Health profile of U.S. Navy pilots of electronically modified aircraft

This study compared hospitalization rates of pilots who primarily flew electronically modified aircraft (n = 1,063) with an age-matched group of pilots who flew other types of aircraft (n = 2,126). Of the two groups, control pilots at ages 21-26 had a significantly higher mortality rate for aviation-related injuries and a higher hospitalization rate for the diagnostic category of accidents, poisonings, and violence. Their hospitalization rates also were significantly higher than pilots of electronically modified aircraft for mental disorders at ages 27-32 and supplementary classifications at ages 39-44. Significant age-specific increases in rates were observed for cardiovascular disease and alcoholism in the control group whereas no significant increases were noted for pilots of electronic models. Pilots in the latter group had low rates for conditions postulated as related to radiation exposure. Such results indicated that pilots of electronically modified aircraft were not at increased risk for illness or injury because of the aircraft models they primarily flew.