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Jeffrey Walker Professor Alicia Bolton English-101 November 4, 2013 Asleep at the Throttle One of the biggest safety issues in aviation today is pilot fatigue. In Steven Caseys Tigershark! David Jones, a test pilot for North Group, crashes an F- 20 Tigershark prototype demonstrating its capabilities at a Paris air show. He experienced a diminished capacity to operate the plane, due to the tremendous forces of gravity tugging at his body. Jones had completed a total of seven high-g maneuvers that day, and had taxed his mental and physical ability to control the aircraft. Although this is an example of an extreme piloting situation, it is an example of the physical and mental stress that pilots experience while piloting a plane. Resent aviation disasters have pressured the industry to improve safety regulations concerning pilot fatigue; however, much more needs to be done to make it safe for the public.

First of all, what is fatigue? Fatigue is A non-pathologic state [i.e. a state not caused by mental disease] resulting in a decreased ability to maintain function or workload due to mental or physical stress (Strauss).Why is sleep important when it comes to pilot fatigue? Sleep is a vital physiological function. Like food and water, sleep is necessary for survival. Sleepiness results when sleep loss occurs. Like hunger and thirst, sleepiness is the brain's signal that sleep is needed. Sleep loss describes the phenomenon of getting less sleep than is needed for maximal

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waking performance and alertness. If an individual normally needs 8 hours of sleep to feel completely alert, and gets only 6 hours of sleep, 2 hours of sleep loss has been incurred. Sleep loss over successive days accumulates into a sleep debt. If the individual needing 8 hours of sleep gets only 6 hours a night for 4 nights in a row, an 8 hours sleep debt has been accumulated. The negative effects of one night of sleep loss are compounded by subsequent sleep loss. Sleep loss and the resultant sleepiness can degrade most aspects of human performance (Lerner). In the laboratory, it has been demonstrated that losing as little as 2 hours of sleep can negatively affect alertness and performance. Performance effects include: degraded judgment, situation awareness, decision-making, and memory; slowed reaction time; lack of concentration; fixation; and worsened mood. Other effects are decreased work efficiency, degraded crew coordination, reduced motivation, decreased vigilance, and increased variability of work performance. The brain is programmed for two periods of maximal sleepiness every 24 hours from about 3-5 AM and 3-5 PM (Strauss). Because of the highly repetitive nature of the active pilot scan of instruments, fatigue is a chronic problem for pilots. Fatigue combined with low oxygen pressures may induce strong and disorienting visual illusions. Although general aviation pilots do not experience the high "g" (gravitational) forces that military pilots do, the long flight time and work hours in general is causing many pilots be fatigued. Many airline pilots admit to taking naps in the cockpit while piloting the plane. So how do pilots know when they are fatigued? Pilot Chip Wright Explains I've made the mistake of flying when I shouldn't have, when I was just too tired, when I wanted to just get the job done. Now that I've learned my lesson, I don't do it anymore. I've become much more attuned to the early signs of my own personal warnings: increasingly frequent yawns,

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missed or mistaken radio calls, altitude/heading deviations, even sloppy landings. Sometimes I will look at my preflight weather, read it, and not remember any of it. I've learned how my body tells me it needs to rest. Sometimes it means not getting paid. But at least I am fully awake when I complain about the self-induced shortage in my check. Deep inside, I know I've done the right thing." (Wright).

Although there is no argument that there are physiological challenges in the flight environment, a number of people think that modern airplanes, with all their technology and automation can almost fly themselves. There is not a more respected pilot anywhere than Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenburger. In his biography Highest Duty, This is what Sullenburger had to say about piloting and technology: Ive come across a number of people over the years who think that modern airplanes, with all their technology and automation, can almost fly themselves. Thats simply not true. Automation can lower the workload in some cases. But in other situations, using automation when it is not appropriate can increase ones workload. A pilot has to know how to use a level of automation that is appropriate. Whether youre flying by hand or using technology to help, youre ultimately flying the airplane with your mind by developing and maintaining an accurate real-time mental model of your reality- the airplane, the environment, and the situation. The question is how many levels of technology do you want to place between your brain and the control surfaces. The plane

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is never going somewhere on its own without you. Its always going where you tell it to go. A computer can only do what it is told to do. The choice is: do I tell it to something by pushing on the control stick with my hand, or do I tell it to do something by using some intervening technology? ( Sullenburger 188-189) Unfortunately, crew scheduling at most companies is not improving with respect to reducing fatigue (they usually push flight crews as far as they can while remaining technically legal under the FARs). The NTSB lists fatigue on its list of most wanted improvements in aviation safety, but the FAA has largely failed to act. The NTSB considers this to be Unacceptable. The Airline companies and the FAA need to do their part in fighting pilot fatigue. If this does not happen soon many innocent lives will be lost.

