Field trip brings flight surgeons to Edwards Published March 15, 2018 By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 412th Medical Group hosted a group of Air Force flight surgeons who visited Edwards AFB March 8-9. The flight surgeons are part of the Air Force Residency in Aerospace Medicine program based out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. They are touring Edwards and other Air Force bases around the globe to gain a deeper understanding of the missions each base executes and how aerospace medicine applies to those missions, according to Maj. Daniel Dierfeldt, 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. The officers received briefings and tours at the 412th MDG facilities, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Joint Strike Fighter units, the Benefield Anechoic Facility, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and finally a tour of the Air Force Flight Test Museum. Flight surgeons are primary care physicians for pilots and crewmembers traveling in air or space. These Air Force physicians discover, prevent and manage the various physiological responses that result from encountering exceptional environments, enabling Airmen to stay in peak condition and continue their jobs in the air. The Air Force Residency in Aerospace Medicine provides flight surgeons with two-three years of extensive training in aerospace medicine and military leadership. After completion, most physicians go on to become either a chief of Aerospace Medicine, squadron commander, group commander, or obtain another higher-level leadership position, said Dierfeldt.