Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Nov 01, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Aerospace power has expanded strategic boundaries of nations, says Air Chief ‘Military aviation has become more challenging’ BANGALORE: Emphasising the need for aviation medicine to be expanded to cover civil aviation needs, Chief of Air Staff F.H. Major on Wednesday said a new Medical Evaluation Centre was being set up at the Air India complex in Mumbai for civilian pilots. To be headed by an Indian Air Force (IAF) person, the centre will give pilots one more facility to complete their crucial fitness test. Earlier, civilian pilots had to depend only on the Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM) in Bangalore and similar centres in Delhi and Jorhat in Assam for their medical evaluation. The Air Chief was in the city to inaugurate the 47th annual conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine. Aerospace power, he said, had expanded the strategic boundaries of nations. This in turn had increased the need for speed and mobility of response and precision targeting. The war machines had increasingly become more potent and extremely manoeuvrable. In this scenario, aviation medicine specialists had to relate to the aviators themselves, he said. The Air Chief said military aviation had become considerably more challenging. The IAF, with its acquisition of more technologically savvy aircraft, was faced with problems such as spatial disorientation, loneliness of pilots during long duration flights, boredom, drowsiness, hydration and other issues related to in-flight nutrition. Since long duration flights would also mean periods of intense activity, the need to maintain mental alertness was paramount, according to Air Chief Marshal Major. He said medical support to military operations was as vital as the operations themselves. “Our pilots are now learning the nuances of such flights. The aircrew should acquire specialised knowledge of human physiology. The intangible psychological factors need to be recognised,” he observed. Space medicineThe Air Chief said the arena of space too was slowly getting into the sphere of aviation medicine. The IAM, he said, was already in touch with the ISRO on the manned space mission. “The IAM has chartered out a roadmap for aero-medical support for such flights.” On the huge potential for aviation growth in the country, he drew attention to the vast number of unused airfields. Bellary had four airfields three of which were lying unused. On air safety and aviation medicine in the civil aviation sector, Capt. Gopinath reiterated the need for more centres for aircrew fitness evaluation.
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