Keeping the Aircrew Healthy in the United States Air Force

A retired colonel with nearly 50 years of service in the United States Air Force, Daniel Skotte most recently served as the medical group commander of the 146th Airlift Wing of the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in California. Daniel Skotte has held other roles in the US Air Force, including flight surgeon and chief of aerospace medicine. 

The US Air Force strives to provide its members with quality health care. To that end, the Air Force recruits healthcare professionals who are qualified to treat routine medical problems as well as special problems. Flight surgeons and aerospace medicine specialists are specifically trained to prevent, identify, and manage physiological problems that can occur in people who travel in air or space.

To become a flight surgeon or aerospace medicine specialist, a physician must undergo accredited postgraduate training that emphasizes the significant physical challenges that can result from radiation exposure, G-forces, hypoxic conditions, and time in microgravity. Additionally, specialists are responsible for evaluating aircrew members to ensure that they are always in peak physical condition. 

Each year, all aircrew members must undergo physicals to maintain their credentials. To build and maintain trust between crew and physician, flight surgeons and aerospace medicine specialists log flight time each month and are considered key members of every aircrew.