Which of the following is a duty of an aeromedical evaluator?

• A. Diagnose acute medical emergencies in flight
• B. Assess medical fitness for duty, provide risk-based recommendations, and determine restrictions if necessary
• C. Manage aircraft maintenance schedule
• D. Schedule layovers

Answer: (B)

The essential duty is to assess medical fitness for duty, provide risk-based recommendations, and determine restrictions if necessary. This means evaluating whether a crew member’s medical condition and treatment could impair their ability to operate safely, taking into account how risks may change with workload, stress, and flight conditions. It involves reviewing medical history, current status, medications, and test results, then issuing guidance on whether they can fly, what precautions are needed, and what restrictions or follow-up are required. If a condition poses a safety risk, the evaluator may set flight-duty limits, require ongoing medical surveillance, or recommend temporary grounding.

Diagnosing acute medical emergencies in flight is handled by in-flight medical responders and the crew, not by the aeromedical evaluator. Managing aircraft maintenance schedules and scheduling layovers are operations and logistics tasks, not medical evaluations.