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LSU Health Shreveport is joining forces with the Air Force to study the physical and cognitive effects of lengthy flights on B-52 aircrew members. Director of the Rehabilitation Science Program Dr. Cory Coehoorn said this is a first for LSU-Health and the Air Force Global Strike Command.
“Our goal with this project is really to discover the potential issues that could be health-related and could compromise missions and things like that,” said Coehoorn.
Coehoorn said they are excited about the study, and he anticipates the research project will take flight in the next six months. And while civilians are familiar with an eight-hour overseas flight, Coehoorn said B-52 crewmembers can have in-flight missions of 30-plus hours.
“When we talk about long duration B-52 sorties, that’s what we’re talking about these long duration flights and what are the implications of essentially being on and being on this mission for that duration of time,” said Coehoorn.
And once the three-year study is complete, Coehoorn said they’ll look at….
“How can we exactly combat these issues and come up with solutions to enhance health and enhance their mission objectives,” said Coehoorn.
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