Extension of Flight Career for Military Trainer Pilots: Policy and Aeromedical Conerns

溫德生(Te-Sheng Wen)

中華民國航空醫學會刊 14 卷 1 期 (1999 / 12 / 01) P3-13

Aging has been defined as a decreased ability to maintain homeostasis. Moreover, stress and illness may also accelerate this nature process over the life-span. In military aviation, pilot age is a major factor which determines if the individual is allowed to continue flying. Medical fellow-up and policy of medical waiver are necessitated for operational justification. It has been demonstrated that physical and mental conditions start to decline in early middle age. For instance, changes in the overall muscle strength begin at approximately age 35. There is a gradual decrease in vital capacity together with an increase in residual volume due to loss of lung elasticity. Maximum heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output diminish with age, stemming probably from reduced baroreceptor sensitivity. As age progresses hearing and sight are both impaired irreversibly. Short-term memory is usually delayed, which may he linked to an inability to learn new skill. Jobs requiring continuous rapid action will be hard to deal with. As anticipated, there was a tendency for aged pilots revealing poorer performance during the refresher phase of physiological training. It was worthy of noting that senior pilots' time of useful consciousness and straining G tolerance became slightly lower after age 35. When comparing the percent of successfully completing all profiles of human centrifuge run, the elder were inferior to the younger due to their earlier fatigue. But there were fewer G-LOG cases associated with this community. ROCAF academy has employed retired fighter pilots as full-time jet trainer instructors since 1995. This is to take advantage of their indelible experience and enthusiasm. Currently, the authority is considering to lengthen their duration of employment till age 55. Although task experience is rather resistant to chronological age, specific medical standards and waiver policies still request to he implemented.