Flight Safety Foundation Human Factors & Aviation Medicine 1996

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November–December 1996

Crew Awareness of Sunlight Exposure Can Help Prevent Skin Cancer 4 pages. [PDF 86K]

Flight crews and cabin crews should take precautions against exposure to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight while on airport ramps and during layovers.

September–October 1996

Routine Lifestyle Choices Can Reduce Performance and Increase Susceptibility to Diseases 4 pages. [PDF 31K]

Diet affects mental alertness, mood and duty performance. Proper nutrition goes hand-in-hand with regular exercise.

July–August 1996

Standard Computer Hardware and Software Configured to Produce Useful Flight Simulator in Study 6 pages. [PDF 40K]

U.S. researchers developed a research simulator using personal computers and two commercially available flight-simulation software packages. A study found that such economical and readily assembled systems offer promise for use in pilot performance research and in training.

May–June 1996

Flight Crews Cautioned About Unsupervised Melatonin Use 4 pages. [PDF 34K]

Despite claims about its effectiveness in inducing sleep and producing other health benefits, it is still not known whether long-term melatonin use can result in side effects.

March–April 1996

Flight Crews and Cabin Crews Encouraged to Increase Awareness of In-flight Ionizing Radiation 4 pages. [PDF 30K]

Crew members who regularly fly at high cruise altitudes receive higher levels of ionizing radiation than the general population. The increased risk appears to be slight, but greater attention is being focused on monitoring of, and education about, ionizing radiation.

January–February 1996

Study Suggests Longer Life Expectancy for Retired Pilots than for their General Population Counterparts 6 pages. [PDF 41K]

It has been said that stresses peculiar to the pilot’s profession tend to cause premature death after retirement, and evidence purports to show that pilots often die shortly after their careers end. This study of one airline’s pilots, retiring at age 60 during a 25-year-period, provides contrary evidence.