Psychophysiological Factors Analysis in Unpressurized Aircraft Cabins

(Conference Proceeding)

In the versatile aviation environment, the pilot’s well-being is a crucial and demanding factor which is directly related to his good performance. Due to the unpressurized and unacclimatized aircraft cabin, light-sport aircraft pilots are exposed to many different environmental conditions. Actually, a brief research on this matter suggests that a significant part of the incidents and accidents are related to the human factors. In order to evaluate factors as oxygen saturation, heart rate and stress level, and how they may influence or even compromise the pilot’s performance, experimental tests were realized in different scenarios with different pilots. In this study was possible to observe each individual variation of oxygen and heart rate for different stressful situations, at different altitudes and environments as hypobaric chamber, flight simulator and real flight scenarios. During the tests was possible to observe that, for the same altitude but in different situations, the same pilot had different hypoxia and heart rate levels; this may suggest that the stress level can compromise the pilot’s psychophysiological response and, consequently, his performance.

(Comunicação em Conferência)

In the versatile aviation environment, the pilot’s well-being is a crucial and demanding factor which is directly related to his good performance. Due to the unpressurized and unacclimatized aircraft cabin, light-sport aircraft pilots are exposed to many different environmental conditions. Actually, a brief research on this matter suggests that a significant part of the incidents and accidents are related to the human factors. In order to evaluate factors as oxygen saturation, heart rate and stress level, and how they may influence or even compromise the pilot’s performance, experimental tests were realized in different scenarios with different pilots. In this study was possible to observe each individual variation of oxygen and heart rate for different stressful situations, at different altitudes and environments as hypobaric chamber, flight simulator and real flight scenarios. During the tests was possible to observe that, for the same altitude but in different situations, the same pilot had different hypoxia and heart rate levels; this may suggest that the stress level can compromise the pilot’s psychophysiological response and, consequently, his performance.

(Comunicação em Conferência)

In the versatile aviation environment, the pilot’s well-being is a crucial and demanding factor which is directly related to his good performance. Due to the unpressurized and unacclimatized aircraft cabin, light-sport aircraft pilots are exposed to many different environmental conditions. Actually, a brief research on this matter suggests that a significant part of the incidents and accidents are related to the human factors. In order to evaluate factors as oxygen saturation, heart rate and stress level, and how they may influence or even compromise the pilot’s performance, experimental tests were realized in different scenarios with different pilots. In this study was possible to observe each individual variation of oxygen and heart rate for different stressful situations, at different altitudes and environments as hypobaric chamber, flight simulator and real flight scenarios. During the tests was possible to observe that, for the same altitude but in different situations, the same pilot had different hypoxia and heart rate levels; this may suggest that the stress level can compromise the pilot’s psychophysiological response and, consequently, his performance.