Senior Pilots Research Articles

Relations of personality factors and suitability ratings to Swedish military pilot education completion

AbstractImproved understanding of what it takes to be a pilot is an ongoing effort within aviation. We used an exploratory approach to examine whether there are personality‐related differences in who completes the Swedish military pilot education. Assessment records of 182 applicants, accepted to the education between the years of 2004 and 2020 were studied (Mean age 24, SD 4.2 96% men, 4% women). Discriminant analysis was used to explore which personality traits and suitability ratings might be related to education completion. Analysis included suitability assessments made by senior pilots and by a psychologist, a number of traits assessed by the same psychologist, as well as the Commander Trait Inventory (CTI). The resulting discriminant function was significant (Wilk's Lambda = 0.808, (20) = 32.817, p = .035) with a canonical correlation of 0.44. The model was able to classify 74.1% of sample cases correctly. The modeling suggests that senior pilot assessment and psychologist assessment both predict education completion. Also contributing were the traits energy, professional motivation, study forecast and leader potential.

Linear Lexicographic Optimization and Preferential Bidding System

Some airlines use the preferential bidding system to construct the schedules of their pilots. In this system, the pilots bid on the different activities and the schedules that lexicographically maximize the scores of the pilots according to their seniority are selected. A sequential approach to solve this maximization problem is natural: The problem is first solved with the bids of the most senior pilot, and then it is solved with those of the second most senior without decreasing the score of the most senior, and so on. The literature admits that the structure of the problem somehow imposes such an approach. The problem can be modeled as an integer linear lexicographic program. We propose a new efficient method, which relies on column generation for solving its continuous relaxation and returns proven optimality gaps. To design this column generation, we prove that bounded linear lexicographic programs admit “primal-dual” feasible bases, and we show how to compute such bases efficiently. Another contribution on which our method relies is the extension of standard tools for resource-constrained longest path problems to their lexicographic versions. This is useful in our context because the generation of new columns is modeled as a lexicographic resource-constrained longest path problem. Numerical experiments show that this new method is already able to solve to proven optimality industrial instances provided by Air France, with up to 150 pilots. By adding a last ingredient in the resolution of the longest path problems, which exploits the specificity of the preferential bidding system, the method achieves for these instances computational times that are compatible with operational constraints. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.0372 .

Effect of age and flying experience on heart rate response of fighter aircrew during high-G exposure in the high-performance human centrifuge

Objectives: Institute of Aerospace Medicine Indian Air Force regularly conducts high-G training in the human rated high-performance human centrifuge (HPHC) for fighter aircrew. It was hypothesized that the cardiovascular response of young and inexperienced pilots who undergo training in the HPHC may be different from the elder and experienced pilots as age and flying experience may have some effect on the CVS response to high-G exposure. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the heart rate data from the data bank of the department of acceleration physiology and spatial orientation was done to understand differences in heart rate response between young and older fighter aircrew. Results: A total of 624 successful HPHC runs were evaluated for the baseline heart rate (before high-G exposure), peak heart rate (PHR) (during the exposure), and heart rate after the exposure of the run. The mean age, height, and weight of the subjects were 27.62 ± 5.5 years, 175.31 ± 4.8 cm, and 72.81 ± 8.4 kg, respectively. Student’s t-test revealed that there was a significant difference in the basal heart rate and PHR during the high-G exposure between young, inexperienced, and older experienced pilots. Higher basal heart rate and PHR during high-G exposure among younger pilots could be explained by anxiety due to inexperience and a tendency to pull harder in comparison to other pilots who with experience tend to be more adjusted and pull slower to meet the desired G-level during the high-G training. Conclusion: The cardiovascular response during exposure to a high-G environment is significantly different between young, inexperienced pilots, and other senior pilots.

