The FAA's Cardiovascular Specialist — Board-Certified Cardiologist, Military Flight Surgeon, and Licensed Pilot
Aviation Medicine, Done Right
MACH I exists because pilots deserve a cardiologist who understands aviation. Not a physician who has to look up what a special issuance is. Not a generalist who's never sat in a cockpit.
Dr. Davenport is a board-certified subspecialist who also happens to be a military flight surgeon, FAA medical examiner, and active pilot. He doesn't just treat your heart — he understands what it means to lose your medical, and he knows exactly what the FAA needs to give it back.
Eddie D. Davenport, M.D., FACC, FAsMA
Founder & Medical Director
There is exactly one physician in the world who serves simultaneously as a cardiovascular consultant to the FAA, the U.S. military, NATO, and NASA. That's Dr. Eddie Davenport — and the overlap isn't coincidental. Each of those organizations chose him because no one else has built a career at the precise intersection of cardiology, aviation medicine, and operational military service.
Dr. Davenport is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA). In 2018, he was inducted as an Academician of the International Academy of Aviation & Space Medicine (IAASM) — one of the highest honors in the specialty. He has performed more than 10,000 cardiac procedures and authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, including two textbooks. He teaches aviation medicine in more than 8 countries across 4 continents.
Before MACH I, Dr. Davenport served as a Colonel in the United States Air Force, where he was Chief of Cardiology at the USAF Aeromedical Consult Service and Aerospace Cardiology Consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General. He deployed to Afghanistan — serving at Bagram Air Base as Theater Cardiologist and Triage Director — and has written every USAF cardiac aircrew waiver guide issued since 2009. When the Air Force needed to know whether a pilot with a cardiac condition could safely return to the cockpit, Dr. Davenport wrote the answer.
Internationally, he served as deputy chairman and then chairman of the NATO Aviation Cardiology Working Group, where he authored or co-authored all 10 papers in the landmark Heart journal series — a collaboration spanning 8 countries across North America and Europe and the most comprehensive international aviation cardiology publication ever assembled. The effort earned the NATO Science & Technology Award in 2024.
Dr. Davenport is also a licensed pilot. He doesn't just know the medicine — he knows what it means to sit in the left seat, and he knows what pilots stand to lose when the FAA raises a concern. That's why he built MACH I: to make sure that when the system is hard to navigate, pilots have someone in their corner who built the system.
Clinical Excellence
- Board Certified Internal Medicine
- Board Certified Cardiovascular Disease
- Fellow, American College of Cardiology (FACC)
- Nuclear Cardiology Qualified
- Invasive Cardiology Qualified
- 10,000+ Cardiac Procedures
Military Service
- Colonel, United States Air Force (Retired)
- Chief of Cardiology, USAF Aeromedical Consult Service
- Aerospace Cardiology Consultant to USAF Surgeon General
Aviation Medicine
- FAA Cardiovascular Specialty Consultant
- FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
- Licensed Pilot
Academic & Research
- Associate Professor of Medicine, USUHS
- 100+ Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Chapter Author, Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine, 5th Edition
International Leadership
- Former Deputy Chairman & Chairman, NATO Aviation Cardiology Working Group
- Author/Co-author, all 10 papers — NATO Heart Journal Series (8 countries)
- NATO Science & Technology Award 2024
- Fellow, Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA) — Class of 2019
- Academician, International Academy of Aviation & Space Medicine (IAASM) — Inducted 2018
- NASA Aerospace Medicine Consultant
- Lectures in 8+ countries across 4 continents
Aviation Cardiology Expertise
Dr. Davenport specializes in helping pilots return to the cockpit after cardiac events that result in FAA medical certificate denial or deferral. His aviation cardiology practice covers the full spectrum of cardiac conditions affecting pilots, including heart attacks (myocardial infarction), coronary artery disease, coronary stenting, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve replacement and repair, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW), cardiomyopathy, pacemaker implantation, and aortic aneurysm.
As an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner and Cardiovascular Specialty Consultant, Dr. Davenport conducts FAA AME exams for all classes of medical certificate, performs aviation-specific cardiovascular evaluations, and manages the complete FAA Special Issuance process from initial consultation through FAA authorization. He understands both the clinical cardiology and the regulatory requirements — because he helped write the standards that the FAA and U.S. Air Force use to evaluate pilots with cardiac conditions.
Dayton, Ohio — Where Aviation Began
MACH I is based in Dayton, Ohio — home of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the birthplace of aviation. It's fitting that the most specialized aviation cardiology practice in the country calls Dayton home. While our roots are here, our patients come from across the country, trusting us with the medical certificates their careers depend on.