Physiological Issues in UAS

Over the counter (OTC) medicine should not be considered lightly when taking them before a flight. Medicine alters the way a person processes things and how long it takes for them to process it, along with overall mental clarity. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (n.d.) there are many things one should consider before taking medication, especially before a flight. The items to consider are: what is the condition being treated, possible reaction to the medicine and then the likelihood of it being an adverse reaction. A few of the worse OTC medications are those that make a person groggy, such as allergy medicine or sleep aids. These medicines should never be taken before flying an aircraft. The FAA has a specific list of medications that causes impairment of safe flight operations: 

• Muscle relaxants 
• OTC dietary supplements 
• Pain medications 
• Pre-medication or Pre-procedure drugs 
• Sleep aids 
• Any medication, prescription or Over the Counter (OTC) that carries a label precaution or warning that it may cause drowsiness or advises the user “be careful when driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery.

Human factors play an important role when assessing stressors or potential impairment during UAS operations. According to the FAA (2016) 80% of aviation related accidents are caused by human factor issues. A few ways to help mitigate these issues is to be aware of the present situation and understand any potential hazards relating to safe flight operations. When there is a level of understanding on human performance and stress, it allows the industry to better equip people on how to safely operate.

Not only do certain medications alter a pilot's ability to safely fly an aircraft, so does fatigue and stress. Fatigue often occurs due to the pilots varying work schedule, long flight hours and lack of consistent amounts of sleep. When a pilot flies during the night or random times of the day, sleep gets disrupted ultimately going against the body’s natural circadian rhythm. The FAA (n.d) states that anytime this natural circadian rhythm gets disrupted it causes both behavioral and physiological effects on the pilot and/or crew members. While the FAA gives the pilots and crew members multiple ways on how to cope and work through being fatigued, it will never be fully remediated due to the line of work within the aviation industry. When going through fatigue, it is natural for the body to become stressed when the behavioral and physiological demands are too much for one to handle. Left untreated, normal stressors can turn into chronic stress forcing the pilot or crew members to fall into a “fight or flight” mode when faced with even more potentially harmful situations. Stress is something that should not be taken lightly within the aviation industry and will always be a major concern for safe flight operations.

Thanks, 

EMW

 
 

References

Federal Aviation Administration (2016). Remote pilot – Small unmanned aircraft systems study guide. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration (n.d). Circadian rhythm disruption and aviation. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/Circadian_Rhythm.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration (n.d). Fatigue in aviation. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/Fatigue_Aviation.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration (n.d). Medications and flying. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/Meds_brochure.pdf