The Effects of Long Haul Flight on the Crew and Pilot (Essay Sample)

EFFECTS OF LONG HAUL FLIGHTS ON THE CREW AND PILOT
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EFFECTS OF LONG HAUL FLIGHTS ON THE CREW AND PILOT
The profession of captaining an airplane is almost considered militaristic for the fitness and discipline required to become successful. After all, carrying and ensuring the safety of passengers who in some instances run into their hundreds is no mean task. Delivery of such services requires personnel who are highly skilled and alert at all times to keep an efficient industry thriving. Therefore, both governments and other stakeholders in the aviation industry have ensured stringent measures of ensuring the best personnel get the job whilst providing that all regulations be adhered to. As these laws indicate, there must be set responses to emergencies, but there must also be set regulations that oversee the well-being of those in task (Broers & Great Britain, 2007). Therefore, those that propose such laws are usually aware about the probabilities of flying, especially if it is a long haul flight. Such flights cause numerous changes to body systems and in the end might have full negative impact on these personnel. Therefore, it is important that one understands the impact of these long haul flights, mainly through going through scientific studies conducted in the field and outlining the results found to determine the impacts both short term and in the long run. This activity is what this paper has set out to establish.
As has been well documented within science, there is a relation between gravity and the well-being of the human body (Martinez & Perez, 2009). According to their studies in the book Aeronautics and Astronautics, gravity maintains several features of our body, such as the form of body cells and the red blood cells more specifically. What this means in a pint is that we human beings are intrinsically evolved for living on the ground. Any activity of flying or going away from the center of gravity brings about various bodily changes that may not be fully understood in the science world. Take for example the effects of going to space. Truth be told, there is very little detail on what happens to the human body in a microgravity environment due to the little data found within this area.
However, there is an enviable collection of data when it comes to atmospheric flights especially for commercial purposes. Since the discovery of flying in the early twentieth century, man has moved mountains in the field, what with discoveries in better engine systems enabling extra long flight hours, some even for over 24 hours within the military (due to air refueling). Today, we have aircraft that are capable of flying over seventeen hour nonstop and have ranges of over 7000 nautical miles. This couples the rise in the need by clients for such flights, which also include less layovers and any other time wastage during the flight. Most such clients are interested in reaching their destination as fast as possible to conduct business. However, what does this really mean for the flight crew on such a journey?
There are various aspects that are affected by long-haul flights, including social, psychological and physical factors. Social factors mainly influence the lifestyle of the flight crew and mainly involve their out-of-office social performance. The psychological aspect mainly determines the well being of a flight crew such as the pilot, after all, an unhinged pilot would be any flight passenger’s worst nightmare. Psychological factors also influence the other aspects including the social and the physical one. Physically, a pilot requires ultimate fitness. Fatigue is never a friend in flying matters snoozing while flying a plane would be costly to all parties, mainly the scared passengers.
Therefore, the paper shall begin with the physical implications of long haul flights. As earlier mentioned, fatigue is always an enemy in aviation. For a pilot, staying attentive and awake is primal for a good, non-eventful trip. However, even pilots are human beings and expecting them to function for long hours is inviting disaster. According to research, the human body can offer full concentration for a maximum of five hours continuously (Weiner, 1988). For shorter trips therefore, this means that with a co-pilot, the pilot can easily handle a 10-12 hours flight easily. However, anything longer than this is putting the flight crew at risk of fatigue, further risking the lives of the passengers. Fatigue is common in long haul flights, especially due to the boredom that comes with being stuck in an airplane for over 16 hours (Williamson & Friswell, 2011). Therefore, for the aviation industry, such a trip must adhere to certain rules, just to ensure there is no risk of fatigue by the flight crew. Some of the civil aviation requirements in such cases include;
More flight crew personnel, who can interchange with the other crew to for rest
That the crew shares the same level of expertise for all flight crewmembers including the replacements
Another physical condition that might emanate from long haul flights is irradiation. It is common knowledge by now that the earth’s atmosphere also acts as protective layer against harmful solar flares and radiation. Space scientists often have to contend with this problem. However, the problem has baffled aviation scientists as well. There have been numerous researches carried out by aviation specialists to try to understand if pilots and more specifically those who fly long haul flights are at a higher risk of radiation than a person on the ground is. This is a contentious issue since there are those who claim that flight crews are more at risk from cancer infections due t their exposure to radiation while in flight (Weiner, 1988). The science behind this argument states that as one goes higher in the atmosphere, they become more exposed to radiation that would have been covered by the atmosphere below them. It is also known that supersonic airplanes, especially most if not all of those that make such long haul flights, fly at higher altitudes of the environment.
According to studies carried out by the British Airways into the issue, the threshold required for radiation exposure, measured in milliSieverts (mSv) is 1mSv for the public. Exposure for the flight crew stands at 20-mSv exposure annually. Results from their experiments showed that for crews in supersonic flights over long haul distances, 100 hours of flight was enough to expose them to this threshold annually. For long haul crews, 100 hours in an year is quite achievable, which furthers the question of whether actually airways can allow their pilots to get such exposure without conducting well informed researches. However, according to medical specialists in radiology and human bio-forms, research seems to indicate that there is no marked increase in chances of catching radioactive induced diseases such as cancer as opposed to people in other professions on the ground. In fact, according to research, the good lifestyle maintained by flight crews due to their tasking duties leads to increased longetivity (Weiner, 1988). However, this excludes melanoma and skin cancer, which are commonly attributed to this.
In a physical kind of way, another major problem may arise from stress. Many analysts agree that stress has a lot to do with fatigue if it is from physical sources. This is because working under pressure for longer hours tends to lead to a fatigued mind. A stressed mind usually is less capable of handling distressing information where quick thinking and wit is required. Therefore, in this respect, keeping out stress is a major task for many airlines.
Perhaps with this information in mind, it is important to look at the drivers of fatigue and later on stress within flight crews. In the research that has been carried out on the human body and mind, scientists have discovered that the human body has a particular system that determines rest. With relation to rest, there are three areas of interest concerning flight crews in long haul trips, which include;
Sleep propensity/pressure
Circardian rhythm and,
Sleep inertia
He Circadian rhythm refers to a bodily clock that forms naturally. This clock plays the role of regulating physiological functions such as our wake-sleep episodes, the body temperature, neurological/physical performance, digestion and even hormonal secretions. This clockwork is assured through the work of inbuilt cues known as Zeitgebers, a German word that means ‘time keepers.’ They function to keep the body’s time so that the body maintains a sleep-wake pattern that follows the 24-hour system. Normally, a person can stay awake an average f 16 hours every day. The body des well with a 8 hour break. These bodily timings are brought about by various external factors such as bright light, work/rest schedules, temperature and dietary habits. A long haul flight that covers over 8000 nautical miles (over 15000kms) is bound to mess with such as cycle since the flight will fly over several time zones at a go.
Sleep propensity or pressure on the other hand refers to the body’s capacity to keep stable. This is in relation to the number of hours that a person can keep awake during a shift. The changes in circadian cycles means that flight crews within these flights have to change their cycles ever so often, something that takes time to adjust since it means reducing the sleeping time to wake up earlier or pushing it further out such as when flying eastwards towards the day. Finally, sleep inertia refers to the amount of time it takes an individual to become fully awake. Even after a nap, a flight crew cannot take charge of their duties immediately after due to this reason. This is especially if the person had an accumulated sleep debt (J...