Wednesday 26 March 2025, 9:00-10.30 am EST, 14.00-15.30 UK

Presented by The International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM) as part of a series of annual webinars sponsored by IAASM, leading up to the International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine (ICASM 2025) in Singapore, 27-30 October 2025.

Registration options are at the end of this announcement.

 

Topics:

• Aeromedical Aspects of Single Pilot Operations (SiPO) and Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO)
• Psychological Impacts of eMCO and SiPO
• Operational Consequences from the Perspective of an Airline Captain who is an Aerospace Medicine Physician
• Regulatory aspects of Single Pilot and Reduced Crew Operations from an International Perspective

 

Featuring:

1. Francisco Rios-Tejada, MD, PhD, President, IAASM
2. Robert Orford, MD, CM, MS, MPH, Moderator
3. Antti Tuori, MD, PhD, Aerospace Medicine Physician and Captain, IFALPA
4. Ries Simons, MD, Aerospace Medicine Physician
5. Rolf Zon, MA, Aerospace Medicine Psychologist
6. Jóhann Wium Magnússon, BA, MA, Aerospace Medicine Psychologist and former Regulator

 

Who should attend?

Aerospace Medicine Physicians, Residents, Students, NPs, PAs, RNs, and Researchers, Psychologists, Airline and Air Traffic Control Managers, and other professionals involved or interested in medical aspects of reduced crew and single pilot airline operations.

 

Content

Modern aviation technology has advanced significantly, potentially allowing commercial aircraft to operate with fewer pilots. These advances include better ground support, improved cockpit design, systems to detect pilot incapacitation and the ability for ground control to assist during flights. While controversial, two main concepts are being considered: Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO), where two pilots handle takeoff and landing but only one is needed during cruise, and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO), where one pilot handles the entire flight. Key questions remain about whether current technology is ready, if safety can be maintained, whether passengers will accept these changes and how regulations would adapt. Our four expert speakers will examine these issues from medical, psychological, operational, and regulatory perspectives.

 

Educational Objectives

• Define eMCO and SIPO and discuss operational factors such as advanced automation systems design, situational awareness, decision-making, cognitive workload, fatigue management and training from the pilot perspective (Tuori)/li>
• Discuss the effect of operational and environmental factors, including alcohol, drugs, and medications, on pilot alertness and performance, and how these effects can be mitigated through administrative controls, sleep and alertness management, and peer support (Simons)
• Introduce and discuss psychological aspects of Extended Minimum Crew Operations – Single Pilot Operations (Zon)
• • Review legal and social challenges, current national and international regulatory limitations, and project what changes may be needed in the future (Wium Magnússon)

 

Presentations

Note: The start time is
• 09:00 Eastern Standard Time in the United States
• 14.00 UK (GMT)
Please adjust to your time zone.

All times below are in UK time (GMT).

• 14.00 – 14.10 Welcome and Introductions by IAASM President Dr. Francisco Rios-Tejada and Moderator Dr. Robert Orford
• 14.10 – 14.30 Introduction and Operational Issues by Dr. Antti Tuori
• 14.30 – 14.50 Medical Issues by Dr. Ries Simons
• 14.50 – 15.10 Psychological Issues and Practical Aspects of SiPO/eMCO by Rolf Zon
• 15.10 – 15.30 Legislative and Regulatory Issues by Jóhann Magnusson
• 15.30 – 15.40 Conclusions and CME Certification Instructions by Dr. Robert Orford

 

Speakers' Biographical Information

Antti Tuori, MD

Dr. Tuori is a physician and an airline pilot. He earned his MD in 1996 and his PhD in 1998 at the University of Helsinki. He began flying as an air transport pilot in 2001 and was promoted to Captain in 2016. He is also an EASA aeromedical examiner and has been part of the EASA Medical Expert Group since 2010. He has been a member of the ICAO Medical Provision Study Group, which suggests changes to ICAO medical rules, and has a special interest in human factors, focused on shift work, pilot fatigue, and aircrew mental health issues, including burnout.

 

Ries Simons, MD
Dr. Simons is a distinguished expert in Aerospace Medicine who holds multiple leadership roles in key aerospace organizations, including co-chair of the European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM) Advisory Board and vice-chair of the ESAM Academy. His research interests and publications focus on human factors and human performance, working under extreme conditions, sleep and alertness management, and the effects of operational and environmental factors, and of alcohol, drugs, and medications, on aviator and astronaut alertness and performance. He is a longstanding member of the Aerospace Medical Association Air Transport Medicine Committee and of the European Pilot Peer Support Initiative Board.

 

Rolf Zon, MS
Mr. Zon is a research psychologist and Senior R&D Manager at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR). He holds an MA in psychology from Leiden University. At NLR, he focuses on the domain of human effectiveness in the Department of Safety and Operator Performance. He studies how to design work environments and procedures to help human operators perform their tasks better. His work is conducted both in simulators and in real operational environments.

 

 Jóhann Wium Magnússon, MA
Mr. Wium Magnússon is an Aviation Psychologist accredited by the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP), with a Master's degree in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology. He has made significant contributions to the design, development and evaluation of aviation psychological and mental health standards, delivered training related to the psychological wellbeing and mental health in aviation, and published best practices for selecting pilots, controllers, and aircrew. As a consultant, he has supported the FÍA (Icelandic Airline Pilot Association) peer support system. His expertise has been recognized through his status as a Chartered Psychologist by the BPS and an EAAP Board Member.

 

 

Registration and Costs
Please note that registration will close 2 hours prior to the event.

There are two options for registration. Please choose only one option. 

1. The webinar is free to attend for those not requiring attendance or CME/CPD certification. The International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine is handling the free registration website. No certificate will be issued.

Click here to register for free webinar attendance

OR

2. For a CME certificate accredited for 1.50 hours of CME, or for an attendance certificate with no CME credit, there is a fee needed to cover accreditation and certificate processing costs. The Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) is kindly handling the CME and attendance certificates and you will be redirected to the AsMA website on clicking the link below.

Click here to register for certified webinar attendance See instructions below:

To obtain a CME Certificate ($25) accredited for 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, click on the link above to register for certified webinar attendance. Then, click on the box on the left labeled IAASM WEBINAR CME FEE and click Review and Checkout.

To obtain an Attendance Certificate ($5) click on the link above to register for certified webinar attendance on the AsMA registration site. Then, click on the box on the left labeled IAASM WEBINAR ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATE FEE and click Review and Checkout.

EASA Recommendation: 1.5 hours credit is recommended in accordance with EASA AMC1 MED. D. 030.

Accreditation Statement: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) and the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). The UHMS is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation Statement: The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

UHMS Disclaimer Statement: The information provided during this CME activity is for Continuing Medical Education purposes only. The lecture content, statements, or opinions expressed however, do not necessarily represent those of the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society or the Aerospace Medical Association, their affiliates or employees.

Thank you for your interest in this webinar which we hope you will find educational and enjoyable.