East meets West: a comparison of eastern block/western aeromedical practices

Under the auspices of the European Command (EUCOM) Military-to-Military Exchange Program, the authors participated in 13 trips to visit aeromedical facilities of nine Eastern European nations (Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia). In addition, eight of these Eastern European nations visited United States Air Force (USAF) aeromedical facilities. This article highlights the similarities and differences noted between the USAF and Eastern Europe in the practice of aerospace medicine. Flight surgeons from both Eastern Europe and the USAF address issues such as physiologic stresses of flight (acceleration, hypoxia, etc.) and lifestyle stresses (rest, diet, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.). Eastern European Flight Surgeons do not regularly fly. The Eastern European approach to medical standards and screening for aviation applicants is much stricter and more comprehensive than ours. Several of the nations visited had active research programs at their central aeromedical institute emphasizing aircrew selection and retention standards. With the exception of the Czech Republic, Eastern European nations did not routinely grant waivers for chronic medical conditions such as hypertension in aircrew. Soviet-built aircraft had many unique features such as an outside-in attitude indicator and an auto-recovery system.