Surgical hardware's impact on a USAF recruit?

My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.

TIA.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

"Raptor" wrote in message ...
My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.

TIA.




Would be interesting watching the boy try to get through airport scanners.



Cheers

Dave Kearton

"Raptor" wrote

My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.

I don't think you'll be able to find a Dr. in the U.S. that would be willing
to remove the the parts. A fracture that requires pins and rods is a
permanent thing.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I think a flight surgeon
would probably approve any case which didn't cause a weakness in
one arm versus the other. The young man should probably begin some
type of therapy (even on his own) where his capability to lift and
extend (range of motion) is the same in both arms.

"Gene Storey" wrote in message

"Raptor" wrote

My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in
his high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a
broken arm (skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal
plates, which he still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.

I don't think you'll be able to find a Dr. in the U.S. that would be
willing to remove the the parts. A fracture that requires pins and
rods is a permanent thing.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I think a flight surgeon
would probably approve any case which didn't cause a weakness in
one arm versus the other. The young man should probably begin some
type of therapy (even on his own) where his capability to lift and
extend (range of motion) is the same in both arms.

I could see potentially horrible things happening to that poor kid's arm if
he ever had to eject at high speeds...

--
http://www.delversdungeon.dragonsfoot.org
Remove the X's in my email address to respond.
"Damn you Silvey, and your endless fortunes." - Stephen Weir
I hate furries.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 20:48:03 -0600,
Raptor wrote:
My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.


it could. he and his mom need to sit down and talk with the treating
orthopod and discuss the issue.

however he has time and who knows by the time he is ready to raise his
right hand, he might decide being a tank gunner is better.

interesting site that discusses this sort of thing from the navy perspective
is:

www.vnh.org/AeroWaiverGuide/toc97.html

"Bill Silvey" wrote

I could see potentially horrible things happening to that poor kid's arm if
he ever had to eject at high speeds...

Not many regular humans fare well :-)

I know of two cases where pilots who ejected and were mangled enough to
take years of surgery and made it back into the fighter cockpit.

The difference there being that the injured was already trained, but I can't
see having a pin or rod making one disabled, unless they lost strength or
motion, which is often the case, as the rod and pins usually replace the
part of the bone that is missing, or too mangled to fuse back together.

I would probably encourage the youth in JROTC, but not pin his hopes on
one career at this stage.

My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.


One of my classmates from the Air Force Academy (class of 79) suffered a severe
broken leg during one of his jumps while on the jump team. The flight surgeon
installed several pieces of steel and screws in his leg. After recovery, he
was good as new. He graduated from the Academy with our class and went off to
pilot training with the rest of us. He graduated pilot training and flew the
C-141 for several years.





Kurt Todoroff


Markets, not mandates and mob rule.
Consent, not compulsion.

Remove "DELETEME" from my address to reply

"Gene Storey" wrote:

"Bill Silvey" wrote

I could see potentially horrible things happening to that poor kid's arm if
he ever had to eject at high speeds...

Not many regular humans fare well :-)

I know of two cases where pilots who ejected and were mangled enough to
take years of surgery and made it back into the fighter cockpit.

The difference there being that the injured was already trained, but I can't
see having a pin or rod making one disabled, unless they lost strength or
motion, which is often the case, as the rod and pins usually replace the
part of the bone that is missing, or too mangled to fuse back together.

I would probably encourage the youth in JROTC, but not pin his hopes on
one career at this stage.

Yes...all true...but very strange medical things have happened in
the Canadian Military. We once had a very experienced VPCC
(Maritime Patrol Crew Captain) lose sight in one eye when he 'bit
the dust' in Bermuda while driving a moped (what ASW guy doesn't
know those?). Anyhow, he cracked his skull which cut off one
optic nerve. They instantly grounded him and installed him into
an LMD in OPS. He fought tooth and nail for a couple of years and
got reinstated. I know him well, great guy, I was still amazed at
his accomplishments. I've never heard of any other. Last I heard
of him he was an Instructor Pilot at the school in Greenwood.
--

-Gord.

ELETEME (Kurt R. Todoroff) wrote:

My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.


One of my classmates from the Air Force Academy (class of 79) suffered a severe
broken leg during one of his jumps while on the jump team. The flight surgeon
installed several pieces of steel and screws in his leg. After recovery, he
was good as new. He graduated from the Academy with our class and went off to
pilot training with the rest of us. He graduated pilot training and flew the
C-141 for several years.

Kurt Todoroff

Not to sound too negative but there's a huge difference in what
the Military will accept when you're already a member and before
you are one.

I know, having battled a high-pitch hearing loss at every annual
aircrew medical for years.
--

-Gord.

"Dave Kearton" wrote:

"Raptor" wrote in message ...
My gf has a kid who's an airplane nut. He just enrolled in JROTC in his
high school and is suddenly motivated about school. He had a broken arm
(skater d00d) that was repaired with the usual metal plates, which he
still has.

Should this impact his flight eligibility? She's got great health
insurance and is tempted to have them removed if it does.

Would be interesting watching the boy try to get through airport scanners.

I've got a little more than two pounds of stainless steel bolted
to my right hip where I broke it in a bike crash. The airport
scanners see it maybe a little less than two times in five, on
average. (I estimate because I fly a lot but I don't keep count.)


Billy

http://www.two--four.net/weblog.php