Extending the age limit of commercial pilots

Recommendations. It is recommended that all aircrew, especially those over the age of 40 years, should be periodically screened for cardiovascular risk using a resting ECG and risk estimating calculators that are representative and appropriate for the population to screen and provide non-fatal and fatal endpoints. Pilots with an elevated CVD...

Managing startle and surprise in the cockpit

After several recent flight safety events, such as the accident of Air France flight 447 in 2009, investigators determined that surprise and startle can severely disrupt pilot responses. They concluded that pilots need to be better prepared for unexpected and potentially startling situations. In response, aviation safety authorities have...

Dealing with unexpected events on the flight deck: A conceptual model of startle and surprise

Objective: A conceptual model is proposed in order to explain pilot performance in surprising and startling situations. Background: Today’s debate around loss of control following in-flight events and the implementation of upset prevention and recovery training has highlighted the importance of pilots’ ability to deal with unexpected events....

The effect of surprise on upset recovery performance

Introducing the element of surprise is one of the main challenges in simulator training of in-flight emergencies. In this simulator study, we investigated the differences in performance between predictable and surprising circumstances, in order to obtain insight into the transfer of training between predictable training settings and surprising...

Would you fly with a pilot on insulin?

Insulin requirement affects the careers of diabetic professionals who do safety-sensitive jobs. In most cases, insulin-treated individuals are automatically banned from safety-sensitive jobs because the risk of hypoglycaemia is regarded as incompatible with safety. Recent developments—such as diabetes self-management education, self-monitoring...

Leisure pilot license proposed for Europe: Do you want such pilots crossing your flight path?

In a Notice of Proposed Amendment, the European Aviation Safety Agency proposes to introduce a Leisure Pilot License (LPL). Holders of a LPL for airplanes will be allowed to fl y single-engine piston airplanes with a maximum takeoff mass of 2000 kg or less, carrying a maximum of three passengers. In this commentary paper, we express signifi cant...

Heat stress reduction of helicopter crew wearing a ventilated vest

Background: Helicopter pilots are often exposed to periods of high heat strain, especially when wearing survival suits. Therefore, a prototype of a ventilated vest was evaluated on its capability to reduce the heat strain of helicopter pilots during a 2-h simulated flight. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that the ventilated vest would reduce...

Presenting directions with a vibrotactile torso display

Vibrotactile displays covering the torso present spatial information in an intuitive way since the stimuli are directly mapped to the body coordinates; left is left, front is front, etc. The present study investigated the direction in the horizontal plane to which a specific torso location is mapped using a 15 tactor linear display. Participants...

Desloratadine shows no effect on performance during 6 h at 8,000 ft simulated cabin altitude

Sustained vigilance is required by pilots and crew during flight; therefore, the use of antihistamines with sedating properties is widely prohibited. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of desloratadine, a long-acting, nonsedating antihistamine, on healthy volunteers placed under conditions of simulated cabin pressure. Methods...