Fatigue Management

Staying Alert Above the Clouds

Fatigue poses one of the greatest hazards to aviation safety and efficiency, degrading performance in subtle yet serious ways. While managing fatigue is a personal responsibility, the industry must also adopt measures to combat its systemic effects.

Within this section, members discuss:

• Signs of Fatigue – Members outline both physical and cognitive symptoms that indicate they are fatigued, including yawning, eye fatigue, concentration issues and narrowed attention. Realizing you’re tired is the first step to management.
• Coping Strategies – Members share techniques they use to stay alert while flying, such as caffeine, energizing music,Stretching and changing viewing positions. However, limitations of such strategies are also acknowledged.
• Duty/Rest Requirements – Some members evaluate new pilot rules designed to limit cumulative fatigue, including longer minimum rest periods, controlled duty cycles and the need for predictive crew scheduling.
• Lifestyle Changes – A few members describe overhauling their routines and habits to improve overall health and resilience to sleep deprivation. Changes in diet, exercise and sleep hygiene are discussed.

By sharing hard-earned wisdom on the subtle yet serious effects of fatigue, this section ultimately aims to improve safety culture by inspiring both personal strategies and systemic solutions that reduce the impact of sleep deprivation on pilots.

While aerospace engineers continue to design planes with more proficient autopilots, nothing can replace the alert focus of a well-rested human at the controls. Only with a holistic, multi-level approach that considers both individual tolerance and larger scheduling structures can we hope to stay awake – and aware – enough to safely guide aircraft through the air.

Through candid discussions of the limitations we face as imperfect human pilots, this section ultimately hopes to inspire future aviators to vigilantly manage fatigue as a serious yet solvable threat – both within themselves and within the larger industry.