Background
Ernsting was born in Woolwich, London on 21 April 1928, and educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School for Boys.
Ernsting was born in Woolwich, London on 21 April 1928, and educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School for Boys.
From Guy"s Hospital, he qualified in physiology in 1949 and in medicine in 1952. In 1954, Ernsting was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Medical Branch, where he spent his entire military service. While working in the Altitude Division of the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine, he worked on Partial-pressure suit assemblies.
He was head of this division for twenty years from 1957 to 1977.
However, the Royal Air Force never issued a partial-pressure suit, preferring instead to use anti-g trousers in conjunction with pressure jerkins. He was the aeromedical project officer for the development of the United Kingdom"s versions of the Phantom, F-111, and Hercules.
He later became chairman of the aeromedical and life support system working parties for the Tornado and Typhoon. In 1971 he became the Royal Air Force Consultant Adviser in Aviation Medicine, a position he held until 1990.
Between 1990 and 1993 he served as Dean of Air Force Medicine, then as Senior Consultant (Royal Air Force).
Upon leaving the Altitude Division in 1977, he was first appointed Deputy Director of Research (1977–1985), then Director of Research (1985–1988), before becoming Commandant of the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine (1986–1992). However, between 1979 and 1980, Ernsting spent a sabbatical year at the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. He was Queen Elizabeth II"s honorary surgeon from 1989 to 1993.
He retired from the Royal Air Force on 21 April 1993.
On retiring from the Royal Air Force, Ernsting became a visiting professor at King"s College London (KCL), where he taught a human and applied physiology Master of Science course. Later, KCL asked him to establish a research laboratory.
He was active both in research and in training undergraduate and postgraduate students for 16 years. In addition to his position at KCL, he was a visiting professor at Imperial College, London.
In 1998, Ernsting was appointed Head of the Human Physiology and Aerospace Medicine Group of the Guy"s, King"s and Street Thomas"s School of Biomedical Sciences.
He was the Honorary Civil Consultant in Aviation Medicine to the Royal Air Force. He was also an aeromedical adviser to British Aerospace Systems, and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association. Ernsting was an international ambassador for aviation medicine.
He was President of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine from 1995–1997.