Related Experiment Videos
Flight crew physical fitness: a baseline analysis
Introduction:
The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether flight crew personnel are physically fit in comparison to published standards for the average American adult.
Setting:
The study group consisted of pilots, paramedics and nurses in two similarly configured and geographically located rotor-wing air medical transport programs.
Methods:
A physical fitness assessment of flight crew members was conducted. The results were compared with published standards for average adult males and females (AVG). Percentage of fat in body composition (FM%), aerobic fitness (VO2MAX), muscular endurance (ME), muscular strength (MS) and flexibility (FL) measurements were obtained using accepted testing methods.
Results:
The study population consisted of 29 male and 21 female individuals. The following were their mean scores. Males averaged: pFAT = 19% (AVG = 20.0%); VO2MAX = 41.0 (AVG = 42.5); ME = 37.0 (AVG = 28.5); MS = 125.0 (AVG = 86.5); FL = 5.2 (AVG = 1.4); Females averaged: pFAT = 28.0% (AVG = 26.5%); VO2MAX (AVG = 34.0); ME = 27.0 (AVG = 21.0); MS = 83.0 (AVG = 76.5); FL = 4.5 (AVG = 3.4).
Conclusion:
These baseline data suggest the study population of air medical flight crew was physically fit compared to the average American adult.