AIRCREW FATIGUE MONITORING DURING SUSTAINED FLIGHT OPERATIONS FROM SOUDA BAY, CRETE, GREECE

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.