flying while fatigued

[apcooper]

flying while fatigued??

What do you find are the first specific skills to deteriorate when flying tired? For me it is situational awareness followed by inst scan followed by forgetfulness. Just curious as what others seem to experience.

 

[GEUAviator]

It's Hard to Say When You Fly for Mesa!

I would assume that everything is normal! We have what I would call "scheduled fatigue."

Seriously, I would second those symptoms that you stated and I would add one more: slow reactions. Hey! Are we still talking about fatigue or hypoxia?

GEUAviator

 

[Captain Overs]

It becomes hard to hold your drink and fly when I'm tired.

 

[walkoshame]

I don't know, probably because I'm fast asleep. Seriously, I'm worthless. Better off having a sack of potatoes next to you. I think I've heard that before.

 

[Flywrite]

I think NASA did some fatigue experiments a couple of years ago and determined that flying fatigued (I forget how they determined how fatigued "fatigued" was, but IIRC they used a 16 hour duty day as an example) had the same effect on pilot performance as two beers.

 

[User546]

I have almost the exact same symptoms in that order apcooper.

I had a real scary experience involving all those symptoms while shooting a VOR approach in IMC after being in a King Air 90 one day for over 6 hours.

Really opened my eyes to letting myself get fatigued in flight.

 

[AlabamaMan!!]

Flywrite, do you know where to get any of that fatigue info NASA did? Would love to show it to the a$$pirates up in charter scheduling. I love to ask them, after they give me a hard time about being tired and refusing a trip (and can watch me struggle to hold my eyes open), if they and their mothers would like to come with on the empty legs. That shuts them up long enough for me to make it to my car and to turn off the cell phone.

 

[apcooper]

Flywrite, do you know where to get any of that fatigue info NASA did? Would love to show it to the a$$pirates up in charter scheduling. I love to ask them, after they give me a hard time about being tired and refusing a trip, if they and their mothers would like to come with on the empty legs. That shuts them up long enough for me to make it to my car and to turn off the cell phone.

Yea, forsure, If you can prove through the NASA research about how its as bad as flying impaired by alcohol that'll open their eyes really quick!!!

 

[urflyingme?!]

Lets find that report!

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

My first skill to go due to fatigue is recognition of our call sign from ATC when I fall asleep reading the USA today.