Pilot Selection in Airline Organizations with the Analytical Hierarchy Process

In the aviation sector, where intense rules and competition prevail, safe flight operations are possible with the employment of qualified human resources who can adapt to technology. The aim of this research is to investigate how the most suitable candidate can be recruited by evaluating many criteria together in the pilot recruitment processes, which are of critical importance for aviation enterprises. In this context, the opinions of senior pilots working in the world's top 10 airline organizations were consulted in the study carried out with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the multi-criteria decision support methods. As a result of the literature research, the recruitment criteria for pilot candidates, which are actively used in the sector, have been listed in the context of the suggestions of experienced captains who also take part in various management positions in the aviation sector. A total of 17 criteria, 3 of which are upper and 14 are sub-criteria determined were weighted with the AHP method. As a result of the analysis, "technical", "non-technical" and "occupational criteria" were listed as the upper criteria according to the degree of importance in terms of local weights.

Molecular mechanisms of dexamethasone-mediated modulation of inflammatory and interferon responses in severe COVID-19 patients.

Abstract Severe COVID-19 is characterized by cytokine storm, an excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which results in acute lung damage and death. Dexamethasone (Dex), a corticosteroid administered as a standard of care for severe COVID-19, has been shown to reduce the onset of severe complications in these patients. However, the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of Dex are poorly understood. We conducted a transcriptomic analysis (NanoString) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from COVID-19 patients with mild (no hospitalization) and severe (on ventilator in the ICU) disease. The latter group included patients ± Dex. Treatment of severe COVID-19 patients with Dex inhibited pro-inflammatory pathways, circulating cytotoxic and Th1 cells, interferon (IFN) signaling and the genes involved in cytokine storm (IL-1, IL-6 and IFN-γ), which were altered in severe vs mild disease. Pro-inflammatory immune cell functions are regulated by calcium signaling, which in turn is under the control of Kv1.3 potassium channels, but their role in the complications associated with COVID-19 remains elusive. RT-qPCR experiments in PBMCs from COVID-19 patient cohorts showed an increase in Kv1.3 expression in severe patients that was significantly reduced by Dex treatment. In agreement with these findings, in vitro treatment with Dex reduced Kv1.3 protein abundance in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cell and CD56dim NK cells in healthy donor (HD) PBMC, while NanoString showed inhibition of pro-inflammatory genes and cytokines. Functional studies showed that Dex significantly reduced Kv1.3 activity and IFN-γ in HD T cells. Thus, our findings suggest that Kv1.3 inhibition contributes to the immunosuppression by Dex. This work was supported by Senior Pilot Grant, University of Cincinnati, Department of Internal Medicine to LC, NIH (R38HL155775 to MC) and Biospecimens and associated data were provided by the Cincinnati COVID-19 Repository at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

School Choice Factors Influencing U.S. Domestic and International Student Pilots’ Selections of Vocational Flight Schools

As international civil aviation activities resume from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with fleet growth and high retirement rates for senior pilots, there is a concern about the industry’s capability in supplying sufficient numbers of competent professional pilots. In order to advance the industry’s recruitment, it is necessary to determine effective approaches that may attract prospective student pilots to flight schools. This study investigated how school choice factors influenced U.S. domestic student pilots’ selections of vocational, non-collegiate flight schools in comparison to international student pilots. The study data were adopted from a 2019 survey research, which included 157 domestic and 44 international participants. The participants were invited to rate how much influence various choice factors, including marketing approaches, relevant people, and institutional factors, had on their school choice decision-making. Key findings regarding marketing approaches revealed that word of mouth and media-based marketing approaches were significantly more influential for international student pilots. Whereas domestic student pilots seemed to prefer personal communication-based marketing approaches. With respect to the influence of relevant people, this study found that certain school members (i.e., flight instructors, current trainees, executive committee, and sales personnel) had a significantly higher influence on international student pilots’ school choice decisions than for domestic student pilots. In regard to institutional factors, it was found that both groups included the following factors as the key influencers: training quality, availability of flying opportunities, training costs, safety record of the programs, the overall reputation, length of time to complete program, reputation of flight instructors, scheduling flexibility, and training capacity. Moreover, international student pilots endorsed that institutional factors pertaining to school campus life had significantly more influence on their school selections than their domestic counterparts. Implications and recommendations were proposed. This study helps fill a gap in the current literature on vocational flight school choices.

