RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine

Royal Air Force Centre of Aviation Medicine
Active	1998-Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Medical
Role	Defence scientific institute
Part of	Royal Air Force Medical Services and RAF Air Command
Based at	RAF Henlow
Motto(s)	Ut Secure Volent

The RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine is a medical organisation run by the Royal Air Force at RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire. It is the main site of aviation medicine research in the UK.

The RAF CAM was formed on 1 December 1998. It was pre-dated by the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine, which closed in 1994. CAM was formed by a merger of the School of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough and the Aviation Medicine Training Centre at RAF North Luffenham.

It was formerly part of RAF Personnel and Training Command, becoming part of RAF Air Command in 2007.

The RAF Medical Board was moved to RAF CAM and on 1 June 2000 the RAF Institute of Health moved from RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire to the centre, becoming the Occupation and Environmental Medicine Wing.

Flying fast-jet aircraft puts the cardiovascular physiology of the human body under extreme physical stress. For example, without intervention exposure to high G force would cause the pilots to lose consciousness through lack of blood to the brain - G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC). Medical effects caused by flying, such hypoxia and the effects of G-force are researched at the Centre (Eurofighter Typhoon pilots regularly experience 9G). Other dangers include rapid uncontrolled decompression from failure of cabin pressurisation, and the centre has four hypobaric chambers.

Airlines that do not have their own aviation medicine research establishments (e.g. British Airways) have contracted out work to the RAF's Centre.

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