Spatial disorientation is one of the challenges facing most of the pilots and underwater divers. In the field of aviation, spatial disorientation entails the inability to appropriately interpret aircraft airspeed, altitude or attitude in relation to the point of reference or the ground. The state of spatial disorientation may have effects on human performance, particularly in pilots. In case the aircraft enters into a situation where the pilot cannot clearly see the distinct visual horizon, it is apparent that the drift in the inner ear will continue being uncorrected. In such conditions, errors in perceived rates of the turn at any axis can develop at a rate of about 0.2 to 0.3 degrees per second. At this point, if the pilot is not proficient enough in the application of gyroscopic flight instruments, the errors will continue building up to the extent that the control of the aircraft is lost (Skybrary, 2018). If the spatial disorientation is not corrected, it may have an effect on concentration, thus, the need for fixing it before it builds up to higher magnitudes.
Visual illusions are another factor which has immense effects on the operations of human beings particularly the pilots. One of the defects faced by the pilots is the visual illusion which creates a deception involving the arrangement of images and the remittance of colors (Skybrary, 2018). For the case of pilots flying the plane, there are a number of visual illusions such as false horizons. At night when there are no horizons, pilots’ minds will frequently need to find one out. At night the pilot will require a heavy reliance on the attitude built within the aircraft to ensure the stability of the plane and to establish straight levels of the plane.
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Situational awareness is more concerned with the appreciation of what the pilot is supposed to have knowledge about. In simple terms, situational awareness entails a given individual knowledge of a particular scope of the task such as the controlling, flying, and importantly maintaining the aircraft. Taking, for instance, the case of fighter jets, the operator of the jet should be aware of the position of threats and the intentions of the opponents as well as the magnitude of its effects. In case there is a problem with situational awareness, there is a possibility that there will be a loss of control, loss of separation, and airspace infringement (Skybrary, 2018). In addition, if the pilot lacks situational awareness within a given area, there is a high probability that they may be susceptible to turbulence, wake vortex and heavy ice which might impact on their airspace movements.
Decision making is an essential process because it marks the cognitive process of identifying the course of action from an array of presented alternatives. The process of decision making gives an option for the action to be taken and the opinion about the step to be taken in a given situation. The human decision-making process is complicated as it involves the compatibility of the environment. Aviation needs a lot of measures and critical decision-making strategy. This is informed by the fact that aviation as a field is a critical and complex safety endeavor. The decisions made by the pilot while on a flight can adversely affect the safety and well-being of other people and the pilot. Inasmuch as the decision of the pilots does not affect the flight directly, it is good to look at the ADM as one of the crucial safety procedures and functions.
Operational disruption can be caused by the situations that one might find themselves in, for instance, stress, fatigue, and sleepiness. These might lead to safety issues during a flight. If a pilot is fatigued, it might manifest in a number of ways such as inaccurate flight which might cause inconvenience, inaccurate operation of the daily tasks such as forgetting a given time of flight (Skybrary, 2018). There are safety concerns when the pilot is subjected to fatigue or sleeplessness such as miscommunication, missing radio calls, and general flight communication. The worst form of security issues which might be caused by fatigue is the poor decision-making by the pilots.
There are some ways in which safety challenges can be mitigated, for instance, ensuring that work schedules are developed to have minimal impact on the off duty hours. Again, optimum working conditions should be provided for the flight crews. There is also the need to apply and utilize crew resource management to create awareness about sleep, stress, and fatigue. Finally, there is a crucial need for the creation of a crew fatigue management system to be part of the safety mechanisms.
Reference
SKYbrary . (2018, December 6). Impaired judgment, decision making and flying skills due to fatigue (OGHFA SE). Retrieved May 6, 2019, from https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Impaired_Judgment,_Decision_Making_and_Flying_Skills_due_to_Fatigue_(OGHFA_SE)