Crisis Containment: Tools for Harm Mitigation in Surgery

Surgical crises represent unrecognized opportunities for improving patient safety and adding value in healthcare. The first step in a crisis response is to contain and mitigate harm. While the principles of damage control are well established in surgery, methods of containing harm on broader clinical and organizational levels are not clearly defined. A multimethods qualitative study identified crisis containment strategies and tools in commercial aviation. These were translated and clinically adapted in 3 stages: semi-structured observational fieldwork with commercial airlines, interviews with senior pilots, and focus groups with both healthcare and aviation safety experts. Thematic analysis and expert consensus methods were used to derive a framework for crisis containment. Fieldwork with 2 commercial airlines identified 2 crisis containment concepts: the detrimental impact of surprising or startling events on operator performance; and the use of prioritization tools to take basic but critical actions (Aviate, Navigate and Communicate model). Twenty-two experts in aviation and healthcare practice informed the topic of crisis containment in 17 interviews and 3 focus groups. Three strategies were identified and used to form a crisis containment algorithm: 1. Manage the operators' startle response to facilitate meaningful mitigating actions (STOP tool); 2. Take priority actions to secure core functions. These included managing patients' physiologic shock, optimizing environmental risks, and mobilizing resources (Perfuse, Move and Communicate tool); 3. Deploy well-rehearsed drills targeting case-specific harms or errors (Memory Actions). This model requires validation in clinical practice. Crisis containment can be achieved by controlling operators' startle response, applying prioritization tools, and deploying drills against specific failures. The application of this model may extend to healthcare areas outside surgery.

Many-objective low-cost airline cockpit crew rostering optimisation

This research addresses the cockpit crew rostering problem in a low-cost airline. Through interviews with the aircrew planner, four objectives are considered vital for effective roster preparation; minimisation of nautical mile cost, balance workload among cockpit crews, maximisation of preferential requests from senior pilots and minimisation of the number of repeated flight patterns flown by individual pilots. Since the problem is NP-hard with many conflicting objectives that need to be optimised simultaneously, multi-objective evolutionary optimisation is an effective technique to solve this problem. As a result, the hybridisation between MOEA/D and HBMO algorithms, namely MOEA/D-HBMO, is developed. The proposed algorithm is compared to MOEA/D and HBMO. It is observed that MOEA/D-HBMO outperforms the counterparts in convergence related metrics and it could discover the best extreme points to meet every objective.

Machine-Learning Implementation in Clinical Anesthesia: Opportunities and Challenges.

Machine-Learning Implementation in Clinical Anesthesia: Opportunities and Challenges.

Prenosological approach to attaining the objectives of aviation medical expert assessment

Early diagnosis of diseases and conditions undesirable in terms of flight safety in senior pilots is tightly linked with the evaluation of disease risks. Prenosological diagnostics is focused on borderline states that may pass from health to disease (prenosology and premorbidity) and, vice versa, from disease to recovery (post-nosology). Regarding health as a vital adaptation reserve, prenosology diagnostics is concerned with the ability of the body to adapt to the environment rather than develop a disease. A constant drain of adaptation reserves may become the reason for increased risks of disease. Heart rate variability analysis is one of the instruments of prenosological diagnostics. The paper discusses the applicability of the space-medicine oriented probabilistic approach to the evaluation of adaptation risks by medical expert assessment boards certifying civil pilots. The results of two series of investigations showed increased adaptation risks and reduced functional reserves in pilots found unfit to continue their careers.

Obstacles to research on the effects of interruptions in healthcare

The authors of The Institute of Medicine report ‘To Err is Human’ concluded that interruptions can contribute to medical errors.1 Given this risk, healthcare researchers have generally, and often solely,...

