AircraftOwner Online

The FAA is now considering new rules for regional airline pilots in regards to training as well as duty time. Duty time is something we do not think about very often in our bug smashers but we should.

I flew an IFR flight the other day which only lasted three hours. However, I was at the hangar preparing the flight plan, doing some minor maintenance, and cleaning things up for about six hours before takeoff. The result was doing a hard, night, IFR approach to an unfamiliar airport after being “on duty” for about nine hours.

No one was watching my “duty time” nor had I paid much attention but I was sure glad there was someone else with me to drive the three hours from the airport to our final destination.

There are multiple studies which show that fatigue affects performance and increases accident rates. Fatigue is difficult to measure and there are multiple variables which add to its effects such as hunger, thirst, stress, pain (e.g. that low back ache), or distractions. Unfortunately, the National Transportation Safety Board does not worry too much about small plane accidents and takes the easy way out attributing fatal accidents to the generalized “pilot error” cache. But how many of those accidents might be related to fatigue. We will never know without cockpit and data recorders.

We need to be self vigilant and monitor our own “duty time.” Are we fit to fly and by extension, will we be fit to land at the end of our flight?

The problem is accentuated by the demographics of the pilot population. We all are getting older. One of the most common problems brought to the attention of physicians by “older” patients is sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances create fatigue and somnolence which is accentuated by advancing age.

Naps are good—just not while you are flying by yourself. In fact, sharing flying duties is a great way to reduce the effects of fatigue. Also, being more cognizant of scheduling is important. Do you really need to fly home after an exhausting all day meeting? Waiting till the next morning might may all the difference in the world.

What about drugs to help with getting to sleep, staying asleep, or to adjust sleep cycles to times zones? In a word, very simply, NO!

There are many problems with sleep medications whether they are over the counter (OTC) or prescription. First and foremost, they all are addicting. If you use any sleep medication for three days in a row whether it is Benadryl® OTC or prescription Ambien®, you will not sleep the next night. (Many pharmaceutical companies are allowed to say their medication is not “addicting” by FAA standards, however, that is only because insomnia is not a “withdrawal” symptom.)

More importantly, the metabolic breakdown products of these medications will affect daytime performance and wakefulness. Chemical metabolites also accumulate with chronic use and can cause other symptoms such as irritability and depression.

High carbohydrate meals will also accentuate fatigue. Generally, the carbohydrate load will increase wakefulness as blood sugar rises but this is short lived as fatigue returns with the rapid decrease in blood sugar that is associated with the insulin response. This rapid fall in blood sugar can be mitigated by making sure the preflight meal has significant protein content.

Dehydration increases fatigue as well as other problems. Drinking fluids on long flights, particularly at higher altitudes and pressurized environments, is very important for a variety of reasons. If you are worried about having to urinate in the aircraft, grab some “TravelJohns”. They are inexpensive, single use urinals which turn the urine into gel preventing spills and ensuring order.

The bottom line is that we all should be acting as our own dispatchers. We need to take into account all our physiologic factors when preparing for and making flight decisions.