Aviation medicine safeguards flight safety by addressing three critical areas: managing physiological challenges of the aviation environment, preventing in-flight medical incapacitation and ensuring psychological fitness for flight. The field adopts occupational medicine's hierarchy of risk control to mitigate physiological risks in the operating environment, while employing systematic medical screening with tailored standards based on operational requirements to reduce the likelihood of in-flight incapacitation. A comprehensive approach incorporating mental health education, support systems and regular monitoring helps prevent psychological incapacitation. Recent data from the Singapore Changi Aeromedical Centre reveal that ophthalmological, otolaryngological and respiratory conditions are the primary causes of medical disqualification during air force pilot screening, reflecting the unique physiological demands of military aviation. This review emphasises the ongoing challenge of balancing rigorous medical standards with maintaining an adequate pilot recruitment pool, while highlighting the need for evidence-based approaches to aeromedical assessment and certification.
Humans ; Aerospace Medicine/methods* ; Singapore ; Aviation ; Pilots ; Accidents, Aviation/prevention & control* ; Occupational Health ; Safety ; Occupational Medicine ; Military Personnel

OBJECTIVE: To find out the clinical characteristics of Meniere's disease in flight aircrew and discuss relevant principles of clinical aviation medicine, in order to summarize experience in medical evaluation of aircrew. METHOD: Collect the data of 35 cases that were diagnosed with Meniere's disease from 1966 to 2011 in our hospital and analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and flight conclusion of them. RESULT: Among the 35 cases, 34 patients complained of vertigo. 27 patients complained of tinnitus and 21 patients complained of hearing loss. (1) 18 cases manifested typical symptoms of Meniere's disease (paroxysmal vertigo, fluctuating neurosensory hearing loss, tinnitus and ear fullness); (2) 7 patients showed the symptoms of vertigo and tinnitus, not complaining of significant hearing loss (after inspection. 4 of them proved the low-frequency hearing loss); (3) 7 patients only manifested as vertigo; (4) 2 patients manifested as tinnitus and hearing loss. 1 patients manifested only hearing loss. On the basis of the diagnostic criteria of Meniere's disease formulated hy Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 22 patients were diagnosed with definite Meniere's disease, 2 patients were diagnosed with probable Meniere's disease, 11 patients were diagnosed with possible Meniere's disease. For patients with definite Meniere's disease and probable Meniere's disease, the phases of the disease were: 11 cases of phase I, 7 case of phase II and 6 case of phase III. The flight conclusion of all the 35 patients was permanent grounding. The time from the attack of the disease to receiving the conclusion of permanent grounding fluctuated from three months to 11 years. CONCLUSION The diagnosis of Meniere's disease of flight aircrew must he cautious. For patients with atypical symptoms of Meniere's disease, the diagnosis should be made in the case of completely ruling out other possible diseases. Once be diagnosed, a patient should normally be flight unqualified. The flying waiver would he recommended only under exceptional circumstances. The criterion of waiver condition need to be further explored in the future.
Adult ; Aerospace Medicine ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Meniere Disease ; diagnosis ; Middle Aged

AIMTo investigate the +Gz protection provided by tilt-back seat and GZ-2 anti-G suit.

METHODS6 subjects were exposed to centrifuge and onset rate is 3 G/s. First, their relaxed +Gz tolerances were determined while using tilt-back seat of 13 degrees. Secondly, it was their +Gz tolerance provided by pressurized GZ-2 anti-G suit and tilt-back seat of 13 degrees. Finally, their +Gz tolerances while using pressurized GZ-2 anti-G suit and tilt-back seat of 45 degrees were determined. The difference between the first and the third result was the +Gz protection that pressurized GZ-2 anti-G suit and tilt-back seat of 45 degrees offered.

RESULTS+Gz protection of pressurized GZ-2 anti-G suit and tilt-back seat of 13 degrees was 3.06 G, and +Gz protection of pressurized GZ-2 anti-G suit and tilt-back seat of 45 degrees was 4.13 G, which had an increase of 1.06 G.

CONCLUSIONTilt-back seat of 45 degrees can greatly enhance +Gz tolerances of human.

Adolescent ; Aerospace Medicine ; instrumentation ; methods ; Centrifugation ; Gravity Suits ; Humans ; Hypergravity ; Male ; Posture ; Protective Clothing ; Young Adult