Aeromedical Standards
Aeromedical Standards
Do Pilots Have Perfect Vision?
I’ve had many people share with me that they had to give up on their childhood dream to become a pilot due to the fact they wear glasses or contacts…
FAA Corner: When do I need an EKG?
An ECG (or EKG) is short for electrocardiogram and is a tracing of the heart’s electrical activity. It can be used to diagnosis abnormal rhythms and even heart attacks. There…
How to Find a Good Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
Most pilots have experienced the anxiety and trepidation felt when going to any doctor. This feeling is even more intense when visiting the flight doc for medical clearance. This is…
What is a CACI Condition?
Pilots and other aircrew must maintain strict medical standards to be considered fit & healthy to fly airplanes & passengers. Check out this previous post for a full history and…
Building a USAF Flight Surgeon: A New Approach to Training
How does one become a USAF Flight Surgeon you may ask? The recipe is simple. Step 1: Meet the appropriate licensing requirements to practice medicine. Step 2. Join the USAF…
Important Dates: FAA Certificate Extensions for COVID19
Some important dates are approaching and both pilots and AME’s need to be aware. Due to the COVID19 pandemic and challenges accessing medical care, the FAA has modified the standard…
FAA Medical Certification during COVID19 Pandemic
In light of the recent Coronavirus Pandemic, the FAA has permitted airmen to continue flying with expired medical certificates thru 30 June 2020. This ONLY applies to airmen who were…
Phiz Biz: GFM Partners with USAF Aerospace Physiologists
Phiz Biz (a clever play on Physiology Business) is a monthly newsletter produced by the USAF Aerospace and Operational Physiology Flight at Peterson AFB in Colorado. The team started this tradition…
Too Old to Fly? – Age Limits & Waivers for Military Pilots
Recently, I’ve been asked several times about age limits to become a pilot in the US Air Force. Age is actually not considered a ‘medical’ standard. In the USAF, flight…
Pilot Education: LASER Exposure & Eye Injury
LASER exposure continues to be an increasingly frequent problem in both military and civilian aviation. Typically, these exposures arise from people pointing green commercial LASERs directly at flying aircraft. The…
The USAF Pilot-Physician Program
I have been thoroughly blessed to serve as an active member of the USAF Pilot Physician Program (PPP) officially since 2008 but unofficially since 2002, when I entered pilot training…
Aeromedical Standards & Fitness for Flight
Aerospace Medicine is essentially a branch of occupational medicine. Unlike traditional medical disciplines where a patient in a normal environment experiences abnormal diseases and pathology, occupational medicine often provides medical services…
Recent Comments
Total BS. When you lose horizon you might go into a slow descent, if you are not trusting your instruments,…
Actually chaplains and doctors both have a duty to chose between conscientious objector and form two personnel. Flight surgeons almost…
Hi Jay, I've just led myself to this article after coming across your PPP slides from the AF Specialty Teleconference,…
Textbook cases of not breathing correctly. Most of them seem to have not even tried.
How do flight surgeons reconcile Geneva Convention status issues? As medical officers, they are non-combatants; as pilots, they definitely ARE.…
Ratstar, I have not yet gained the FAWM suffix. It does remain a personal goal however!
This sounds so cool! Are u a fellow already?
I want to ask that is final year MBBS student (only 1 Year Internship left out of 5.5 years MBBS…
Major Jedick, Very intersting piece. I often wondered this myself- I briefed a flight surgeon once (WX) and we chatted…
We do not need more female physicians or doctors of any specific race or ethnic background. We need the best…