Recently, I was catching up with a fellow USAF flight surgeon who is leaving active duty for the greener pastures of civilian residency. When I shared with him that he would qualify for GI Bill compensation as a resident, he…
THE ASMA SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY Every May, experts and enthusiasts in aerospace medicine from across the globe gather to network, learn, and teach one another the latest ideas and innovations in this niche medical specialty. A little over a month ago,…
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 surgeons use a hefty document, titled the ‘Medical Standards Directory’…
A separate post written as a resource for pilots and aircrew on LASER exposure/eye injury can be found here. The crux of aerospace medicine is the identification of medical conditions that lead to sudden and unanticipated incapacitation of the flyer.…
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 FAA has been tracking the number of LASER incidents since…
Last weekend, I attended a medical seminar held by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Denver, CO. The seminar was a refresher training seminar for Aviation Medical Examiners (AME). Although I had not yet been designated an AME, my experience and…
This short 14 minute documentary featured in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival won’t leave you disappointed. The film invigorates an aged WWII pilot when he is reunited with old video footage of himself taken by his unit’s flight surgeon during the war.…
This article discusses an awesome opportunity specifically designed for USAF flight surgeons to gain a firmer understanding on fighter and combat aircraft operations. This course is a good use of time for any military flight surgeon, but is an absolute…
I was recently in Estonia for a NATO military training exercise. Flying in the back seat of an F-16D (two seater), I was ‘gently’ reminded of the importance of human factors in flight and the constant, inherent danger in combat aviation.…
Most aviators learn early in their career that flying with a simple upper respiratory infection or seasonal allergies can be painful. Gases in the sinuses and middle ear expand in accordance with Boyles Law as altitude increases and pressure decreases.…
