Page 9 - AAA MAY - JUNE 2015 Online Magazine

FEATURE SAFETY

Lewis, a director of research at Neuroco, Southern California, warns that the “just- Europe, India, Africa and Australia.
an international market research in-time philosophy is a major stressor” on Dr. Michael Bennett, a teacher and
organization. Dr Lewis, a noted expert on pilots as well as the travelling public. And researcher at the Centre for Aviation
physiological stress levels, introduced the one of the LCC passengers’ major gripes Transport and the Environment in
phrase road rage. During the study, four is lack of staff at airports. This leads to a the United Kingdom postulated to
passengers had chest monitors fitted to chaotic situation during a schedule disrupt AirlineRatings.com that “how all of this
record increases in heart rate, pressure and is a significant stress for pilots. will play out for airlines, airports and
pads attached to their arms to monitor “In LCCs there are far fewer support the flyers depends upon them. I’d be
changes in blood pressure and sensors structures when things go wrong,” said very cautious about any detailed [metric]
attached to their finger-tips to measure Captain James. “At legacy carriers there modelling of these sorts of changes...
changes in physiological stress. The is an excellent team around you but at The only thing we can predict is there
results showed that the level of stress LCCs there is virtually no staff to recover are going to be some nasty surprises out
they felt in the airport peaked at four a breakdown. It is taking all the fun out of there. Surprises such as stronger and
times, but otherwise stayed at a sustained the job. I have younger colleagues in their more frequent thunderstorms, the kind
level for longer than that experienced by 30s saying ‘I can’t keep doing this.’” that trigger severe turbulence. Expect
the riot police, fighter pilots, Formula One And there is no fun staying in cheap such storms to become more frequent and
racing drivers and parachutists. hotels either, said Captain James. “One more violent,” Bennett said. “There’s more
Dr Lewis warned that “passengers place we stay at is right beside a railway energy there; there’s more latent heat.”
are in danger of developing tachycardia line and we can’t sleep. I would never Professor Meshkati added that
(the rapid beating of the heart) that can book my family into a hotel like the ones deteriorating and changing global weather
at times prove fatal.” Within minutes of we stay at.” is just another factor to heap on the pile of
the subjects entering Terminal 4, heart Additional stress points are weather stressors that are mounting up for pilots.
rates increased from healthy levels of 55 and airspace congestion, according to
beats per minute to more than 70 beats Captain Lyndon Wells. “It used to be easy When Is Easier harder?
per minute. Rates continued to rise with but airspace congestion has increased And Professor Meshkati adds a real twist
some recording more than 200 beats a dramatically and on the flip side landing at in the examination of stressors on pilots
minute - up to four times the resting heart remote airports in uncontrolled airspace noting that automation, the very thing that
rate of a healthy human. What makes this is no fun.” Captain Wells threw in a is supposedly making their life easier, is
test both fascinating and disturbing is position with a major Middle East airline leading to increased stress. “Automation
that the test subjects were all young and because he was sick of the stresses of in the cockpit that has reduced some
healthy. And pilots have to go through this transiting congested European and North workload for pilots has a dark side in
hassle three or four times week! Atlantic airspace. that it is contributing to feeling a lack
“Used to be fun…now a stressful of autonomy which could be a source of
Working harder chore” was how Captain Wells summed up stress,” said Meshkati.
Captain James noted that LCC pilots are EU airspace. “The congestion – particular Meshkati warns that combined
working far harder than legacy pilots. “We in summer can be a nightmare. I really, with dissatisfaction with management
fly 1,000 hours a year, 10 per cent higher really loved my job and now it’s got hard.” decisions, particularly in the LCC space,
than legacy pilots. But it is more than that, The answer for Captain Wells was a lower this turns pilots into glorified process
far more. We have tight turn times, 30 paid job with a long haul LCC in another – monitors (workers), who are engaged in
minutes or less and there is not time to relax less congested - part of the world. relatively routine jobs. He also cites a major
and chat, perhaps stretch the legs and even Adding to the stress of flying is study by the World Health Organization
go for a short walk. The legacy carriers with the increasingly bad weather and that identified four more major stressors
more frills to load such as catering have it is getting worse, say the experts. in this context: responsibility for people;
turn times of 45 to 50 minutes. Those extra “Rising concentrations of heat-trapping lack of job security; job future ambiguity;
minutes make a big difference. greenhouse gasses are changing our and, dissatisfaction with pay.
And those longer times give flexibility climate,” Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General He cites another example of mental
to catch up on the schedule if it’s behind – of the United Nations’ World Meteorological stress. He cites another example of
which it often is.” Organization told AirlineRatings.com. chronic occupational stress. “A sonar
Captain James adds that with “Implications are far reaching, and in some operator on a submarine or warship has
more congestion at airports “it’s very instances, immediate.” a simple (but not easy) job – listen for a
challenging to keep to schedule.” Already impacted by wild weather, torpedo over the background noise – but
Professor Najm Meshkati, Viterbi according to the WMO’s report The the responsibility is high and outcome
School of Engineering and Aviation Safety Global Climate 2001 – 2010, A Decade is critical; saving the ship and this gives
and Security Program at the University of of Extremes, are places such as Eastern the operators a sense of fulfilment or
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