Aviation Human Factor

Lecture 8: Pilot Health, Stress & Alcohol

Diseases render pilots unfit to fly

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• Flying is a specialized occupation taking place in an unusual environment.

• Pilot may be responsible for the safety of many others.

• Thus PILOT HEALTH and his own reliability are very important.

• Pilots with a history of certain diseases described in FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations standards are disqualified from flying.

So, What Kind of

Diseases that

Disallowed Pilot to Flying

1. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)2. Neurologic Disorders & Mental

Disorders3. Insulin-Treated Diabetes 4. Loss of Hearing & Visual defect

• The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that run along the outside of the heart

• These arteries is responsible to supply blood and oxygen to the heart muscle.

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries.

• Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.

• When coronary arteries are blocked by the plaque, oxygen-rich blood can't reach our heart muscle.

• This can cause a heart attack, a chest pain or discomfort• Without quick treatment, a heart attack can lead to serious

problems and even death.

•Heart weighs approximately one pound.

•Is located behind and slightly to the left of the breastbone

•Pumps about 5 quarts (4.7 liters) of blood every minute

• Over time, CAD can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure.

• Heart failure is a condition in which your heart can't pump enough blood throughout your body.

• Lifestyle changes, medicines, and/or medical procedures can effectively prevent or treat CAD in most people.

• The Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 67) identify significant CAD as disqualifying medical conditions.

a) Neurologic disorders are diseases due to the brain problems.• One of them is called as EPILEPSY.• EPILEPSY means loss of consciousness. It caused by a

disturbance of blood flow to the brain.b) Mental disorders are appear primarily as abnormalities of

thought, feeling or behavior.• Mental disorders can cause the person being distress.• Also the person that suffering mental disorders can loss of

contact with reality.• Example of mental disorders is “Schizophrenia” or manic

depression.• Person that had neurologic disorders or mental disorders are

disqualified for flying.

• Diabetes is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar (glucose) level because the body not producing enough insulin

• Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb glucose and changing them into energy.

• If the body cells do not absorb the glucose, the glucose accumulates in the blood leading to various potential medical complications.

• Person that has medical history of diabetes that requires insulin is disqualified for flying.

• Two types of visual defects are nearsightedness & farsightedness .

• Pilot who done correction for either condition will usually be permitted to fly.

• While, hearing loss can be temporary or permanent and can affect all age groups.

• Ageing, ear infections and loud noises all cause hearing loss.

• Individual that had hearing loss are disqualified for flying.

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Minor degree on ill-health can cause deterioration in flying performance. If not well – cancel flying

Common Colds Normally associated with fever Difficulty in equalizing pressure in the sinuses and middle

ear – during climb and descent Deafness in middle ear can lead temporary deafness

Food poisoning Common to travelersNausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps-like painsPilot will be unfit to fly

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• In aviation, accidents almost always occur in a sequence of mistakes.

• Stress is one of the first contributing factors lead into the rest causing the effect.

• In order to maintain safety in aviation, stress must be managed to avoid an accident.

• This is where all of human factor studies and hard work can come into play.

• Depending on what particular job a person is performing in aviation, they must take steps to avoid undue stress.

• Stress can be avoided by taking steps to relieve other possible factors.

So, What Is STRESS?Why we STRESS?

&How does STRESS effect flying skills?

• Stress can be defined as physical and physiological tension caused by dealing with difficult situations.

• Mental, emotional or physical tension, strain or distress. (Webster, Dictionary)

• Stress is sum of Biological reactions to our physical , mental & emotional condition tends to disturb “Body Natural Balance”

• Stress also defined as a state of highly unpleasant emotional caused by overload, fear, anxiety, and anger - all of which threaten both individual performance and teamwork.

• Stress not is not a bad thing. A small amount of it acts as a stimulus and improved your performance.

• A certain amount of stress is good because it keeps you alert and prevent complacency (too relax).

e.g. Racing driver, Olympic runner, Flight crew, etc.

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• Slight stress is good but excessive stress lead to depression and other bad effects

1. Physical Stress associate with ENVIRONMENT • Noise – noise can cause stress as it makes difficult for us

to concentrate and focus.• Lack of oxygen – it can cause stress because it makes us

uncomfortable and difficult to breath normally.• Poor visibility- due to heavy fog, lead to stress as it hard

to see anything in front of us.• Poor lighting- can cause stress because it is difficult to

read technical data and manuals.• Temperature – too high or too low will make we feel not

comfortable and stress will come out

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2. Physiological stress- related with BODY condition.• Lack of sleep & Fatigued - the pilot is unable to

maintain performance standards for long periods as he struggling to stay awake.

