The Flight Surgeon Badge is a military badge of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

which has existed to designate Flight Surgeons since the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The Flight Surgeon Badge is worn by those members of the military who have completed the individual service requirements for award of the badge. The original Flight Surgeon Badges were awarded by both the Army and Navy during World War II. After WW II, when the USAF became a separate service, they retained the Army Air Force badge, but redesigned it with a smaller caduceus over the central shield (the present pattern). Concurrently, the Army badge was redesigned to the present pattern (along with all other Army Aviation badges). The Naval Flight Surgeon insignia has gone through several design iterations from the pre-World War II period, to during World War II, to the postwar period and present day. There is no separate Marine Corps Fight Surgeon insignia, as all medical personnel assigned to or supporting Marine Corps units are Navy personnel, and will thus be awarded and wear Navy insignia. The Coast Guard Flight Surgeon Badge is the same pattern as the USCG Aviator badge, but with a caduceus superimposed over the central shield. Unlike USN and USN medical support of USMC, USCG Flight Surgeons are commissioned corps officers of the

U.S. Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...

. To be awarded the Army Basic Flight Surgeon Badge, a service member must be a commissioned officer who is either a physician, Physician Assistant, or ANP (the latter two as of 2011 per Army Regulation 600-8-22) and successfully complete the Army Flight Surgeon Primary Course (AFSPC) at

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...

, Alabama. The AFSPC is a six-week course that includes topics in aviation physiology, Army aviation and aviation medicine regulations, accident investigation, military aviation operations, and aircraft orientations; for several years in the 1980s flight surgeon candidates received actual flight training up to, and including, solo flight in the TH-55 helicopter. A physician who has completed the AFSPC may later elect to apply for the Army Residency in Aerospace Medicine, although some highly qualified fourth year medical students may be selected to enter the program upon graduation. The Naval Flight Surgeon is conducted at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at

NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

, Florida. Its curriculum is similar to the Army program, but is 24 weeks in length and includes 10 weeks of flight indoctrination training in the

T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company ( Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna ...

T-45 Goshawk The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), the T-45 i ...

and TH-57 SeaRanger. The Air Force program consists of three phases, Aerospace Medicine Primary 101, 201, and 202. The Air Force program, in addition to a core curriculum similar to the Army and Navy, includes such topics as Bioenvironmental Engineering and occupational health. Coast Guard flight surgeons generally attend the Army course followed by a two-week USCG transition course. The Army, Navy, and Air Force also offer residency programs in Aerospace Medicine, located at Fort Rucker, AL, NAS Pensacola, and Wright-Patterson AFB, respectively. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

issue the Flight Surgeon Badge in three ratings: Basic, Senior, and Master (Army)/Chief (Air Force). The Basic Flight Surgeon Badge is presented upon completion of initial flight surgeon qualifications, while the Senior and Master versions of the badge are presented based on years of service and number of flight hours performed as a flight surgeon. Per Army Regulation 600-105, the Army Senior Flight Surgeon Badge may be awarded after five years of duty as a flight surgeon (three if two years were as an Army Aviator) and 400 flight hours, while the Master version may be awarded after ten years of service as a flight surgeon, 850 flight hours, and board certification in Aerospace Medicine. The Senior Flight Surgeon badge is denoted by a star centered above the badge, while the Master and Chief Flight Surgeon badges display a star and wreath (Army) or star and scroll (USAF). USAF requirements for Senior and Chief badges are similar to the Army requirements. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

issue Flight Surgeon Badges in a single degree. In addition to the Flight Surgeon Badge, the United States Navy and Air Force award the

Flight Nurse Badge The Flight Nurse Badge is a military badge of the United States armed forces which is issued by the U.S. Air Force and United States Navy to flight nurses. Versions of this badge have existed since World War II, when the decoration was first ...

for those nurses qualified in aerospace medicine and in-flight operations. A flight medical specialty badge, the

Aviation Psychologist Badge Insignias and badges of the United States Navy are military badges issued by the United States Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty ...

, is an additional decoration awarded by the U.S. Navy. Army psychologists who will serve with, or otherwise support, Army Aviation personnel may be selected to attend the AFSPC, however they may only be awarded the Basic Aircrew Badge upon completion of other requirements for that badge.

References

{{US Army badges Aviation medicine United States military badges

See also

References