December 4, 2002

Doctor checks up on pilots

Dr. Darryl Lesoski becomes Aviation Medical Examiner
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Aviation Medical Examiners keep the skies safe by ensuring that pilots are healthy enough physically and emotionally to fly.
      Dr. Darryl Lesoski is the most recent addition to the ranks of these examiners. A former military pilot himself, Lesoski is pleased to be one of thousands of doctors nationwide who are trained and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in this capacity.
      Lesoski completed his training in Oklahoma City in September and is certified for class 1, 2 and 3, which is all the way from commercial pilots to general aviation. He is one of a half dozen medical doctors in the area who perform periodic exams of pilots.
      "The FAA has strict criteria of what you can fly with and what not, medications and medical conditions," said Lesoski, who petitioned for two years to the program before an opening came up in the region. "The primary goal is to keep the safety of not only the pilot but the general aviation community and the people on the ground."
      Lesoski is a native of Caro, Mich.; he received his undergraduate degree at Alma College and his medical degree from Wayne State University. After graduation, Lesoski spent the next five years in the military, serving as a flight surgeon in the Navy. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro for three and a half years. He served some time overseas, including a four-month stint in Somalia.
      Lesoski trained to fly helicopters and was a co-pilot on a Huey UH1-N. His primary mission as a flight surgeon, however, was to ensure that pilots and their crew were safe to fly.
      "You hang out with the air crew and the pilots and the goal is looking for anything that makes an individual unsafe to fly, marital problems or psychological stresses, whatever it may be," said Lesoski, noting he has flown in every aircraft in the Marine Corps except the Harriers. "Prevent one mishap and you save $44 million, the cost of an airplane."
      Back in the role of ensuring pilot safety, he noted that his previous military and flight experience adds credibility to his role as a gatekeeper to the skies.
      "I will be able to relate to their issues, I am familiar with the cockpit and the situational awareness and how they have to compartmentalize," Lesoski said. "Ninety-nine percent of piloting is pretty simple but in an emergency, who do you want up there?"
      Lesoski is the medical director of Munson Healthcare's Occupational Health and Medicine program. He and his wife, Wendy, came to the area in 1997 and they and their three young sons are active in the community. From Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to TBAYS coach and church and school volunteer, the family makes time to be together.
      In fact, Lesoski chose his specialty of occupational medicine in part because it was a family friendly. He was also intrigued by the ability to help people and companies work safely and productively.
      "We take care of all work-related injuries, predominately blue collar," said Lesoski, who also conducts educational and prevention programs and evaluates work sites. "These workers are paid the bare minimum and work their tails off; they are single moms raising kids or two parents raising kids, both working opposite shifts. So when you are helping these people along you are getting them better so they can remain productive because they can't afford to be off."
      During medical school, he was captivated by OB/GYN and delivering babies, taking extra rotations when possible. He also considered specializing in radiology, but he realized that these specialties were not compatible with his goals of participating fully in his future family. Even during his Navy hitch, travel was at first exciting but quickly palled after his first son was born.
      "Family life is real important to me," he said. "It really hit home after my first child was born. If you do OB/GYN, that is your life and your family suffers."
      Work and family commitments at this point preclude any flying time, but Lesoski believes he will be back in the cockpit one day.
      "I don't fly right now, if you don't do it all the time it is not safe," he noted. "But with three young kids I don't have the time but it is just a matter of time."