Directorate for Bundeswehr Aviation Medicine

With three organizational positions, the Directorate for Bundeswehr Aviation Medicine is a rather small team in the German Military Aviation Authority. It develops aeromedical fitness requirements for the medical assessment of Bundeswehr aviation personnel. The same applies to provisions with regard to human performance training (aviation physiology) for Bundeswehr aviation personnel. Aeromedical regulations in compliance with both national and international legal norms as well as civil and military provisions are taken into account for this purpose. Within the German Military Aviation Authority, the Directorate for Bundeswehr Aviation Medicine acts as an advisor to the specialist divisions to ensure flight operations from the aeromedical perspective, e.g. in issues regarding the human factor (duty hours and rest time, time zones), medical emergency services at airfields as well as issues regarding the licensing of Bundeswehr aeromedical experts. In addition, the Directorate assigns the Consulting Medical Officer to the German Military Aviation Authority, whose general task is to provide advice to the agency head in all issues of medical care, health care, preventive health care as well as the operational and command doctrines of the Bundeswehr Medical Service.

Zoom

National Cooperation

Even beyond the office, the Directorate for Bundeswehr Aviation Medicine is a competent point of contact with regard to aeromedical issues on a national basis. Examples include:

1. Cooperation with the Federal Supervisory Office for Air Traffic Control in issues of the aeromedical fitness of air traffic controllers, and within the scope of the Federal Office’s supervision of flight surgeons (aeromedical experts) and aeromedical centers that work within the Federal Office’s sphere of responsibility, and

2. close technical cooperation with the Federal Aviation Office in issues of the fitness of aviation personnel.

International Cooperation

On an international level, the Directorate for Bundeswehr Aviation Medicine makes technical contributions to various international and multinational bodies, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASAEuropäische Agentur für Flugsicherheit) and NATO, and takes part in various civil and military working groups. Within NATO, one focus is on standardization to improve the capability of conducting NATO-wide collaborations.

Technical Examination as an Example of Internal Cooperation

Within the scope of technical examinations for Section 4 II a, the three staff members re-licensed a total of 91 Bundeswehr aeromedical experts in 2019. In addition, twelve training and advanced training courses were verified on a technical level, and their contents and relevance were evaluated from the aeromedical perspective.