We are pilots.
we are physicians.
we are AVIATION MEDICAL experts.
At Ann Arbor Aviation Medicine, our physicians have over 120 years of combined time as pilots, and almost 65 years of combined time as FAA AMEs.
We clearly understand the aviation medical examination process from both sides of the exam table. Whether you are a student pilot first experiencing the freedom of flight or a seasoned airline captain with thousands of hours under your wing, we have the experience to meet all of your aviation medical certification needs.
We are committed to leveraging that experience to provide professional, personalized and prompt service to help you get out of the office and back into the air as quickly as possible.
Our Approach
We firmly believe that flight physicals do not have to be stressful experiences. We are here as experienced physician partners to guide you through the process of obtaining an FAA aviation medical certificate as efficiently as possible with the goal of having you leave the office with a certificate in your hands. If the case that a deferral cannot be avoided, we commit to guiding you through it as efficiently as possible and advocating for you as needed. As pilots ourselves, we will do everything possible to cut through the red tape and help to get you where we all want to be: up in the air.
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Senior Aviation Medical Examiner
Dr. Arts received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University, his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine , and an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Washington. He is board certified in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and specializes in ear surgery and disorders of hearing and balance. He retired as Professor of Otolaryngology at the Univ. of Michigan in 2018 after 25 years on the faculty. He continues to practice now on a part-time basis at the Iowa Ear Center in Des Moines, IA.
Dr. Arts started flying in high school and was awarded the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot award for 50 years of safe flying in 2022. His flying credentials include ATP-AMEL, Commercial-ASEL, Instrument Rating, CFI-Airplane and Instrument, and A&P Mechanic. He is currently an active flight instructor.
Dr. Arts has been an Aviation Medical Examiner for almost a decade. As a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, he is authorized to do First Class medical certificates.
You can reach Dr. Arts at aarts.ame@proton.me
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Senior Aviation Medical Examiner
Dr. Christine Brent is a third-generation aviator. Her paternal grandfather served his country as a pilot in WW2, scoring 4.5 kills in his P51D Morning Star (44-13963) while flying in the 362nd FS of the 357th FG of the 8th AF. Her father is a proud Air Force veteran, an IFR-rated private pilot, and the longtime owner of a Mooney M20R. Dr. Brent has been an IFR-rated private pilot herself for over 17 years, holding SEL and SES ratings along with high performance, complex and tailwheel endorsements. Flying out of KARB, Dr. Brent and her husband (a DTW-based airline pilot) have owned multiple airplanes, including a Mooney M20S, an Aerona Champ, a C170, and their current favorite: a gorgeous 1949 Aeronca Sedan. With multiple additional family members who are pilots for the major airlines, Dr. Brent possesses a unique understanding of the importance of the flight physical for career pilots.
After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Brent completed both medical school and Emergency Medicine (EM) residency at the University of Michigan (UM) before going on to complete a fellowship in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at the University of Cincinnati, focusing her studies on air transport of critically ill patients.
Double board certified in EM and EMS, Dr. Brent is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and currently serves as the Chief of the Division of EMS and Prehospital Medicine within the Department of Emergency Medicine at UM. She is also the Assistant Medical Director of Survival Flight and the former Program Director for the UM EMS Fellowship. Nationally, Dr. Brent is currently the Vice Chair of the Air Medical Transport Committee for the National Association of EMS Physicians, has served on the Board of the Air Medical Physician Association, and is a member of both the Aerospace Medicine Association and the Civil Aviation Medical Association. She has a specific research interest regarding utilization of drones in prehospital medicine resulting in multiple national presentations and publications on this area. The intersection of medicine and aviation is truly her passion.
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Senior Aviation Medical Examiner
Dr. John E. Freitas is an experienced aviation medical examiner (AME) who has performed over 6,000 pilot examinations during his 49 years of aviation medical practice. He performs HIMS exams along with First, Second, and Third Class exams, and he has considerable experience in favorably resolving medical situations that could jeopardize your pilot medical certification.
Dr. Freitas is an active pilot with more than 4500 hours in single, and multi-engine aircraft. He was awarded the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot award for 50 years of safe flying in 2024. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and sea, airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. He has flown extensively throughout Canada, United States, and the Caribbean.
