The Differential Effect of Sustained Operations on Psychomotor Skills of Helicopter Pilots

Flying a helicopter is a complex psychomotor skill requiring constant control inputs from pilots. A deterioration in psychomotor performance of a helicopter pilot may be detrimental to operational safety. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that psychomotor performance deteriorates over time during sustained operations and that the effect is more pronounced in the feet than the hands. The subjects were helicopter pilots conducting sustained multicrew offshore flight operations in a demanding environment. The remote flight operations involved constant workload in hot environmental conditions with complex operational tasking. Over a period of 6 d 10 helicopter pilots were tested. At the completion of daily flying duties, a helicopter-specific screen-based compensatory tracking task measuring tracking accuracy (over a 5-min period) tested both hands and feet. Data were compared over time and tested for statistical significance for both deterioration and differential effect. A statistically significant deterioration of psychomotor performance was evident in the pilots over time for both hands and feet. There was also a statistically significant differential effect between the hands and the feet in terms of tracking accuracy. The hands recorded a 22.6% decrease in tracking accuracy, while the feet recorded a 39.9% decrease in tracking accuracy. The differential effect may be due to prioritization of limb movement by the motor cortex due to factors such as workload-induced cognitive fatigue. This may result in a greater reduction in performance in the feet than the hands, posing a significant risk to operational safety.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.4895.2018
• Record URL:
  • https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/amhp/2018/00000089/00000006/art00003
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/23756314
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of the Aerospace Medical Association.
• Authors:
  • McMahon, Terry W
  • Newman, David G
• Publication Date: 2018-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 496-502
• Serial:
  • Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance
  • Volume: 89
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Aerospace Medical Association
  • ISSN: 2375-6314
  • EISSN: 2375-6322
  • Serial URL: http://ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aviation safety; Cognition; Driver performance; Foot; Hand; Helicopter pilots; Hours of labor; Physiological fatigue; Workload
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01682372
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 2018 3:01PM