Vetting System for Pilots May Lessen Chances of Germanwings Repeat

Vetting System for Pilots May Lessen Chances of Germanwings Repeat

Evaluating military training aircrafts through the combination of multi-criteria decision making processes with fuzzy logic. A case study in the Spanish Air Force Academy

The combination of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) processes with Fuzzy Logic can be efficiently applied to solve decision problems with criteria differing in nature. This combination is used in the present work to solve a real world decision problem of interest for the Spanish Air Force, specifically, the selection of the best military training aircraft based on a set of criteria. This decision problem involves, on one hand, quantitative or technical criteria (service ceiling, endurance, etc.) and, on the other hand, qualitative criteria (human factors, flying and handling qualities, etc.) based on the experience of a set of senior pilots and flight instructors of the Spanish Air Force collected via surveys. In order to extract information from the expert surveys, the MCDM process was combined with fuzzy logic. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to obtain the weights of the criteria and, through the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the alternatives were evaluated. This work is a preliminary study of the training aircraft alternatives proposed by the Air Staff and the Logistic Support Command of the Spanish Air Force. These alternatives were chosen based on operational criteria which are detailed in the work. As a result of the decision process used, the best alternative was shown to be the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft.

離着岸操船におけるタグボート運用要素の評価

The most important task of harbor tug boats are to support berthing /unberthing of vessels, because marine pilots use those tug boats for safe and efficient ship operation when assisting vessels’ berthing or unberthing. In Japan, the new pilotage low has been active since 2007 and included the third grade pilots which newly established. Unfortunately, they do not have enough experience of tug boat management. They are trying to study about tug boats handling in the harbor for large vessels using ship handling by navigation simulation systems. The senior pilots teach them how to use the tug boats in the ship handling simulator, too. However, the senior pilots have only the experience but do not have standard of the evaluation for management of tug boats handling. In this paper, the authors propose how to evaluate the tug boat handling for ship berthing using the new standard, which is named “Evaluation on elements for tug boat handling.” It is extracted from natural images of ship berthing at actual port named Yokohama. The new standards are consisted of three elements which are propelling power of tug boats, its direction and duration of power. The authors tried to compare the values of the three elements between actual ship handlings and ship handlings by the simulation, then confirmed their effects.

Safety climate of commercial pilots: The effect of pilot ranks and employment experiences

This study designed and conducted a survey to examine the safety climate of the flight crew of an Asia-Pacific airline. The survey instrument collected responses of flight crew to a list of statements deemed relevant to their safety climate. Exploratory factor analysis identified and confirmed four safety related themes covering 15 survey items, which were named Safety Feedback, Confidence in Safety Reporting System, Company Safety Philosophy, and Safety Promotion & Communication. The survey results showed that a majority of participants responded positively to statements captured by these four themes, indicating a generally healthy safety climate within the airline. Statistical analyses also revealed that pilots of lower ranks and shorter employment experience with the company generally were more positive about the safety climate than senior pilots. Comments provided by flight crew confirmed findings of quantitative analysis, and also identified key areas to improve the overall safety culture of the company.

Lessons for Surgeons in the Final Moments of Air France Flight 447

All surgeons make mistakes, and learning from critical incidents may help improve performance. The present study aimed to highlight lessons for surgeons from analysis of the final moments of Air France Flight 447. All of the authors work in teams and situations where safety, technical performance, and non-technical skills are critical. This review was born out of discussions regarding the events of Flight 447; specifically, whether the airline disaster was relevant to their work, and whether they could learn anything from it. The study is based on review of the crash reports of Flight 447, which lost flight speed indication after formation of ice prevented air from entering flight speed indicators during a storm. Following a subsequent stall, the aircraft fell at a rate of >10,000 feet/min until it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 228 passengers and crew. There were errors in decision making, reasoning, communication, and teamwork. Such non-technical skills failures have been recognized previously and can be addressed by existing non-technical skills training. A reliance on autopilot meant that the pilots were unfamiliar with high-altitude flying when the autopilot is disengaged. They were unprepared for and affected by such a sudden and serious problem; an event called "surprise and startle" by the accident investigation. The absence of the senior pilot (who was on a scheduled break) in the critical final minutes slowed error recognition and recovery. Unintended consequences of modern safety strategies may be under-recognized and can lead to adverse events. Both simulation-based and non-simulation-based training should include "surprise and startle" events beyond the scenarios trainees might expect. Likewise, in the face of increasing reliance on modern technology, surgeons should ensure that they would be able to perform procedures in the absence of such technologies. Specific training may improve surgeons' non-technical skills, and recognition of such skills could also be used to help select future surgeons.

