Doctor Blog
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…
A day in the life of a U2 Spy Plane Flight Doc
It is an exceedingly rare privilege for anyone aside from highly trained military pilots to don the yellow pressure suit and fly along the very edge of outer space in…
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…
Want to work for Elon Musk?
As Space X continues to expand into human space exploration so does their need for experts in space medicine & physiology. Become Space X’s next Flight Surgeon Anil Menon has…
Should I get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
I received my second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine a little over a week ago. That’s great news for me as it means I’m essentially immune to the deadly…
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…
Flattening the Curve Revisited
Should all businesses reopen immediately if local healthcare facilities are not overwhelmed? Definitely. No way. Maybe? Hmm…I dunno. On one hand (likely the right one), it makes sense…
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…
(Another) ER Doctor’s Ramblings on Coronavirus
INITIAL RAMBLINGS – My position on the pandemic continues to evolve…daily – Know Thyself: I was slow to take this seriously. I have high-risk tolerance. I’m an intrinsic optimist. I…
Phiz Biz: Aug & Sep – Exercise & Fitness Pearls
Here are the Aug & Sep newsletters from our friends at the USAF Aerospace & Operational Physiology Team at Peterson AFB in CO. Click below for PDF’s 8. August 2018…
Medical Standards iOS (iPhone) App
I’ve always found it paradoxical that incredibly high tech organizations like the Department of Defense and government space agencies seem to lag far behind in common mass technologies. If you’ve…
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…
#AsMA2018 & THE FOAMed MOVEMENT
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…
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…
LASER Eye Injuries in Aircrew
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…
In Flight Emergency – Cabin Pressure & Hypoxia
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…
Clearing Your Ears
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…
Recent Posts
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…