• Flying when unwell resulting in the body using more energy fighting the illness and hence less energy to perform vital tasks.

• Not having proper meals also result in not having enough energy and induces symptoms like headache and shaking.

3. Psychological Stress– related with SOCIAL or EMOTIONAL factors.

• Financial problems such as impending bankruptcy and loans and to pay.

• Marital problems due to divorce or strained relationships due to persistent quarreling.

• Interpersonal problems with superiors and colleagues due to miscommunication or backstabbing.

• In aviation, at all phases of flight, pilots are subjected to different amounts of stress.

• How they react when subjected to stress will ultimately make whether the outcome is a safe and successful flight.

• Normally, Stress is highest during the critical junctures of flight which are take-off and landing.

• Stress can significantly affect one’s thought processes. • Stress can decrease attention and concentration which

lead to poor judgments and impair memory.• Stress can cause aviators to commit thinking errors and

to take mental shortcuts that could be potentially fatal (causing death).

• Under high-stress conditions, people tend to oversimplify problem solving and ignore important relevant information, taking the easy way out.

• For example, an aviator experiencing high stress before going into combat may, in haste (high speed), fail to follow all of the steps of the preflight inspection.

• Organize yourself- Take better control of the ways you’re spending your time and energy.

• Change your environment- Control what and who is surrounding you to get rid of stressors and gain support for yourself.

• Build up your strength- Good physical condition helps you to stand up against your stressors.

• Learn to relax- practicing a good relaxation technique to clearer thinking and decision making.

• Find ways to laugh each day• Develop a supportive network around you

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• Stress is Inevitable• Stress Effects our Physical & Mental health• Stress affects our situation awareness and our

decision making.• We need to effectively cope with stress to be efficient.• Manage stress for health.• If you don’t manage stress, it will manage YOU!• STOP burning up emotional energy• LOOK rationally at the problem• LISTEN to your rational not emotional mind.

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• Alcohol is a sedative and addicting drug.• Sedative means promoting calm or inducing sleep. • Alcohol quickly impairs judgment and leads to

behavior that can easily contribute to, or cause accidents.

• Flying, while fun and exciting, is a precise, demanding responsible.

• Any factor that impairs the pilot’s ability to perform the required tasks during the operation of an aircraft is an invitation for disaster.

• The use of alcohol is a significant self-imposed stress factor that should be eliminated from the cockpit.

• The ability to do so is strictly within the pilot’s control.• Self-imposed stress means stress that can be more

easily managed.

So, How alcohol can affect the well being of a

pilot?

• Alcohol is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine, and transported by the blood throughout the body.

• Alcohol can affect three crucial organs to a pilot, which are the brain, the eyes, and the inner ear.

• Brain effects include impaired reaction time, reasoning, judgment, and memory.

• Alcohol decreases the ability of the brain to make use of oxygen.

• This effect become worst because of the reducing of air pressure at higher altitude.

• Two drinks on the ground are equivalent to three or four at altitude.

• Visual symptoms include eye muscle imbalance, which leads to double vision and difficulty focusing.

• Inner ear effects include dizziness (not balance), and decreased hearing perception.

• If other variables are added, such as lack of sleep, fatigue, medication use, altitude hypoxia, or flying at night or in bad weather, the negative effects will be increased.

• Hangovers is a severe headache caused by drinking an excess of alcohol.

• Other symptoms related with a hangover are dizziness, dry mouth, stuffy nose, fatigue, upset stomach, easily angered & impaired judgment

• A pilot with these symptoms would certainly not be fit to safely operate an aircraft.

• The use of alcohol and drugs by pilots is regulated by FAR 91.17. • This regulation states that no person may operate or attempt to

operate an aircraft:• within 8 hours of having consumed alcohol• while under the influence of alcohol• with a blood alcohol content of 0.04% or greater• while using any drug that adversely affects safety

• However, regulations alone are no guarantee that problems won’t occur.

• It is far more important for pilots to understand the negative effects of alcohol and its deadly impact on flight safety.

• Recognize the hazards of combining alcohol consumption and flying. • Use good judgment. Your life and the lives of your passengers are at risk if

you drink and fly. • Ideally, total avoidance of alcohol should be a key element observed by

every pilot in planning or accomplishing a flight.• Alcohol avoidance is as critical as developing a flight plan, a good preflight

inspection, obeying ATC procedures, and avoiding severe weather.

• List out common diseases that disallow pilot to flying.

• Define STRESS.• Explain 3 major causes of stress.• How does stress effect flying skills?• How alcohol can affect the well being of pilot?

Shappell 1997

CHEERS