Sarah Adlington Wellington Hospital

BIOGRAPHY
Dr Sarah Aldington has spent her career trying to combine her love of flying with her job. After obtaining her pilot’s license in 2005 she completed her masters degree in Aviation Medicine. She spent 5 years working for Air New Zealand and was a Senior Lecturer in Aviation Medicine at the University of Otago. She is currently retraining in Emergency Medicine with a view to embarking on a new career in Aeromedical Retrieval.

ABSTRACT

Pilots As Patients
The CAA requires that all commercial pilots younger than age 40 have their medical certificates renewed annually and pilots 40 and older must have them renewed every six months. Recreational pilots must also meet medical requirements although they are less stringent than for commercial pilots. Pilot incapacitations are fortunately rare but can be catastrophic depending on the number of passengers on board. The high profile suicide of a Germanwings pilot, which resulted in the death of 150 passengers, and more recently the in-flight death of an American Airlines pilot, highlighted the need to be alert to the impact of pilot’s medical problems on flight safety. Health considerations in pilots differ from those of the non-pilot population and can change the investigation, management and disposition of this patient group. Hospital physicians and general practitioners should be aware of the impact of certain medical conditions on a pilot’s fitness to fly and the regulatory reporting requirements that accompany them.