Course Spotlight: Is your patient fit to fly?
January 11, 2026
Understanding the physiology of flight
Every day, more than 12 million people take to the skies. Among them are patients with heart failure, chronic lung disease, recent surgeries, or complex metabolic conditions, many of whom have been cleared to travel by a clinician who may never have considered the impact of altitude on physiology. Yet, as the cabin doors close and the aircraft climbs to 38,000 feet, subtle but clinically significant changes begin to occur. The question is: are we, as medical professionals, equipped to anticipate them?
For years, aviation medicine has been viewed as a niche field, particularly interested in the preservation of pilots, aircrew, and regulatory bodies. But in reality, it intersects with general practice, emergency medicine, and every specialty that manages patients who fly. With global mobility increasing and commercial air travel more accessible than ever, understanding aviation health is an essential extension of clinical decision-making.
That’s the philosophy behind the Aviation Health Academy, an initiative of the Aviation Health Group, founded by Whitney Luxford (née Hughes), a pioneer in aviation health strategy and change management, with more than 30 years’ experience at Qantas, Virgin Australia, and Ansett. Luxford, an AHPRA-registered paramedic with postgraduate qualifications in Civil Aviation Medicine from Monash University, has led everything from large-scale repatriation missions out of Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic to the development of national aviation health protocols. Her mission is simple but profound: to provide innovative education and services to promote better health and well-being for all those who work in the aviation industry, and to help improve the passenger experience.
Closing the gap between ground and sky
During the pandemic, Luxford’s work was instrumental in developing new procedures to protect both crew and passengers during one of the most complex operational periods in aviation history. From managing cabin air protocols to coordinating emergency medical responses at altitude, she saw firsthand how limited many clinicians’ understanding of in-flight medicine could be, and how critical it was to bridge that gap.
The Aviation Health Academy’s flagship course, the world’s first designed specifically for passenger aviation medicine, was built to do exactly that. Across 16 modules and approximately six hours of focused, expert-led learning, the program equips healthcare professionals with the tools to make confident, evidence-based assessments about their patients’ fitness to fly. It moves beyond theoretical physiology to provide real-world frameworks for risk assessment, decision-making, and collaboration with airline medical teams.
A practical lens on altitude physiology
In clinical terms, cabin altitude is typically pressurised to between 6,000 and 8,000 feet, equivalent to standing halfway up Mount Kosciuszko. At this altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen drops by around 25%, resulting in a corresponding decrease in arterial oxygen saturation. For a healthy traveller, this is barely perceptible. But for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recent pneumothorax, or coronary artery disease, this mild hypoxia can be clinically significant.
The course takes learners through practical examples of how altitude affects common medical conditions, from exacerbations of angina and dyspnoea to the expansion of trapped gas in post-operative patients. It provides the frameworks used by airline medical officers when assessing whether a patient requires supplemental oxygen, delay of travel, or further investigation. Importantly, it demystifies the airline health clearance process, explaining how decisions are made collaboratively, and what information is most useful when completing medical assessments for passengers.
Unlike traditional aviation medicine programs that focus on pilot certification or aerospace physiology, the Aviation Health Academy’s course is grounded in practical application. Modules are concise, clinically relevant, and designed for busy practitioners who want to make informed decisions without committing to months of study. Case studies bring the learning to life such as a passenger with severe anaemia on a long-haul flight; a diabetic traveller with hypoglycaemia mid-air; a cardiac patient who experiences chest pain three hours into a 14-hour journey. Each scenario illustrates not only the physiological challenges but also the logistical realities, limited diagnostics, environmental constraints, and the importance of clear, calm decision-making at 35,000 feet.
The course content has been developed and reviewed by some of Australia’s leading aviation and emergency medicine specialists including Dr David Newman, Dr Geoffrey Toogood, Dr Douglas Falconer, and Dr Michael Atherton, bringing decades of combined expertise in both flight medicine and frontline clinical care for an Australian and world-first clinical opportunity.
Available online, on demand, and accessible 24/7, it provides lifetime access to materials — allowing participants to revisit content as new cases or questions arise in their clinical work. Whether reviewed on a lunch break, during a commute, or on call, it’s designed to support continuing education in a way that complements busy professional lives.
Sign-up today
Patients are travelling longer distances for care, leisure, and family; airlines are expanding medical support systems; and global emergencies continue to test the resilience of medical infrastructure. Understanding the physiological, operational, and psychological demands of air travel enables clinicians to provide safer, more informed care, from pre-flight clearance to emergency response.
The Aviation Health Academy offers a rare opportunity to learn from those who have shaped the standards of aviation medicine from the inside. It’s an investment in clinical competence and professional growth ensuring every decision made on the ground keeps patients safer in the air. For healthcare professionals ready to expand their expertise and bring a new dimension to their practice, this program is where medicine truly meets altitude.
To sign-up today, visit https://app.medcpd.com/courses/4617
