Mayo Clinic Clear Approach

Mayo Clinic Clear Approach tackles medical topics important to commercial aviators, recreational pilots, or just folks interested in things that fly. Current topics from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and aviation trends are explored in a serious but sometimes humorous way. Mayo Clinic Clear Approach focuses on a perspective from "the other side of the gurney." Let us navigate the storms of aeromedical certification, medical issues that may affect pilots, and share experiences with and from other pilots to break through life's sometimes stormy clouds and focus in on a clear approach.

Co-host

Mitchell Nelson, ATP, CFI/CFII, EMD, CMTE

Mitch Nelson is an ATP, flight instructor, Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD), and Certified Transport Medical Executive (CMTE). He is the Program Manager for Public Health, Infectious Disease, and Occupational Medicine. Mitch helps pilots navigate complicated medical issues and FAA medical certification challenges. His career at Mayo Clinic began as an air ambulance pilot and he has flown several Beechcraft King Air models, Beechjet, Pilatus PC-12, and Cessna Citation V for Mayo Clinic and LifeLink III.

In his spare time, he can be found chasing one of his six grandchildren, traveling in his RV, or trying to hide the purchase of another plant.