Lower Back Pain complaint

Although data are not available on flight crewmembers with lower back pain, the numbers presumably are similar to those for the general population, and several studies «  primarily involving flight crewmembers on military helicopters » have attempted to gauge the frequency of back pain among pilots…. Continue Reading →

Limitations of the See and Avoid principle

In 1991, BASI (The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation) published a research report titled, Limitations of the See-and-Avoid Principle. This report concluded that "the see-and-avoid principle, In the absence of traffic alerts, is subject to serious limitations". Unalerted see-and-avoid has a "limited place as a last resort means of traffic separation at low closing speeds,…… Continue Reading →

Managing Sleep for Night Shifts

Aviation professionals, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians, air traffic control personnel and others can adopt sound sleep practices to counteract sleepiness at work, improve performance and reduce safety risks by understanding factors that affect human ability to sleep during the day and to work at night…. Continue Reading →

Physiological Concerns of Heat

The mercury's rising, summer's promise is becoming a reality and you're looking forward to some relaxed flying in the lazy, hazy months. In anticipation of summer, flight crews brush up on an assortment of operating concerns, but often ignored is how the human body performs in our thermal environment. High ambient temperatures and other performance…… Continue Reading →