Medical Factors

Glider pilots are not required to undergo a medical examination or obtain a medical certificate, as is the case with airplane pilots. However, as a glider pilot, you are responsible for making sure that you do not have a medical condition that could prevent you from safely conducting a flight.

Flying in general, and soaring in particular, requires intense concentration and some physical endurance. Accordingly, glider pilots should try to keep in good physical shape and recognize their limitations. Minor illnesses, especially those requiring medications, can seriously impair a pilot’s abilities. Even commonplace conditions such as fatigue, stress, and allergies can hinder performance. The safest decision when feeling ill is not to fly. If you are unsure about how a medical condition will affect your ability to pilot a glider, consult an Aviation Medical Examiner.

In this course, which is mainly text-based with two short videos, you will learn about the physiological, mental, and chemical issues that can affect flight safety.

Purchase of this course entitles you to one year of access to the course material.

Please Note: This course is designed for use by a single individual. It is against the Terms of Use to share this course, in part or whole, with other users, or to teach others using the content from this course. The time and effort that goes into the development of these courses are immense. To ensure that we will be able to offer more courses, we need to collect a fee from every student who takes a course. Thank you for supporting our effort!