AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018 - 30

FLY WELL

Long play

BY DR. JONATHAN M. SACKIER

Maintain your health to maximize your flying years
"HOW LONG DO I HAVE?" asked the querulous patient.

"Let's put it like this," responded his diffident doc, "don't
buy any long-playing records." LPs are history, but if you
don't want to follow suit, follow the bouncing ball and
spot how many music idioms pepper this piece.
The FAA doesn't consider age a factor to ascertain whether one can act as pilot in command of a
noncommercial flight, but with increasing age, certain diseases become more prevalent. Poor lifestyle
choices are linked to a shorter lifespan-and healthspan, the period of time to enjoy quality of life. You
want a long flyspan? Make good decisions to maximize
your healthy flying years.

To stay fit as a fiddle, be well-informed, have
regular checkups, and be alert to news items
germane to your situation.

DR. JONATHAN SACKIER

answers members'
medical questions
through the AOPA
Pilot Protection
Services program
(www.aopa.org/
pps).

Playing a love song for your sweetie builds heartfelt connections, but eating something sweet destroys
your heart. Also cut down on fat, salt, and red meat.
The famous Italian song Volare, recorded 60 years ago,
referred to flying. Want another 60 years of flying? Eat
like Italians and other Mediterranean people: olive oil,
red wine, fish, and vegetables. Avoid obesity, enjoy meaningful exercise, laugh often, and delight in the company
of good people.
I know I sound like a broken record, but understanding personal health risks is important. It takes
two to tango; ask your doctor about dance steps to mitigate risk. You also can have an inexpensive genetic
screening to look for specific risks to your healthspan.
Additionally, screening tests can find diseases
before they cause catastrophic sequelae; find and
address problems early. Assessments include blood
pressure measurement, colonoscopy, bone density,
aortic aneurysm, or carotid artery scans. Checkups
keep the needle in the groove.
We have sometimes seen aviators keeping information from their aviation medical examiner, fearful
of the consequences. This is never a good idea and at
some point, one will have to face the music and deal
with the medical and legal consequences. If you know
a pilot who you think should not be flying, don't make a
song and dance about it, but talk to the pilot quietly and
compassionately. Such pilots may be in denial about

30 | AOPA PILOT February 2018

the risk they pose to themselves, to others who fly with
them, to those on the ground, or to GA by association.
To stay fit as a fiddle, be well-informed, have regular checkups, and be alert to news items germane
to your situation. "Miracle cures" claiming to extend
quantity and quality of life should not strike a chord;
there are no shortcuts to being fit and spry into your
later years. However, older pilots should use supplemental oxygen more liberally as lungs and heart age,
and remember to wet your whistle and keep hydrated.
Each year, review how physical capabilities may
affect your flying. A wise pilot knows when she has
made her last landing, a foolish one does not know
he has made his last takeoff. A dear friend of mine
marches to the beat of his own drum-three miles a
day, to be specific-and he is in his 90s. Recognizing his
limitations, he now only flies daytime VFR. An elderly
lady friend accepts that to some degree she must play
second fiddle and always takes along a safety pilot.
Should a disqualifying medical condition arise, you
may have to change your tune like she did and accept
that your days as PIC, but not as an aviator, are over.
Aerobatics pose specific constraints for older
pilots; to conduct these maneuvers requires training,
judgment, and good balance. But as we age, the three
systems we employ for positional awareness deteriorate.
Our eyes provide critical clues and diminished long- or
short-range vision may impact your ability to monitor
the horizon or flight instruments. Age-related changes
to the inner ear (or loud rock and roll) and proprioception, the innate sense where our body parts are in space,
also decrease the ability to handle loops, rolls, and spins.
Remember FAR 61.53, which effectively demands
we self-assess every time we fly. With age, physical wear
and tear, and increased use of medication, self-assessment needs to be front and center each time one steps
into the cockpit.
If medical problems potentially threaten your flyspan, contact AOPA Pilot Protection Services (www.
aopa.org/pps), which can prevent you hitting any wrong
notes and ensure you and the FAA are singing from the
same song sheet. AOPA also has resources for older folks
wanting to fly again (www.aopa.org/rustypilots).
Fine tune your body, hit the right note, and let your
flying career be a long player.
AOPA
EMAIL DrJonathanSackier@gmail.com

http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/rustypilots http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/pps

AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018

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