Private Pilot Flight Training and Instruction
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Sleep
The most common cause of diminished alertness and proficiency
is lack of sleep. This condition is said to affect 30% of the
U.S. population. This may be due to an actual loss of sleep or
a change in a sleep pattern called the circadian rhythm. Pilots
tend to neglect their need for sleep. The need for sleep is a
defining limit to pilot mental capability. You must have sleep
or your mind will fail. Once beyond the limit pilot performance
deteriorates and can become irrational. Sleep is a restorative
and can be both stored and deprived within limits set by the biological
clock of the individual. As you grow older you will need less
sleep. Jet lag sleep patterns are worse when flying from west
to east. Accident rates climb precipitously when your body begins
demanding sleep. The average American gets about one hour too
little sleep each night.
Accident rates rise in the afternoon and become significant
at night. Postponing sleep causes a sleep deficit that as it increases
an accident becomes more likely. Jet lag is a type of sleep deficit.
A sleep deficit can best be resolved by going to bed early, not
by sleeping late. A large deficit cannot be made up in one night.
21% of aircraft accidents cite sleep deficiency as a factor.
When drowsiness occurs you cease to monitor the instruments.
You will tend to fixate and drift off mentally. We go into a mental
autopilot not thinking of what we are doing. This is the lowest
level of alertness. The next level of alertness is one in which
you are in constant search-and-scan, seeing what you are looking
at, hearing what is said and asking question. This is the flying"
mode from pre-flight to shutdown. This gradual deterioration of
alertness is best observed in watching others. It can creep up
on you and influence your flying without your even noticing. Your
alertness rises again when you have located a problem. You focus
on it and prepare to execute a solution. This might occur when
required to make a crosswind landing. The highest level of alertness
is when adrenaline begins to flow and survival becomes a factor.
Written by Gene Whitt
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