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Flight surgeons, also known as aviation medical examiners in civilian life, are employed by the US military and other countries to ensure the health and safety of pilots. To become a flight surgeon, one must obtain a medical degree, physical fitness, and an officer’s commission. Each branch of service utilizes flight surgeons differently, and training ranges from introductory courses to advanced care procedures. Flight surgeons are responsible for performing regular flight checkups and may be called upon to treat patients during air transport.
Flight surgeons are employed by three of the five branches of the US military – Army, Navy and Air Force – and are known as aviation medical examiners in the civilian sphere. Many other countries also use these health professionals to ensure the health, safety and well-being of pilots. If you want to become a flight surgeon, you will need to obtain a medical degree, a reasonable level of physical fitness, and an officer’s commission.
To become a flight surgeon, you must first go through a long path of preparatory training and obtain a medical doctorate (MD) or a doctorate in osteopathic medicine (DO). This typically takes six to eight years of college and hospital residency. If not already achieved, US citizenship must be obtained by graduation if you intend to become a flight surgeon.
After graduating, candidates can focus their efforts on a specific line of service if they haven’t already. Some who want to become flight surgeons choose to enter a branch’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program while still training to become a doctor. That way, they are ready to enlist and get special flight surgeon training once they graduate and become certified as a physician. Others choose to enter a particular line of service after they graduate. These candidates must first attend the branch officer training school before flight surgeon training can begin.
Each branch of service utilizes its flight surgeons in slightly different ways, so the education is different for each. US Army Flight Surgeons are focused on the branch’s helicopter pilots, as well as their teams and families. US Navy flight surgeons deal primarily with pilots and crew of carrier-based planes. In the Air Force, entry-level flight surgeons may be involved with base aircrews before advancing to a higher level of service, such as in NASA aerospace medicine. Training for each branch ranges from introductory courses of about two months to three-year programs in advanced care procedures.
The term “flight surgeon” would only apply in times of war or after accidents, when he would be called upon to treat and even operate on patients and the wounded during air transport. Each service branch requires its flight surgeons to fly from time to time, even if most of the time is spent at a clinic on base. Other common requirements for becoming a flight surgeon are a security clearance and the ability to pass a military aptitude test.
These aviation medicine specialists who have been used since the beginning of military aviation in the early 20th century to assess and protect the health of pilots and flight crews. Performing regular flight checkups is a key responsibility of this type of doctor. Aviation medical examiners are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform this duty in the civil field.
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