Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jul 1985
Will they fly again? The probability of wounded military aviators returning to flying duty: a study of 70 cases.
In this study, 70 Israeli Air Force aviators, most of them suffering from severe or moderately-severe injuries, were evaluated as to their potential to return to active flying duty. Of these, 59 (84%) were able to return to flying and 11 (16%) were permanently grounded. While 44 of 51 fighter aviators (86%) returned to flying, only 30 of them (59%) returned to fly fighters, and the rest were transferred to another type of aircraft. ⋯ In each case a single injury could be demonstrated as the direct cause of their permanent grounding. All aviators were followed-up for 3 years after having returned to flying. It was concluded that an evaluation period of 2 years is sufficient to determine the long-term success of military aviators returning to flying.