Pilot Fatigue

1768 Words4 Pages

Introduction

Most of the Aviation accidents have been greatly attributed to “Pilot Fatigue” (Mohler, 1998). This is because a pilot’s input into the aircraft is majorly dependent on his consciousness on the job, therefore incase he or she may be fatigued then this provides room for error in his inputs (Smith, 2008). Even though the technological advancements in avionics the flight systems of the current aircrafts have preventive mechanisms put in place that makes sure that the pilots are always alert, without sleep and freshened, small effects of fatigue can greatly jeopardize flight safety (Mohler, 1998). This is so because the duties performed by the pilot in the cockpit require a lot of vigilance, care as well as both mental and physical well being and alertness. Having considered this it is very hard to eliminate the cockpit noise, aircraft vibration, the long flights; little sleep as well as irregular work schedules which are the major contributors to pilot fatigue and which can have great influence on his or her performance. This paper dissects the major factors that cause pilot fatigue; the impact of pilot fatigue as well as the damages associated with the same and concludes with ways of managing the same.

Defining Pilot Fatigue

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, 2009) fatigue is a subjective feeling of tiredness which in respect distorts one’s ability to concentrate on a particular task and the task often seems difficult even though the one performing the task may be an expert in the same field. Jackson (2006) adds on to say that fatigue itself is a condition that reflects inadequate rest combined with a myriad of symptoms that are closely associated with displaced, interrupted or and disturbed biologic...

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Jackson, A. C. & Earl, L. (2006). Prevalence of fatigue among commercial pilots. Oxford Journals. Retrieved from http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/4/263.full

Mohler, S. R. (1998). Pilot Fatigue Manageable, But Remains Insidious Threat. Human Factors & Aviation Medicine: Vol. 45: 1. Retrieved from http://www.smartcockpit.com/data/pdfs/flightops/humanfactors/Pilot_Fatigue.pdf

Printup, M. (2000). The Effects Of Fatigue On Performance And Safety. AirlineSafety.Com. Retrieved from http://www.airlinesafety.com/editorials/PilotFatigue.htm

Smith, B. L. (2008). Pilot Fatigue Detection Using Aircraft State Variables. West Virginia University: College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Retrieved from http://wvuscholar.wvu.edu:8881//exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/L2V4bGlicmlzL2R0bC9kM18xL2FwYWNoZV9tZWRpYS8xMzk3MA==.pdf

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