Pilot Fatigue and Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pilot Fatigue and Stress - Essay Example In order to reduce the impacts of these problems, an Aviation Safety Program is developed from the perspective of an airline operator, with a great emphasis on how to successfully implement the safety program. The discussion about pilot fatigue and stress is as old as aviation itself. This problem has been given a serious consideration because of the monumental destruction it could cause. Some of the deadly plane crashes recorded in the history of aviation were as a result of the pilots losing concentration on their jobs, which is one of the characteristics of pilot fatigue and stress (Ragan 33). Therefore, to save lives and protect their businesses, airline operators have been working hard to fashion out an efficient safety strategy that would give confidence to their airlines in the eyes of the passengers (Ragan 21). Many studies have been carried out and different safety programs have been implemented. But the question still remains: what is the best approach to completely curb the menace of pilot fatigue and stress? Hawkins (49) analyzed three main kinds of pilot fatigue and stress: though they appear not separable from one another, since it is practically difficult to identify which of the fatigue is currently affecting a pilot’s performance at a particular period. These are muscular, mental and skill fatigue. As its name implied, muscular fatigue arises from over-exertion of physical power, which might cause serious pain in both arms’ and legs’ muscles. But this kind of fatigue could easily be cured by taking some rest or/and by application of balm. Mental fatigue occurs as a result of mental stress from to much brainstorming and exhaustion, while skill fatigue is defined as a gradual decline in performance owning to the pressure from a work that constantly requires concentration and high level of skill (Hawkins 49). If not handled properly, both mental and skill fatigue could lead to nervous breakdown; and