magic, no formulas, no tech, no groupthink, just knowledge of yourself (your ânormâ) and assessment of your situatio
August 2013
SCHEDULING
MATTERS
Trip Extensions vs. Fatigue
“A man’s gotta know his limitations.”—Dirty Harry As we continue our battle against fatigue, it’s important to understand duty extensions and their potential effect on safety.
The NASA Sleep Studies Thanks to the diligent efforts
Reality on the line: We’ve all had our duty extended, and we all of Captain Donovan Daley, know that some extensions are harder than others. How do you short and long versions of handle the difficult ones, the ones that considerably change your the NASA Sleep Study were planned duty and push you through the CBA-scheduled limits into finally acquired through the operational limits or past operational limits into FAR limits? As Freedom of Information Act. evidenced by many ALPA Scheduling Committee PIREPs, many Take a look here. pilots remark how fatigued they are after significant duty extensions. Often, a pilot will end the PIREP by saying, “I will never do something like this again.” We’ve all been there. We’re goaloriented individuals, we want to do our part, and we don’t want to let the team down. So, how do you assess your fatigue level on a trip to ensure you’re fit to fly and operating in a safe and professional manner? Hypoxic likeness: Many of us have been in an altitude chamber. This training tool was developed to allow pilots to experience hypoxia in a safe environment. Pilots learn to recognize key initial onset indicators and learn to react before performance is further degraded. We’d be best trained if we had a “fatigue chamber” for us all to learn to react to fatigue in a safe environment. But we don’t, so we must use experience and good judgment to react early. Like hypoxia, the insidious nature of fatigue requires early recognition of the problem and prompt attention. Know it when you feel/see it: When we’re very fatigued, self-assessment of our ability to fly is akin to a person who is drunk assessing his ability to drive. Ideally, we don’t want to get to that point. Nevertheless, if you had a fatiguing flight, what were your indicators? Burning eyes, yawning, missed radio calls, slow mental processes, or unplanned micro-naps are some common indicators. We’re all different, and indicators mean different things to different individuals. If you feel or see some of these indicators (in you or your fellow pilot), and you are asked to extend your duty day, as a professional you should ask yourself whether or not it’s safe. What happens once the fatigue call has been made? CBA12.6.9 and the FOM provide guidance. Usually CRS and the duty officer will handle it very professionally. We ask you try to remain professional even though you’re tired. If you’re at the end of a scheduled duty period, often nothing will be done, and you’ll go into your scheduled crew-rest period. In this case, CRS and the DO will adjust to your schedule. If you call in fatigued in the middle of a flight sequence, you may get crew rest and later rejoin your pairing. At times your pairing may be finished at the fatigue call, and then it’s handled very similar to sick in the field. After you’re rested, you’ll want to replay the previous 72 hours in terms of rest, sleep, and work and be ready to provide that information to document the fatigue call.
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Looking forward into the duty period: So, how do you assess your potential fatigue level at the end of that trip extension? It could be one to three hours away (think domestic) or seven to eight hours away (think pond crossing). You think (not feel) to determine how you’re going to feel in the future, and you decide if you have enough gas in your physiological tank to perform as pilot flying and/or pilot monitoring. You, and you alone, make the final decision about expected future alertness and whether you can safely participate in a duty extension. No magic, no formulas, no tech, no groupthink, just knowledge of yourself (your “norm”) and assessment of your situation to arrive at a self determination of your fitness to fly.
Know Your “Norm” New products like those below can help you understand your normal baseline of sleep at home. Coming to work with this knowledge can help better assess alertness and stay ahead of cumulative sleep debt. BodyMedia Fitbit Jawbone UP Lark MotionX
Proactive efforts: The ALPA Scheduling and Fatigue Risk Management committees are working to ensure that GOC and CRS are proactive in contacting crews regarding trip extensions so you can rest accordingly. Finding out about a revision at check-in or in-flight by ACARS is not desirable. We’ve seen examples of proactive contacts by CRS, telling crews to remain in the hotel when a jet is down and a revision plan has not yet been formed. We need this trend to continue. Bottom line: “Legal” shouldn’t be the final word . . . fatigue needs to be part of the equation before asking if an extension is a good idea. By now you know that FedEx pilots are gathering initial sleep data during our operations. This multiyear project will encompass all the pairing types we fly: day, night, domestic, international, and FDA.
Data Gathering
Thanks to the many volunteers who have taken part in the study. Please see the Positive Rate article here, which came out prior to the SCP’s first FCIF concerning data gathering.
FDX ALPA is involved with each step of data gathering. In July, over 50 percent of the slots were filled by volunteers flying IND consecutive night hub turns. In August, the program expands to add AFW consecutive night hub turns. As more data is gathered from individual pilots, we’ll be able to model how actual sleep is happening. FDX ALPA’s sleep scientist, Dr. Steven Hursh, will be able to run the data though his FAST (Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool) software, giving us insight into how rested or fatigued we are during the week. This objective data will help the SIG (Company and ALPA) make adjustments to pairings and lines to make them less fatiguing. If you see a fellow pilot wearing a funny-looking watch, he may be taking part in the study; ask him or her about it. It is very easy to participate and will make a big difference to all of us in our efforts to reduce fatigue risk and improve human performance.
FAA Fit For Duty Checklist I’M SAFE Illness Medication Stress Alcohol Fatigue Eating 2
Everyone wants to be a sleep expert. Each of us has been “managing” sleep all our lives—we are the authority on what works and what doesn’t. But do we really know what’s best for us?
Test Your Sleep Knowledge
Here is a quick quiz to assess your sleep knowledge: 1. A large meal before going to bed helps you sleep better. True or False? False. Maintaining a proper diet is an important function of avoiding fatigue. When you eat and what you eat affect your awake and sleep cycles. Before bed: stick to light-carbohydrate snacks and avoid high-fat, high-acid meals. Don’t go to bed hungry or full and stay hydrated (limiting fluid intake prior to sleeping).
4. Exercise is an effective fatigue countermeasure. True or False? True. Exercise has shown to be an effective fatigue countermeasure. It improves sleep quantity and quality. Light exercise, such as gentle stretching or a brief walk, may help you relax prior to sleep; however, strenuous exercise should be avoided close to bedtime. 5. A cold shower helps right before going to bed. True or False? False. Taking a warm (not hot!) shower or bath and then transitioning into a cooler bedroom will cause a slight decrease in body temperature, this drop helps trigger a tranquil, drowsy feeling by slowing down essential metabolic activities and should help sleep onset.
2. The effects of caffeine can last three to five hours. True or False? True. Avoid caffeine when already alert (e.g., start of duty) and instead use it to combat specific periods of sleepiness. The effects of caffeine may not be immediately apparent (it can take up to 30 minutes) but will generally last three to five hours. Caffeine helps in the fight against fatigue, but it can also interfere with sleep.
Start your trip in the black: Plan a sleep strategy at least two days before the start of your trip. Flying is taxing, and having a full “reservoir” at the start of your trip can help you fight fatigue.
3. Alcohol has adverse effects on sleep. True or False? True. Even small amounts can lead to alcohol withdrawal in the second half of the night, causing broken sleep, nightmares, and sweats. While you may think you are sleeping heavily, the quality of sleep will be reduced.
[email protected] The Scheduling Matters newsletter is a product of the ALPA Scheduling Committee.
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