

Sacramento & Central Valley (SMF, MOD, BFL)

4 listings

Central Coast (MRY, SBP)

6 listings

Looking for any AME in California? The FAA keeps the official, up-to-date list of every Aviation Medical Examiner. The listings on BlockTime are only a starting point: search the FAA site to see every examiner.

FAA AME locator
46AME offices listed below
19HIMS AME listings (FAA, October 9, 2026)
17of them Senior AMEs (first class)
AWPFAA Western Pacific Region

FAA region and Regional Flight Surgeon

California is in the FAA Western Pacific Region (AWP).[3]

FAA Western Pacific Region (AWP), Regional Flight Surgeon office
Aerospace Medicine Regional Section, AAM-213
777 S. Aviation Blvd, Suite 150, El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone (424) 405-7640 · Fax (424) 405-7631 · [email protected]
Service area per the FAA: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands. Contact details from the FAA's Regional Flight Surgeon page[3].

HIMS AMEs in California

19 HIMS AME listings in California, in 16 cities: Arroyo Grande, Coronado, Folsom, Glendora, Healdsburg, Los Angeles, Modesto, Rancho Mirage and Redlands, Reseda, Riverside, Rolling Hills Estate, Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Shafter, Torrance. 17 of them are Senior AMEs (first-class exams). Source: the FAA's HIMS AME list updated October 9, 2026[2]. To avoid listing anyone twice, each of them appears once in the area listings above, in one combined entry marked HIMS AME.

Listings show the facts each source published on the date checked; offices and phone numbers change, so confirm with the AME and the FAA locator before you book. The FAA document (PDF, Word) also has email and fax details.

How to pick an AME

First, second or third class

The FAA ties each class to the privileges you use: first class for airline transport pilot (ATP) privileges, second class for commercial pilot privileges, third class for private or recreational flying. You may apply for any class whose standards you meet, and you don't need an ATP certificate to get a first-class medical.[6] See how to get your first FAA medical for how long each class lasts.

Senior AMEs

Every AME can do second- and third-class exams. Only a Senior AME, who holds added FAA authority, can do first-class exams.[7] If you want a first-class medical, check that the AME you book is a Senior AME. Of the 19 HIMS AMEs listed in California, the FAA list marks 17 as Senior AMEs.

HIMS AMEs

The FAA says HIMS (Human Intervention Motivation Study) AMEs are trained to evaluate pilots for substance- or alcohol-related conditions or other mental conditions, and can provide the sponsorship and monitoring the FAA sometimes requires for medical certification.[1][5] Whether you need one depends on what the FAA asks for in your case; your AME or the FAA can tell you.

BasicMed

BasicMed lets some pilots fly without an FAA medical certificate. Among other conditions you need a U.S. driver's license and must have held an FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006, so a first-time student still needs one FAA medical first. Flights under BasicMed can't be for compensation or hire and have aircraft, passenger, altitude and speed limits.[8] Commercial pilot privileges need at least a second-class medical.[6]

Before you go: MedXPress and what to bring

Fill in the application (FAA Form 8500-8) online in FAA MedXPress; you need only an email address to open an account.[5] Keep the confirmation number, and see the AME within 60 days, or the application drops out of the system.[4] Bring the confirmation number, a government-issued ID and copies of any medical records. For some conditions the FAA wants a detailed Clinical Progress Note from a visit no more than 90 days before the exam; a patient-portal After Visit Summary isn't enough.[4]

Regional Flight Surgeons

Each FAA region has a Regional Flight Surgeon (RFS) office. Under FAA Order 8520.2G the RFS selects and oversees the AMEs in that region,[7] and the FAA's AME Guide lists the RFS among the FAA physicians who can sign a medical certificate.[6]

Elsewhere in the FAA Western Pacific Region

Hawaii & Pacific territories3 HIMS / IMS listingsArizona6 HIMS / IMS listingsNevada4 HIMS / IMS listings

Sources

  1. Find an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), FAA (last updated April 12, 2024)
  2. FAA HIMS Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), Independent Medical Sponsors (IMS) & International and Military, updated 10-09-2026 (PDF)
  3. Regional Flight Surgeon Contact Information, FAA (last updated October 7, 2026)
  4. How do I get a Medical Certificate and what to expect during the AME examination, FAA (last updated May 14, 2026)
  5. Medical Certification, FAA (last updated October 2, 2026)
  6. Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners: classes of medical certificates, FAA (last updated June 28, 2023)
  7. FAA Order 8520.2G, Aviation Medical Examiner System (PDF, effective May 19, 2011)
  8. BasicMed, FAA (last updated June 3, 2026)

Also on BlockTime: California aircraft rentals · California flight schools. AME finder: all states · How to get your first FAA medical.

Missing or wrong info in this page? Report missing or wrong info

Not medical advice. Verify with the FAA and your AME.

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