WEBVTT 00:02.363 --> 00:03.893 - [Voiceover] So, the tough thing is 00:03.893 --> 00:05.976 there's not enough of us. 00:07.054 --> 00:08.833 I think that there should be more of us 00:08.833 --> 00:10.412 and I think that's something the Air Force 00:10.412 --> 00:12.824 is working towards by putting physicians 00:12.824 --> 00:15.824 through the pilot training pipeline. 00:16.237 --> 00:18.465 - [Voiceover] You know, sometimes there's this 00:18.465 --> 00:20.297 interesting dynamics between pilots 00:20.297 --> 00:22.472 and their physicians, their flight surgeons. 00:22.472 --> 00:25.903 But when they see pilots wings on a flight surgeon, 00:25.903 --> 00:29.365 they know, like, "I really can trust you." 00:29.365 --> 00:30.771 - [Voiceover] The idea is that we're able 00:30.771 --> 00:33.021 to meld the two disciplines 00:33.131 --> 00:35.185 in order to help the Air Force 00:35.185 --> 00:39.215 with unique knowledge of human factors, human performance. 00:39.215 --> 00:41.789 - [Voiceover] I worked on helmets for the typhoon program. 00:41.789 --> 00:43.930 F-35, the early helmet-mounted displays. 00:43.930 --> 00:46.106 We did some usability testing 00:46.106 --> 00:47.815 for the early F-35 helmets. 00:47.815 --> 00:50.857 A lot of full-coverage G-Suit protection immersion suits. 00:50.857 --> 00:52.940 ^When I was doing my TDY's 00:53.150 --> 00:55.248 ^through my residency course for two years, 00:55.248 --> 00:56.282 anywhere I went, 00:56.282 --> 00:58.785 I had my briefing and I had G-Suits. 00:58.785 --> 01:00.812 I said, "Here's the G-Suits, here's the briefing, 01:00.812 --> 01:03.168 ^"I want to educate anybody I can." 01:03.168 --> 01:06.418 ^For me, it was evidence-based medicine. 01:06.897 --> 01:08.465 ^It was preventive medicine. 01:08.465 --> 01:10.777 ^You can do something that can mitigate 01:10.777 --> 01:11.944 a bad outcome. 01:12.603 --> 01:13.436 - The earlier the better 01:13.436 --> 01:16.330 because it's much easier to fix a problem 01:16.330 --> 01:18.010 the earlier in the life cycle development 01:18.010 --> 01:19.260 you can get it. 01:19.262 --> 01:20.525 ^With any new air frame, 01:20.525 --> 01:21.860 ^there are gonna be issues. 01:21.860 --> 01:25.610 ^A good example was the F-22 had some concerns 01:25.626 --> 01:28.709 with the oxygen-generating equipment. 01:29.396 --> 01:33.283 Jay "Bones" Flottmann was our F-22 pilot physician. 01:33.283 --> 01:34.116 He was there. 01:34.116 --> 01:35.631 He had the credibility with the air crews 01:35.631 --> 01:37.600 because he flew the F-22, 01:37.600 --> 01:40.163 but he had the knowledge that he needed as a physician 01:40.163 --> 01:42.417 in order to rapidly be able to rule out, 01:42.417 --> 01:44.351 you know, things that it wasn't 01:44.351 --> 01:47.412 and be a real aid in figuring out what it was. 01:47.412 --> 01:48.559 - What the general and I will talk about 01:48.559 --> 01:50.809 is the reliability of the valve. 01:50.809 --> 01:52.415 - [Voiceover] It's almost like your bilingual, you know? 01:52.415 --> 01:54.957 You know the medicine, you know the physiology, 01:54.957 --> 01:57.185 you have the tie-ins to the Air Force medical service, 01:57.185 --> 01:58.713 but you've also been there as a pilot, 01:58.713 --> 02:00.509 as an operator doing that mission. 02:00.509 --> 02:02.364 It's almost like you don't need to interpret 02:02.364 --> 02:03.393 one or the other. 02:03.393 --> 02:06.233 You can, kind of, be a clear interface. 02:06.233 --> 02:08.613 - [Voiceover] We're looking at it now, EOD. 02:08.613 --> 02:11.196 They have special demands and special needs, 02:11.196 --> 02:12.568 remotely piloted aircraft. 02:12.568 --> 02:15.130 We talked about how they have needs 02:15.130 --> 02:17.010 that we're just now realizing. 02:17.010 --> 02:20.235 So, any special operational duty could have 02:20.235 --> 02:22.985 a physician with experience in it 02:23.083 --> 02:25.265 and that would be valuable. 02:25.265 --> 02:28.113 When you look at this career field, 02:28.113 --> 02:31.531 it's a collection of people who've overcome 02:31.531 --> 02:34.644 the odds and invested amazing time and effort. 02:34.644 --> 02:36.371 I think the Air Force recognizes it 02:36.371 --> 02:39.621 with the opportunity to use our skills, 02:39.926 --> 02:41.843 so that's what I value.