Automation under suspicion – case flight AF-447 Air France

The probes allow the pilot to control the aircraft speed was essential to the balance of the flight. Opinions of experts who claim that "the design of the plane would have exercised a not inconsiderable role in the occurrence of a disaster." These messages revealed a series of important operating errors in a zone of turbulence, "making the plane uncontrollable, leading to a rapid depressurization device, according to these reports. A lawsuit in Toulouse and in Brazil aims to recognition of the liability of Air France and Airbus not insignificant role in the design and operation of the aircraft in the event of catastrophe. Opinions are taken from senior pilots that no commercial aviation training for certain situations abnormal flight that, if realized, could have influenced the pilots of the AF-447 to remove the plane's fatal dive show what experiments performed in simulators for military pilots, who are permanently subject to critical flight situations.

Flight plans, patient safety and American hospitals – is it time to check the baggage of private sector oversight?

A recent JRSM paper1 compared efforts to improve healthcare quality with various aspects of the aviation industry. Although there are similarities between the airline industry and surgery, key differences also exist in exchange of safety data, particularly in the United States. At institutional levels, the National Transportation Safety Board publishes detailed reports on air crashes investigated in USA. But reports and recommendations concerning inspected American hospitals are the property of private certifying groups like the Joint Commission. That crucial information is kept secret; it is left to the hospital to decide what, if anything, is disclosed to the general public. At the individual level, the most junior team member in the cockpit can advise and correct a senior pilot.1 When aviation safety problems go beyond the cockpit, a US government programme legally shields the whistleblower from any retaliation.2 Yet, a hospital staff member who reports a breach of hospital policy in good faith can find their own safety complaint simply handed over to the hospital and used against them in a civil trial.3 Since hospital accreditation remains the exclusive province of the private sector, the ‘best hospitals in America’ can turn out to be most any hospital that can pay for a Joint Commission site survey.4 There is no parallel to this in the aviation industry. Vigilant and unbiased monitoring of institutional quality systems by public forums and meaningful certification has become a hallmark of aviation safety. The Institute of Medicine (USA) estimates that over 90,000 patient fatalities occur every year from preventable medical error – the equivalent of a catastrophic jumbo jet crash each day.5 As quality management structures are compared across hospital surgery and aviation, increased transparency in US hospital inspection and accreditation processes would be a welcome step to address this problem.

Medical Status of Airline Pilots Over 60 Years of Age: Japanese Experience, 1991-2007

Since 1991, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has allowed pilots over the age of 60 to continue flying for the airlines, subject to regular medical review. To date, we now have almost 18 yr of hands-on experience in the aeromedical assessment of senior pilots. This paper shares some of our findings. Medical data for all pilots over 60 yr of age, including examination findings, results from screening, and causes of unfitness, were reviewed. Postal questionnaires were used to survey medical status, and subjective changes in memory and fatigue resistance in pilots between the ages of 60 to 64 yr old, and also in subjects who had been denied medicals at the age of 60. There is greater variation in medical fitness of pilots with age, and an increase in the number of denials of medical certification. Malignancy and coronary artery disease both tended to increase with age. During 2005-2007, 30 (7%) of 499 otherwise healthy pilots were denied certification as a consequence of abnormal brain MRI screening findings, mainly because of asymptomatic cerebral infarction. Over half of pilots stated that their memory and fatigue resistance had subjectively diminished with age. Since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) amended the upper age limit for commercial pilots in 2006 it is likely that there will be an increase in the number of senior pilots worldwide. We question the value of routine MRI screening in the senior pilot age group. Aeromedical decision makers must understand the relationship between age, health, and safe piloting in the modern flight environment to ensure the maintenance of flight safety.

Silver Star's North American Flight Center

The new manager of the North American Flight Center of a global firm faces a number of problems including an opening for the director of flight operations, internal interpersonal strife, resentment against his chief pilot, a senior pilot who seems to be poisoning the culture, and a new computer system. This composite but true case presents common issues faced in managing a North American corporate flight center. Names have been disguised.