We believe that pilots should really ascribe to a higher standard of
health," he says.
Altitude, fatigue, and the stress of flying really does affect your judgment and abilities
in the cockpit, and fitness plays a strong role in that." The program is confidential and aims to provide pilots with a safe environment
for them to face health issues. Pilot Medical Solutions' clients range from
commercial pilots who must be evaluated several times a year to recreational (private)
pilots who renew their medical certification every two years.
"Many pilots really don't know if they can pass or not;
they do not feel comfortable because of a heart condition or high blood pressure,"
Hale says. "Typically, a lot of pilots we work with are trying to maintain
their first-class medical."
Pilots undergo a fitness evaluation, and a detailed clinical
program is developed. In the cases where pilots took their FAA test and failed, the
results determine what needs improvement.
Pilot Medical Solutions is accompanied by an advisory board
comprised of cardiologist, family practitioners, orthopedists, allied health
professionals, and aviation medical examiners. Legal counsel is also provided by an
attorney specializing in aviation law. Clients' names are not revealed when their
medical and legal cases reviewed, Hale says.
"What we do is very detailed," he says. We're
constantly in touch with [clients], sometimes on a daily basis. We may spend 15 to
20 hours a week working with just one person. We want to make a lasting change for
them."
The program is very intense for at least six to eight weeks, Hale says, but some
clients require as long as six to eight months to get back into shape.
Hale's background includes working in the cardiology rehabilitation and
prevention department at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, Calif. He has
more than 12 years of experience in health, fitness and sports medicine, and was a
personal trainer for celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Ralph Lauren.
A graduate of the University of Oklahoma who lettered in
football, Hale interned at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., and completed
his post-graduate education with the American College of Sports Medicine.
An instrument-rated pilot with about 600 hours of flight time,
Hale says he found that some of his fellow pilots were coming to him for help in getting
in shape for their medical evaluations. Some of them were older, he says, battling
high blood pressure or heart problems. After designing programs for friends and
acquaintances for several months, Hale decided to offer his services to all pilots.
Now about 60 percent of Pilot Medical Solutions' clients are
commercial pilots and instructors, striving to keep themselves in shape for the first- and
second-class medical evaluations. A smaller percentage are general aviation pilots
who are not sure they will pass the third-class medical, or already failed it and want to
try again.
For more information about the program, write: Pilot Medical
Solutions, 5901 Philip J. Rhoades, Bethany, Oklahoma, 73008; or call
800-699-4457.
IN FLIGHT MAGAZINE
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