DONM

This may be too late but from my perspective the main difference between class 1 and 2 is the time the certificate lasts. Class 1 = 6 mo Class 2 = 1 yr Of course it is very important to be sure you can pass whatever class you are going for. There is a mandatory EKG after age 35 for a class 1. AME's can charge more for the Class 1, mainly because of the EKG. You can find the standards here: https://www.leftseat.com/faa-medical-standards-protocols-and-forms-3/

I am looking to get my ATP next but wondering if there are some particular flight schools which may have reduced operations or even those who may have closed due to the lack of foreign students ie the (COVID19) effect. Don

I used an attorney for my drug use case and it did NOT go well. It seems when you bring an attorney to the table the FAA brings 2. After wasting 10k I hired Pilot Medical/ leftseat and was approved in less than 2 months. Also, starting with an AME may work for some but I doubt many AME's have done enough cases to really know the waiver ropes. Obviously if you don't have a current medical you need an AME at some point. In some cases you need an AME sponsor but I did that step last, once I had enough records to satisfy the FAA. Leftseat helped me confidentially get the records squared away before the AME did his part. DONM