ABSTRACT
The pilot will hope that an assessment of fitness to operate will make sure that their flying companions are fit to entrust their lives to but also that the process will not exclude them personally from a valued career. There is a perceived benefit in making an assessment of fitness to operate as a pilot which has been influenced by events, accidents and experiences since the start of flying. There is an understanding that a healthier pilot is a safer pilot as in the World Health Organization definition where health is not merely the absence of disease but a state of optimum physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Professional pilots undergo a detailed medical assessment when entering the profession. A medical or the issuing of a certificate of fitness is an attempt to confirm that on day one of the medical cycle the pilot is physically and psychiatrically fit to operate.
