FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- All pilots, whether military or civilian must complete periodic physical exams in order to maintain flight status. One famous aviator, who had it on his to do list, recently visited Blanchfield Army Community Hospital to get his done.

"Well Santa, as you know, it's important for him to be able to fly so we conducted an exam, known as a flight physical," said medical specialist Staff Sgt. Arron Vondrak, who checked Santa in for his appointment, gathered his vitals statistics and updated his medical history in preparation for the exam.

Army flight surgeons and aeromedical physician assistants are specially trained in aerospace physiology. They provide aviation and general medical services for Army aviation personnel and serve as career specialists in air crew standards, aero medical research and education.

"One of the most common problems is that air crew are not able to clear their ears under pressure. Also good vision and color vision are required for pilots to be able to fly. We found that Santa was in good condition and we let the people at NORAD know that he's good to go," said Vondrak.

With a clean bill of health, the flight surgeon signed off on Santa's flight status for another year. Santa thanked the staff at Blanchfield for their support and set out for the installation's veterinarian clinic where Army veterinarian staff saw his reindeer.

To learn more about career opportunities in Army Medicine, visit www.goarmy.com

Santa gets his flight physical