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Fly in for the Mustang, stay for your medical

By Janice Wood · August 16, 2012 ·

Another facet of the Stallion 51 operations at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) in Florida is AVMed 51, headed by Dr. William Busch.

Busch, who retired from the Navy as a captain and a dual-designated Naval Aviator-Flight Surgeon, has accumulated over 5,000 hours in more than 30 different types of military aircraft. He is a board certified ophthalmologist, an Airline Transport Rated pilot and a Senior FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).

Busch and Stallion 51 founder Lee Lauderback developed the Pilot Wellness Program, designed to give pilots lifestyle and health tips to keep them flying for a long time. That’s especially important in Florida, where the aging Baby Boomer population often retires.

“Many pilots of this generation are facing medical issues that might prevent them from flying into retirement,” said Busch, noting he encourages these pilots to partner with their AMEs to develop a program to help identify medical issues before they escalate and potentially cause the loss of flight privileges.

Busch believes that “AVMed 51 has proven successful in preventing minor issues from becoming major obstacles.” However, he’s also worked with pilots who need a special issuance from the FAA, helping the pilots comply with the FAA requirements.

For more information: Stallion51.com

About Janice Wood

Janice Wood is editor of General Aviation News.

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