So what does all this mean to pilots? In short, fatigue might be an inevitable part of flying, but there are things you can do to minimize its dangers. Mark Rosekind is a leading expert on fatigue and alertness. Here are some suggestions for pilots to minimize fatigue. The first thing is to educate yourself about the subject of fatigue so you can recognize when you're most at risk. The next step is to put in place some practical alertness strategies to keep from becoming a statistic. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are many coping mechanisms that can help, depending on the individual. If possible, avoid flying in the first place when you know you're not up to the challenge because of fatigue. Develop good long-term exercise, sleep, and diet habits. These can all contribute to better energy levels and less overall fatigue. Don't depend on alcohol as a regular sleep aid. Take advantage of strategic napping

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opportunities that can "recharge your batteries" when you've hit a wall. Even though the effect may be temporary, a 20-minute snooze on the FBO's couch before the flight home may help refocus your energy and attention on the flight. Make judicious use of caffeine to give you a temporary alertness boost, but don't overdo it. (Czaplyski). In an anonymous survey of 1,488 corporate pilots conducted by Rose-kind's firm, the most common techniques used to deal with fatigue during a flight (in descending order of popularity) were moving or stretching, trying to keep busy in some way, hydrating, engaging in conversation, and drinking caffeinated beverages. Falling back on standard operating procedures and good crew resource management skills came next, followed by eating and napping (presumably with another pilot awake to watch the store), and finally raw concentration.(Czaplyski). The Film Sleepiness: When Your Brain has a Mind of Its Own, looks at how the brain succumbs to sleep and how that process might be better managed. In the technological world of today, humans represent the error factor. Pilots must ignore their normal sleep and wakefulness cycles in an environment that is often boring and monotonous. New studies focus on measuring degrees of alertness in pilots. We see how a new technique reduces pilot drowsiness: Pilots take naps. (Human Factor 03:14) For long flights, those that exceed 20 hours, pilots need something to combat drowsiness or fatigue risk. Systematic studies resulted in airlines increasing crews and modifying shift timetables. Researchers look for biomarkers that would provide an indication for drowsiness. (Fatigue Risk 04:48) Research shows that the only surefire cure for fatigue once it has already set in is a full night sleep. If a sleep debt has accumulated (more than one night without enough sleep), it can

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take 2 days of full sleep to recover. The best way to combat fatigue is to learn its causes and prevent it in the first place through good lifestyle, good planning and CRM. In Conclusion, pilot fatigue is a safety issue that should concern all parties involved. This includes everyone from the aviation community, the airline industry, and anyone who travels on a plane. It is everyones responsibility to do their part to improve the issue of pilot fatigue. If all parties come together to mitigate this important safety issue, our skies will be much safer. However, if things stay the way they are, we will all be guilty of being asleep at the throttle, and tragedies will continue to happen. This doesnt have to be the case.

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Works Cited "Aviation Physiology." World of Earth Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol.1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 52. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. Casey, S. M. "Tigershark!" Set Phasers on Stun: And Other True Tales of Design, Technology, and Human Error. Santa Barbara: Aegean, 1998. N. page. Print. Czaplyski, Vincent. Fighting Fatigue: How not to Fall Asleep At the Stick. AOPA Pilot Magazine Dec. 2005. 25 Mar. 2008. <http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2005/fatigue0512.html> Sleepiness: When Your Brain has a Mind of Its Own. Human Anatomy & Physiology. Adana. Films, 2012. Films on Demand. Web. 04 November 2013. <http://storm.hgtc.edu:2048/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=3503&xti d=50439> Strauss, Samual. Pilot Fatigue. NASA/Johnson Space Center. Houston, Texas: NASA. 23 Mar. 2008. http://aeromedical.org/Articles/Pilot_Fatigue.html Sullenburger, Chesley. Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters. New York: Harper Collins, 2009. Print Wright, Chip. "Tuckered Out: Heed the Warning Signs of Fatigue." AOPA Pilot Magazine Sept. 2004. 25 Mar. 2008 <http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2004/tuckered0409.html>.

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