Dr. Quay Snyder of Aurora, Colo.-based Virtual Flight Surgeons will present a briefing on “Getting, Keeping and Recovering Your FAA Medical Certificate” on Wednesday from 10:30 to noon in Room S310E at the convention center. The company is at Booth No. 1957.

He also will be on hand from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Room S310H to discuss individual pilot concerns or flight department issues. To schedule a meeting, contact Lawan Adkins at
ladkins@aviationmedicine.com or at (720) 857-6117.

On another topic of interest to pilots, Dr. Snyder wrote in the company’s most recent Quarterly Aeromedical Newsletter that pilots should be aware of two types of influenza that may cause serious illness or, rarely, death. The H1N1 “swine flu” is receiving much publicity because of its unusual characteristics compared to the common seasonal “flu.”

Whie its symptoms are similar to those of the seasonal flu, H1N1 influenza differs in that it seems to have a rapid progression and higher risk of death in what is characterized as the healthy population, those aged 25 to 65 years.

According to Dr. Snyder, most pilots would not fall into high-risk groups, with the possible exceptions for those with diabetes, heart disease or taking steroids for a disease condition. As more vaccine is produced, availability will increase for groups at increased risk, such as aircrew.