Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

European aircraft operators can now use MedAire’s Digital Assessment Kit (DAK) to quickly assess the condition of passengers who become unwell during flights. The company this week announced that the equipment has earned the European Union’s CE approval, certifying that it meets safety, health, and environmental requirements.
The DAK consists of a blood pressure monitor cuff, 12-lead ECG recorder,&nbsp;digital glucometer, pulse oximeter, and contactless thermometer. According to MedAire president Bill Dolny, the equipment greatly improves the way medical emergencies are dealt with by allowing flight crew to transmit critical data to the company’s assistance centers immediately so that when they place calls to doctors on the ground they receive the right guidance as to how best to respond to the patient’s needs.
“From our experience, we know that the more information you have, the more accurate your assessment is,” explained Dr. Paolo Alves,&nbsp;MedAire’s global medical director of aviation health. “This is about how to collect data in a meaningful structured way and with the DAK we have refined the way assessments are done. We don’t need streaming data for that.”
Flight crews operate the DAK via an app that guides them through the process of collecting data. The equipment has features to help non-medical staff to get the best possible data in challenging circumstances, such as a large sticker pad for the ECG recorder that will get the information needed by physicians even if it is not applied in the perfect position on the patient’s chest.
Meanwhile, MedAire announced last week that it expanded the business and general aviation desk at its London Assistance Center to provide the same level of support as it delivers from its Global Response Center in Phoenix. The company announced the upgrade on Thursday, saying it was done to meet increased demand from aircraft operators for support across different regions of the world and to take account of time zones.
The new desk in the UK capital will support business and general aviation customers with both medical and safety-related issues while they are traveling. This service includes on-demand access to aviation medical professionals and security experts.
At EBACE, MedAire (Booth X42) is introducing two additional features for its MedAire360 safety information service. The new Airport Alert History feature now provides access to alerts dating back to 2015, identifying risk patterns, trends, and potential threats to help crew make the right decisions when traveling. The data spans more than 2,000 airports worldwide. The MedAire360 portal now also gives all users access to the My Routes feature that allows flight departments to input their flight plans to easily view all relevant alerts, incidents, and associated medical and security threats. My Routes connects the MedAire and International SOS data catalogs.
“We have 200 to 300 security professionals worldwide assessing risks all the time, and we make sure we give flight departments the information that is most relevant to them,” Dolny explained. “We have given security teams more tools to use, such as adding a flight-tracking tool to plot the path of a trip.”

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

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