Effect of Stress on Pilot Performance

Effect  of  Stress on Pilot Performance

Pilots often encounter stress under the circumstances of  highly demanding situations.It could put impact on their performance to a great extent that the individual factor is the prime reasons of Aviation accidents. Flying fitness is not merely a physical condition.Besides it,It has a definite meaning in the psychological sense too.It consists of the capability of the Pilots of thinking,perceiving and the acting to the best of their capability except the hindering impacts of worry,anger and anxiety.

While a Pilot is feeling stressed, She or he would notice an increment in the blood pressure, heart rate,anxiety, muscle tensions along fatigue.These symptoms of physiological stress would interrupt the cognitive functions of Pilot by diminishing her or his memory capabilities along restraining cue samples.

There are variant factors which reveals contribution to the level of stress in the cockpit.They are often classified into main 3 categories: physiological,physical or psychological.

• Physical Stressors: Humidity, extreme temperature, vibration, noise, oxygen lackage.

• Physiological Stressors: Poor physical condition, fatigue, disease,hunger.

• Psychological Stressors:Various emotional factors such as illness or death in the family, poor interpersonal relationships with boss or family,the worries in the organization, financial worries.

It is necessary that a Pilot should have ability to have recognition of  when the levels of stress are  getting too at the peak.If the Pilot is under the  domestic stress ,for instance he is undergoing separation or divorce,if any controversy with the boss or the spouse is still rankling,if  he is suffering from the bereavement,if the tensions are increasing up to not bearable load,if he have been  moody and despondent, the cockpit of your Airplane is probably having no suitable place for you.

Despite, stress levels often build up in the Airplane cockpit,while there are variant decisions for making and works to do. Stress is, in effect,enhanced by the work itself and is not necessarily adverse or bad. The sympathetic nervous system reacts to the stress and reveals with the sources for coping with the new instant demands.Still,the stress load might easily turn out to be unmanageable and not under control.In this situation,a Pilot have to take suitable steps for managing the load of stress so that it does not turn out  to be more critical.

In short, a Pilot has to learn the ways or tips for preventing or reducing those stressors over which he has control.

Teena Rani 

Content Dev Manager 

AirCrews Aviation Pvt Ltd

www.AircrewsAviation.com

Tiyadalalcyber@gmail.com

https://aerosoftin.blogspot.com/2021/06/important-pilot-competencies.html