Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
This paper examines the historic but tragic first human vertical rocket flight which took place in south-western Germany on 1 March 1945. The primary lesson learned from the flight was that, as a result of the combination of psychological and physiological stresses, a human pilot could not be expected to fly a vertically launched rocket manually. A...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the condition in which blood clots form within the venous circulatory system, and consist of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and PEs (Pulmonary emboli). It is a common condition, with an estimated life-time risk of 8% and an annual incidence of 0.84-1 per 1000 population1, 2 and represents a significant economic burden: w...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
This paper will examine the impacts of obesity in aviation medicine. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the problems of obesity and being overweight as one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century (1) and this will certainly lead to increasing numbers of obese aviators (or potential aviators) presenting for medica...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique and challenging environment for aeromedical organisations. We present lessons learnt during the development and implementation of our operational processes and procedures at The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Western Operations for the transfer of suspected COVID-19 patients. To date, we have conduct...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Aim Defibrillation is a critical aspect of advanced life support, but the inherent risks in the procedure are increased when used during an aeromedical retrieval. The dangers of defibrillation in flight can be divided in to fire, electrical, avionic interference and physical carriage and packaging. A limited body of evidence exists concerning defib...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Aim Pilot training has always been a relatively expensive undertaking. So attempts to control these costs by predicting the likelihood of success or failure is a constant that is almost as old as aviation itself. Incorporation of Psychometric testing was made to pilot selection in the years between the first and second world wars. Despite the many ...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Aim The purpose of this research was to employ radiobiological as well as physics principles to investigate materials for an intravehicular spacesuit and a “storm shelter” that might minimize radiation exposure to astronauts during a mission to Mars. Methods NASA’s OLTARIS space radiation modelling tool was used to investigate thirty-two potential ...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
A number of studies indicate that pilots have approximately double the risk of developing melanoma compared to the general population. It is not clear which aetiological factors underpin this increase in risk. Possibilities include leisure time sun exposure, cosmic radiation, circadian rhythm disruption and UV exposures in the cockpit. This brief r...
Published in Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine
Aim To compare occupational flying hours (a surrogate for occupational exposure to radiation) of commercial pilots subsequently diagnosed with melanoma, with those without melanoma. Methods Nested case-control study of de-identified male commercial pilots in Australia 2011-2016, ascertained through the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Cases ...
