Aviation Medicine: Illness and Limitations for Flying

The world has celebrated over 100 years of powered flight. In December 1903, on a very windy beach in North Carolina, USA, Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully designed, built, and flew the first powered aircraft. In the air for only seconds, it marked the beginning of modern aviation. In just a short time span, aviation has progressed to high-altitude flight, flight at supersonic speeds, and flight to space and back. Aviation is integrated into our modern world and has blurred the boundaries of countries, enhanced business and communication across the world, and become an integral part of military operations. Much has been learned in a century of flight, including the importance of aeromedical factors on the safety of flight.