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 to patients of normal health and physiology in an abnormal environment.
Due to the physical composition of gases and extreme cold at altitude, excessive vibration and acoustic energy produced from aircraft, increased gravitational forces experienced in flight, rapid changes of ambient pressure, and the man-machine interface; aircrew are at risk for unique illnesses and medical syndromes. Some of these medical conditions include:
- Hypoxia
- Hypothermia & frostbite
- Sensorineural hearing loss
- G-induced loss of consciousness
- Decompression illness
- Trapped gases in the sinuses & inner ears
- Circadian rhythm disturbances
- Spatial disorientation
An additional critical responsibility of the aerospace medicine professional is to ensure fitness for flying duties by pilots, astronauts, other aircrew, and air traffic controllers. In this way, flight medicine doctors play a critical role in maintaining general safety of flight.
CIVILIAN AEROMEDICAL STANDARDS
In order to become a civilian pilot in the United States, one must have a medical certification from an FAA-certified Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). The FAA places pilots into three general categories:
- First-Class Airline Transport Pilot
- Second-Class Commercial Pilot
- Third-Class Private Pilot
The medical standards differ slightly based on one's category with the First-Class qualifications being most stringent. A brief synopsis of the FAA's medical standards can be found on the FAA website.
MILITARY AEROMEDICAL STANDARDS
In the United States military, aeromedical standards are much stricter. Clearly, a pilot operating the F-22 Raptor needs to meet different criteria for aeromedical fitness than the general civilian aviator. The three branches of the military (Army, Navy & Air Force), each have their own unique medical standards.
The basic concept is that candidates for pilot training or other special duty receive a flying class physical by a flight surgeon, who then completes the paperwork and submits the application to the appropriate approval authority. If a candidate does not meet a specific medical standard, an aeromedical waiver can be requested.
MEDICATIONS IN AIRCREW
There are many temporary medical conditions and prescribed medications that are incompatible with continued flying duties. It is the job of the flight surgeon to identify medical conditions and medications with known side effects that could diminish one's ability to operate an aircraft. An entire post on dietary supplements for aircrew can be found here.
Both in civilian and military aviation, safety of flight is ultimately tied to the flight doctor's ability to vigorously apply aeromedical standards to ensure that pilots, navigators, air traffic controllers, and a variety of other aviation professionals are FIT TO FLY!