Professional Pilot, January 2016

Flight phase in which a monitoring error occurred Taxi out Takeoff Climb Cruise Descent Approach Noise Chronic exposure to higher noise levels not only interferes with effective verbal communication it also tends to decrease the individuals ability to share attention among concurrent tasks The presence of noise may also bias attention towards a dominant task among multiple required tasks Temperature At uncomfortable temperatures outside a preferred range of 17 C 23 C pilot monitoring performance degrades significantly Environmental toxicity Exposure to unscavenged smells vapors and gases may require having to wear uncomfortable protective gear eg oxygen masks which could be a distraction Fatigue boredom These factors are polar in that the former is caused by hours of continuous work or work overload while the latter is a function of insufficient work challenge or under stimulation Sleep deprivation Sleep loss has been shown to induce attention lapses omission errors degraded reaction time and increased variability in responses The effects of sleep loss can be seen very shortly after a task has begun Research indicates that there is no safe duration for a monotonous task in undemanding situations involving substantial sleep loss High blood pressure Even mild hypertension can affect attention and vigilance Motivation The ambition to achieve a level of performance either for personal satisfaction or for rewards avoided punishment is important especially when supplanted by feedback Complacency could be regarded as the absence of motivation High workload Intense diverse work demands may require a span of attention which exceeds the individuals ability to multi focus or multi task Dehydration Dehydration has a profound degrading effect on vigilance Coffee and tea are common dehydrators although they do have a stimulant effect Distractions interruptions Inappropriate and non essential conversation or extraneous noise can degrade vigilance Abrupt events lead to surprise startle factor and loss of situational awareness Aging Vigilance research is inconclusive regarding the ability to maintain alertness and sustained attention with age Some differences in detection and false alarms may be due to reduced sensitivity of sensory organs 18 PROFESSIONAL PILOT January 2016 Hypervigilance Yes this is another vulnerability referring to being constantly tense and on guard In its most acute forms hypervigilance is evidenced by an extremely agitated state of panic or near panic It is characterized by indiscriminate attention to both minor and major threat cues in a desperate effort to escape perceived danger Reducing vigilance decrement Vigilance is hard work It causes stress and unfortunately cannot be taught The good news is that practices and conditions acting to sustain and prolong vigilance are known and include challenges to Lead a healthy life The benefits of exercise and rest are well known The reminder to live according to the strictures of a healthy life is not without merit Arguably most important among its demands is the need for sleep and the negative effect its deprivation has on vigilance Organizing periods of inflight rest is essential Develop desirable operational procedures Well reasoned workload and task management is crucial Avoid or defer certain non monitoring related tasks while operating in those flight phases where greater vulnerability exists Conduct activities such as approach briefings during less vulnerable times Define strategies to develop attention management skills Effective attention management does not require paranoiac hypervigilance It does depend on vigilance and active observation given in the model of USAF Col John Boyd which requires alertness for changes ambiguity or unusual circumstances integrating pilot aircraft environment and external P A V E elements in dynamic interplay This comes with practice Identify and minimize hazardous states of awareness Attention control when facing distractions includes selectively attending to important cues shifting ones field of awareness and developing simple standard operating procedures and routines that streamline the execution of repetitive tasks to attain optimum focus and concentration Use active monitoring Maintain active communication between pilot and aircraft Effective monitoring of controls and displays enhances pilot awareness of engaged or armed modes and available guidance flight path and speed control Active monitoring of controls and displays enables the pilot to anticipate the sequence of annunciations throughout successive mode transitions or mode reversions Pilots should Scan indications and transitions to verify that the aircraft performs as expected Monitor status indications and mode annunciations Monitor announce ALT capture mode to ensure commands for smooth level off at assigned altitude are followed when using ALT capture mode of A P F D or VNAV Announce exchange and refresh changes of vigilance roles often during a flight Maintain one head up at all times at low altitude Avoid distraction from duties Maintain continuous lookout during ground movement and VMC flight Monitor each others actions Not permit automation to interfere with outside vigilance Preflight Pushback Landing Taxi in 0 40 10 50 20 60 30