This Month in Aerospace Medicine History
September 1996
The eyes have it (Armstrong Laboratory, Brooks AFB, TX): “Retinal detachment is a serious ocular condition, even though 85% can be repaired permanently. Long-term complications include decreased or loss of vision, redetachment, visual field changes, and proliferative vitreoretinpathy. To assess the effect of retinal detachment on flying careers, we reviewed the records of all aviators with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment who were examined…at the Armstrong Laboratory… from 1967–1986. Of the 19 flyers, 12 were returned to flying duties; only 2 were disqualified for ocular reasons alone. In 10 flyers, the detachments were previously undiagnosed. Associated vitreoretinal pathology was common in both eyes (42%). All received some type of treatment. Redetachment occurred in 4 flyers, but the overall final reattachment rate was 95%. Final posttreatment visual acuities were 20/20 or better in 16 flyers. Treatment-induced myopia was common. Many flyers enjoyed long flying careers after detachment repairs…
“In conclusion, the data compiled thus far support continuation of the policy to return those aviators to flying duty who have experienced good visual recoveries from their retinal detachments.” 2
September 1971
Aviation suitability using EEGs (USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, TX): “Coincident with the beginning of the Second World War, attempts were made at the USAF School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph AFB, Texas, and at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, to develop electroencephalographic methods for determining the suitability of candidates for flight training. These efforts were largely unsuccessful, but hope remained…
“Of the 2,947 senior cadets at the United States Air Force Academy [1965-1969] who were studied electroencephalographically: 2.9% had abnormal EEG’s [“strikingly low” compared to the normal population per the article]; 23.9% admitted having a history of head trauma; and 14.6% may have sustained at least a cerebral concussion. 3.0% of the cadets admitting to a history of head trauma had abnormal EEG’s. Of the 14 cadets (0.5%) with spike or spike-wave abnormalities, five admitted having a history of head trauma.” 4
Decreased motivation for flight (Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, FL): “Flight students [displaying “psychophysiologic and conversion mechanisms as an unconscious expression of the student pilot’s decreasing motivation for further flight training”] are characterized by a family life style of excessive use of rationalization, blaming others for their own shortcomings, exaggerating minor complaints into disabling symptoms and manifesting very little subjective concern about them (la belle indifférence). They don’t look for disability compensation and they unconsciously force the examiner into removing them from flight status. If this is not swiftly accomplished they are apt to develop new symptoms. Four case histories are used to illustrate how the flight surgeon can interview the failing student by listening with a ‘third ear’ for such checkpoints as life style, problem-solving techniques, slips of the tongue and metaphors [sic]. These data along with health record and flight record information then point to the proper disposition.” 3
September 1946
Impact decelerator (National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD): “The problem of aircraft crash injuries has led to a study of the force of the impact, its duration and the characteristic pattern of this relationship. It is now evident that the total energy of a damaging impact may be dissipated in a manner to avoid injury. The determination of a force-time application capable of minimizing injury has required many separate investigations utilizing different techniques…
“The effects of impact upon human subjects on the impact decelerator were studied by high speed cinematography [ Fig. 1 ]. The motion pictures were taken at a rate of 3,000 frames a second, permitting the action to be slowed 125 times when projected at the standard rate of twenty-four frames per second.” 1
Citation: Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance 92, 9; 10.3357/AMHP.5951.2021
“The impact decelerator. Impact forces are transmitted to the subject through the rod (H) and shoulder and belly straps by the arresting of falling weights (J) by the load rod head (I). These forces are measured by SR4 wire strain gages attached to the rod.”
