Medically Disqualifying Conditions Among Aircrew Candidates

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Military Health

Background:

• Strict medical selection is crucial for Israeli Air Force (IAF) Flight Academy candidates due to extreme flight stressors.
• Disqualification causes vary among air forces based on selection processes and criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the specific medical conditions leading to disqualification of candidates for the IAF Flight Academy.
• To analyze the prevalence and categories of medical disqualifications in flight candidates.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of medical records for 3281 IAF Flight Academy candidates.
• Analysis of disqualification causes categorized from June 2016 to March 2018.

Main Results:

• 15.8% (519) of candidates were disqualified.
• Ophthalmological conditions accounted for over half (55.0%) of disqualifications, with unsatisfactory visual acuity being the primary factor (57.4%).
• Other significant causes included asthma (7.9%), allergic rhinitis (7.3%), and renal/urinary or otolaryngologic conditions (5.2% each).

Conclusions:

• Ophthalmological conditions are the leading cause of disqualification for IAF Flight Academy candidates, consistent with trends in other air forces.
• The study underscores the importance of regularly reviewing and potentially updating medical selection criteria for flight candidates.