Jd. Stoner, AIRCREW FATIGUE MONITORING DURING SUSTAINED FLIGHT OPERATIONS FROM SOUDA BAY, CRETE, GREECE, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 67(9), 1996, pp. 863-866
Background: Operational flight surgeons are often responsible for dete
rmining aeromedical readiness of aircrew members whose accumulated fli
ght time exceeds standard limitations. Realizing that operational repo
rts of excessive flight time in aircrew are limited, we used Rayman's
1975 study of fatigue during Cambodian airlift missions as a model to
evaluate 42 U.S. Navy EP-3E aircrew members flying reconnaissance miss
ions from Souda Bay, Crete, Greece. Measured parameters focused on inf
ormation accessible to operational flight surgeons. Method: Hoping to
identify early indices of fatigue, the aircrews were monitored using a
nonymous questionnaires, physiologic data (mean arterial pressure, pul
se, pulse pressure), and hematologic measurements (CBC, sedimentation
rate). Results: As suspected, no physiologic parameter indicated early
fatigue. However, some aircrew demonstrated small changes in measured
visual phorias as compared to prior evaluations. Anonymous questionna
ires and subjective evaluation of crewmembers appeared most valuable i
n assessing fatigue. Conclusion: Incorporating previously reported rec
ommendations for fatigue surveillance, the Souda Bay experience is an
example of successful fatigue monitoring in aircrews who accumulate fl
ight time beyond standard restrictions.