A global coalition of thousands of pilots, scientists, and doctors is riling up against the COVID-19 vaccines and their effects on pilots’ capacity to fly. According to the U.S. Freedom Flyers (USFF) lawsuit, the Federal government vaccine mandate puts the pilots at risk of injury and death.

In a letter presented to relevant entities, data from general, commercial, and military background pilots shows the emergence of health risks from the administration of the COVID vaccine. These entities include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Despite the federal government remaining aware of these adverse effects, the CDC, FDA, and NIH still refuse to acknowledge that vaccine-injured pilots are losing their lives and livelihoods. Still, these entities are equally putting the lives of passengers at risk. These risks presented by the COVID-19 vaccine on pilots and the failure of the relevant bodies to take corrective action are discussed below. 

The Effects Of The COVID Vaccine On Pilots

“Two days after vaccination, I got on my airplane to do a job that would only take a few hours. Immediately after taking off, I developed tunnel vision, and my headache worsened. Approximately two hours into flying, I pulled my airplane up to turn around and felt an extreme burst of pressure in my ears. Instantly, I was nearly blacked out, dizzy, disoriented, nauseous, and shaking uncontrollably. By God’s grace, I landed my plane without incident – although I do not remember doing this. My initial diagnosis of vertigo and severe panic attacks – although I’ve never had a history of either – was later replaced with left and right peri-lymphatic fistulas, eustachian tube dysfunction, and elevated intracranial pressure due to brain swelling.” — Cody Flint, Agricultural Pilot in Cleveland, Mississippi, with 10,000 hours of flight time.

 

Numerous pilots echo similar or direr outcomes from the U.S. Govt and FAA-mandated administration of the COVID-19 vaccine doses, including the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Other pilots have passed out or died after the COVID-19 vaccine because of adverse effects like seizures. Medical specialists, flight surgeons, and cardiologists like Dr. Peter McCullough have also discussed the likelihood of pilots developing conditions like myocarditis post-vaccination.

Other injuries and symptoms caused by the vaccine include atrial fibrillation, brain bleeding, and blindness. Heart attacks, pericarditis, and elevated intracranial pressure that affects the brainstem and the spinal cord are additional effects of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. In one case, the brainstem and the spinal cord pressure from inflamed lesions caused by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine have ruptured a pilot’s left inner ear and caused vision problems that prevent them from flying again.

Where We Are Getting It Wrong

Usually, federal regulations prohibit pilots from getting treatment for non-FDA-approved medications when flying. However, the products administered to pilots for vaccination are not entirely approved by the FDA. Therefore, the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) cannot justify the use of COVID-19 vaccines on pilots. It is a direct violation of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, §61.53. Additionally, one year is required to ensure that no uncommon or aeromedical side effects occur from administering a new drug. This has not been achieved with the COVID-19 vaccine because of the urgency of administration following the spread of the viral infections. 

Also, the nature of a pilot’s work, which puts them at high altitudes for long periods, presents a likelihood of pilots having unique side effects to vaccines. For instance, pilots with abnormal health conditions like blood clotting and heart damage that increase in magnitude at high altitudes are not cleared for flying. However, this is not the case among vaccinated pilots. Many who have shown similar symptoms from the vaccine are allowed to still fly. Moreover, why are vaccines mandated for every pilot despite the relevant entities remaining aware of the documented effects of the vaccine?

The Government’s Response

The U.S. federal government is aware of the complaints made by government agencies in charge of the pilots, like the U.S. Freedom Flyers (USFF) and the Department of Transportation (DoT), but nothing is being done to protect the health or livelihoods of pilots. Instead, pilots take the vaccines because of threats and intimidation that could lead to job loss. Once the vaccine side effects occur, the FAA entities fail to trace, track, or monitor the severe consequences of vaccination. Pilot Cody Flint lost an entire year of flying and living to treatments, surgeries, and medication. He’s lost hope in flying again. Flight surgeon and aerospace medicine specialist Dr. Theresa Long has also testified to cases where the U.S military ignored similar Covid-19 risks:

“I saw five patients in the clinic, two of whom presented with chest pain days to weeks after vaccination and were subsequently diagnosed with pericarditis. The third pilot felt like he was drunk, chronically fatigued within 24 hours after vaccination, [stating] he drank a lot of coffee to ‘try and wake himself up’ and continued to fly until he realized the problem wasn’t going away. After I reported to my command my concerns that — in one morning — I’d had to ground three out of three pilots due to vaccine injuries, the next day, my patients were canceled, my charts were pulled for review, and I was told that I would not be seeing acute patients anymore, just healthy pilots there for their flight physical.”

A Massive Risk To The Human Population

Instead of taking the right action to protect pilots and airline passengers, government agencies are relying on the joint efforts of the two onboard pilots to prevent any potential disaster. Granted, pilot redundancy is significant for aviation safety. However, it isn’t enough to protect against the imminent dangers of pilots’ inability to fly a plane.

For instance, take-off and landing have the most significant risk of a plane crash. As such, if a pilot experiences any adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines, like passing out, sudden death, cardiac arrest, or stroke during these times, the consequences could be catastrophic.

The government, airlines, and insurers also face significant monetary and legal liabilities if the vaccine side effect concerns are not adequately addressed. This does not include the effect of a pilot’s capacity to fly planes safely to and from different destinations on the economy. In case of an accident, more people will opt for other transportation methods, resulting in a loss of revenue for the airline industry. 14 million jobs are also dependent on the airline industry, some of which are pilots. As such, the decline in commerce following aviation safety concerns because of the COVID-19 vaccine could be tragic. 

Safety Should Come First

The culture of safety is well adorned within professional aviation primarily because it saves lives. The culture inspires active participation among pilots and the FAA in maintaining aviation safety standards by remaining diligent and compliant with them. However, the COVID vaccinations are threatening the very nature of this culture.

The vaccine’s adverse effects threaten the competence of many pilots like Flint, who are put in charge of passenger lives. Therefore, as the global coalition of thousands of pilots from 30 international airlines puts it, the crisis in pilots’ health and livelihoods due to COVID-19 vaccines must be addressed. Safety first, always.