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Aviation Exams
September 13, 2007
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Flying is one of the most common forms of transportation today, and we often forget
about the men and women piloting the aircraft. In today’s Health Matters John Biffar looks at the role doctors play in assessing if pilots are fit to fly.
Most of us see family physicians like Dr. Wayne Burr for our general healthcare
needs, but if you’re a pilot or looking to get CE your aviation license- your medical
exam has to be completed by a qualified f-a-a physician. Dr. Burr is one of the
few here in Lee County. “Aviation medical exams are examinations required by the
FAA for pilots who are licensed to fly either a private pilot or any sort of rating
that they may have. An aviation medical exam, which is what I do, is designated
by the FAA to perform these necessary examinations for the pilots.
Flight instructor Justin Kelley says that it’s mandatory that the pilots have a
medical examination to be sure that they are medically fit to fly an aircraft. “There’s
a lot of ins and outs to it just depending on your specific case can determine what
you can and can’t do.”
Dr. Burr says that the pilot’s medical history is reviewed, and the FAA has a long-list
of strict requirements on some things you might not think of that physicians have
to pay close attention too. “For example there are requirements not only for eyesight,
as you can imagine for color vision but also for hearing and any other medical issues
that may come up with the patient including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
a whole host of other medical problems that need to be reviewed in order to make sure that the pilot is not only medically fit, but also safe to fly.”
So the cleaner a pilot’s everyday lifestyle the easier it should be for them to
pass their medical exam with flying colors that is.
Of course one of the most important factors considered is a pilots vision. They
must have 20-20 correctable vision.
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