Jersey Airport has just hosted the annual Association of Aviation Medical Examiners (AAME) Conference which, for the first time, was held in Jersey.
More than 100 doctors attended the event as part of their professional development and refresher training. Jersey has one AME and all the Island’s Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) require a Class 3 aviation medical examination, some of them annually.
Airport fire service personnel must also receive approval from the AME to work in civil aviation, so the doctors responsible for ATCOs and airport fire service personnel across the UK asked to attend.
As well as the aviation refresher training, 40 participants visited the airport to watch routine fire-fighting training. They were also taken on a drive down the runway, and visited the Visual Control Room and Approach Control Room in the ATC tower. Some of the attendees were able to try out being a controller in the 3D simulator.
Airport Operations Director, Ashley Maggs (Mr) said: “We were proud to show some of the doctors attending the conference how our departments work together to achieve a goal. The airport’s security team, operations team and fire service, along with everyone in Air Traffic Control and Engineering did everything to ensure that the visitors learned how we operate, to inform their work as AMEs.”
Jersey’s AME Dr James Mair, who chairs the association, said “The AMEs were treated to a superbly well-organised display of the work done by the ATCOs and fire officers at the airport. We were given unique access to understand the scope of their work and there was unanimous praise for the huge efforts that had been put into the visit.”