Aerospace Medicine

Fundamental personal values are reflected in the choices and decisions made in every aspect of our lives. This descriptive study identified values held by a convenience sample of 224 Air Force nurses stationed at four U.S. Air Force medical facilities. Study participants identified seven of eight literature-supported values in the categories "important" or "very important" across the demographic factors of age, gender, educational level, military rank, marital status, and years of Air Force or civilian nursing experience.

Subjects were Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots and this investigator (N = 8). Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured during a localizer approach for both inflight and simulator phases of the study. SCR's were noted following all ground controller altitude and heading change instructions and for all pilot-initiated heading and altitude changes employed to comply with the localizer approach plate. Inflight SCR's following ground controller instructions were substantially greater than those related to pilot initiated responses to cockpit information.

Freefall parachuting is a demanding activity which, at times, is profoundly stressful. Fifty-nine freefall parachutists completed a survey which dealt with parachuting experience, levels of perceived stress, sources of stress, episodes of altered consciousness, and use of hypnotic techniques in preparation for freefall.

The methods presently applied in the psychological training of astronauts are based on the principle of ensuring maximum performance of astronauts during missions. The shortcomings are obvious since those undergoing training provide nothing but the best ability to cope with Earth problem situations and add simply an experience of space problem situations as they are presently conceived. Earth attitudes and Earth behaviour remain and are simply modified.

A 46-year-old Caucasian male USAF aviator with a 6-year history of mild essential hypertension (medical waiver for flight duty) under unsuccessful treatment with hydrochlorothiazide, dietary modification, and exercise, was subsequently trained in yoga relaxation. After 6 weeks, medication had been discontinued, and his diastolic blood pressure remained within normal levels. The patient was subsequently returned to full flight status without recurrence of diastolic hypertension at followup 6 months later.

In medical fitness examinations of commercial pilots, extensive vestibular investigations should be conducted. In particular, the pendular test, as a weak rotational stimulation method, can disclose central vestibular disorders. Thus, the central nystagmus tracing can be considered as a sign of irritation of vestibular centers, most frequently as a consequence of head trauma, a finding that may influence the decision in the enlistment of the pilot. In contrast, a small nystagmus amplitude tracing is observed in cases of insufficient blood supply, occurring mostly in elderly persons.

To examine the type and effectiveness of various strategies used by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fast jet (FJ) aircrew in self-referral and management of flight-related neck pain, a 6-section, 18-question survey tool was distributed to 86 eligible RAAF aircrew. Selective results from the sections evaluating aircrew demographics, incidence of flight-related neck pain, and the self-referral strategies of aircrew to manage these injuries are presented here. Eighty-two RAAF FJ aircrew responded to the survey. Ninety-five percent of the respondents experienced flight-related neck pain.

Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong, we designed a new anti-G maneuver, the Q-G Maneuver, which has proved promising. This maneuver consists of volition mobilization, stepwise tensing of leg and abdominal muscles, and maintenance of a shallow thoracic respiration throughout. It was tested on 24 pilots on the ground and 3 pilots on a centrifuge. All pilots were monitored with heart level blood pressure, oximetry, ear lobe pulse, CO2 concentration in exhaled gas, EEG and ECG; in centrifuge runs, peripheral vision was also monitored.