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Mayo Clinic Concept: Remote Flight Physicals

As the field of AMEs continues to thin and demand for FAA medical certification rises, kiosk-based flight physicals could make a lot of sense.

A screen grab from the MedWand Solutions Virtual Care Clinic software displaying real-time data from an electronic stethoscope.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA's medical certification system is facing a severe shortage of Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) and extensive processing delays, leading to a growing problem of grounding otherwise capable pilots.
  • The Mayo Clinic's Aerospace Medicine department is developing and testing a proof-of-concept for remote flight physicals using virtual examination kiosks and advanced biometric technology.
  • This initiative aims to alleviate the AME shortage, provide a more accessible and efficient certification pathway for healthier pilots, and offer a flexible option for examiners, though it's not intended to fully replace complex in-person exams.
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The respected Mayo Clinic’s Aerospace Medicine department seems the perfect clinical advisor to the FAA, particularly at a time when the agency’s medical certification division can’t seem to keep up with demand.

Moreover, with large health care companies buying up mom-and-pop medical practices, there’s a huge shortage of AMEs available to administer exams and issue medical certificates. That’s grounding otherwise capable and fit pilots. With virtual medical visits common in the pedestrian world, why not virtual visits with AMEs, too?

Larry Anglisano

Larry Anglisano is the former Editor in Chief of sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. He's an active land, sea and glider pilot, and has over 30 years experience as an avionics tech.

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