‘The Life of Pilot’: Recent conference in Bengaluru showcases India’s expanding aerospace medicine frontiers

Bengaluru: India’s leadership in aerospace medicine received a powerful endorsement as Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, recently inaugurated the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM) at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM).

The two-day conclave from 20–21 November brought together the country’s top military aviators, aerospace scientists, medical experts and global specialists, under the theme “Innovations in Aerospace Medicine: Infinite Possibilities.”

Calling aerospace medicine the invisible backbone of air power, the Air Chief Marshal said the discipline is today central to mission assurance, pilot safety, human performance enhancement and future space missions.

He lauded IAM, Bengaluru, for emerging as a centre of excellence supporting both the Indian Air Force and India’s rapidly expanding civil aviation ecosystem.

Spotlight on human performance in air and space

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, Director-General Medical Services (Air), delivered the presidential address, stressing the critical role of aerospace medicine in ensuring aircrew readiness across extreme environments — from high-G manoeuvres and hypoxia to long-duration spaceflight.

He highlighted how IAM’s expertise now spans not just fighter cockpits but also India’s growing cadre of spacefaring astronauts, reflecting the country’s ambitions in human spaceflight.

Legacy lectures honour pioneers of Indian aerospace

This year’s Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee Memorial Oration, commemorating India’s first Chief of Air Staff, was delivered by historian Anchit Gupta.

The oration carries a distinguished legacy, previously delivered by luminaries such as Dr Raja Ramanna, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Shri G. Madhavan Nair, Dr Naresh Trehan, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (Retd) and Syed Kirmani.

Another major highlight was the Air Vice-Marshal MM Srinagesh Memorial Oration — a tribute to the man widely regarded as the Father of Aviation Medicine in India.

This year, it was delivered by Air Vice-Marshal Deepak Gaur (Retd).

The conference also featured the ‘Jemi Hormusji Framji Manekshaw Panel’, showcasing cutting-edge insights from industry leaders including Awais Ahmed, CEO and Founder of Pixxel, and Captain Dhruv Rebbapragada, Chief Flight Safety Officer at Indigo Airlines.

Researchers from DRDO, HAL, ISRO, and the armed forces presented breakthroughs poised to shape future flight safety norms and human-performance technologies.

Delegates from the IAF, civil aviation, DRDO, ISRO and HAL participated, making the conference a unique confluence of operational aviators, scientists, engineers and medical specialists.