SURVIVING COVID-19 One pilots firsthand experience of COVID-19 Close to the edge he threat posed by COVID-19 has, unfortunately, become all too real for many of us. I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Dave Lewins, a former RAF and Monarch pilot, about his recent experience of contracting COVID-19. By Captain Jeremy Feldman, Log Board member Jeremy Feldman (JF): Dave, can you give us a brief background of your flying career? Dave Lewins (DL): I joined the RAF from school in 1979, and went on to fly the Jet Provost, Hawk and Hunter in training, and then operationally the F4 Phantom for six years, based in 29 Sqn at RAF Coningsby and Leuchars. I then went to Arizona, instructing on the Eagle for three years on a USAF exchange. I returned to the Hawk after two years in the MoD, and flew it for four years at RAF Chivenor and Valley, retiring from service in 1997 after two years as Squadron Commander on 74 Sqn, the RAFs Tactical Weapons Unit. I went straight to Monarch on to the 757 series and was promoted in 2004 to the left seat. I transferred to the A320 series in 2005. Because of minor but otherwise inconsequential medical reasons, the cause of which I still believe to be the poor air quality in the Airbus, I had to retire early from airline flying in December 2010, and subsequently converted to helicopters. I went on to instruct flying in light helicopters and aeroplanes, and I still fly R44s and C172s doing commercial aerial photography. I run my own ground school, teaching PPL(A/H) theory. Ive logged just under 15,000 hours, with about 3,500 hours commercial command time on 757/767/320/321s and helicopters. JF: Can you be more specific about the air quality issue? DL: After recovering from testicular cancer when I was 40, I had a CT scan every few years to check for tumours, but none was found. My medical was withdrawn in 2010, after a CT scan, following a slipped disc, revealed benign air-filled lung cysts. Looking back through the earlier scans, it was discovered that the cysts had appeared in 2005 and had grown until 2010. The CAA requested a follow-up scan in 2017, which revealed that the bullae had stopped growing in 2010. The only relevant change in my life over that period was the change of aircraft type from the Boeing to the Airbus. JF: Tell us about contracting coronavirus. DL: I first started feeling dizzy at work and, five days later, I developed a dry cough, temperature, tiredness and a heavy chest. I called 111 and an ambulance was dispatched to our house. They took an ECG, all seemed OK, and I was told to self-isolate. Three days later I felt worse, and an ambulance took me to A&E. The medics took a chest X-ray and a second ECG, and sent me home with antibiotics and codeine. The next day my condition deteriorated, and I was admitted to hospital where I tested positive for pneumonia and was connected to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. My condition worsened, so I was then intubated and put into an induced coma ready for ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) that evening. JF: How ill did you become? DL: I was warned by the consultant, just prior to being admitted to the ICU, that I might not survive. I managed to edit a revised version of my will on my phone, which I emailed to the medical staff who printed it, let me sign it and then witnessed it for me. That was the first time Id really appreciated that I might not survive. I then spent three days in the ICU on a ventilator. I was then four days off the ventilator before being moved from the ICU into the high dependency COVID-19 ward for another three days of what the medical team expected to be seven to 10. JF: Were you able to speak to your loved ones? DL: When I was taken off the ventilator, the nurse held up a phone to my ear and I got to speak to Zoe, my wife. It was such a relief to finally hear her voice after all that had happened. Especially more so as others on the ICU, and subsequently on the ward, were dying all around me. JF: How long did your recovery take? DL: I had lost a stone in muscle mass and I really struggled to stand, let alone walk. The nights in the high dependency ward were like torture because of both the lack of sleep and the regular checks through the day and night by the medical staff. Once extubated on the eighth day, I managed to regain some walking ability by holding on to the walls and walking around the ward. After pleading to go home, and having proven I could walk around the ward without losing oxygen levels in my blood, the consultant finally agreed to discharge me four days earlier than expected. It took until the second week at home before I could regain full motion of my legs by exercising on the stairs. By the third week, I was back to walking one to two miles a day and, by the fourth week, I was fully recovered. Overall, the recovery was surprisingly quick, almost as fast as the initial deterioration. I had lost a stone in muscle mass and I really struggled to stand, let alone walk JF: From a medical perspective, what is your status? How easy is it to regain a Class 1 post-COVID-19? DL: As far as I know, I have no long-lasting effects. I am expecting to have to take a lung capacity test and a chest X-ray soon, and hope very much my Class 1 will be reinstated. JF: As a pilot, we are all risk managers. Has your aversion to risk changed since? DL: Not really. I own a part share in a RV4 and enjoy aerobatics and touring with Zoe. But my perspective on work-life balance has changed somewhat. I stop working at 5pm and Zoe and I, previously both workaholics, are already focused on more holiday time as soon as we are allowed out, working to live and enjoying our lives. JF: Many pilots are facing redundancy or hard times as a result of COVID-19. Youve had to adapt and change careers previously. What advice can you offer them right now? DL: Pilots have phenomenal and very transferable skill sets. Were well trained in stress and process management, and operate very procedurally. Were used to solving problems at work in a structured manner and Id suggest they adopt the same approach: analyse the problem, strategise and come up with a new plan for their future, as I did when I lost my medical twice.