Transcript Slide 1

Penny Mackay
Risk-taking, Stress and Aging
remembering
We all get old if we’re lucky
Why Speak About Aging?
• We need to understand aging
• We need to have insight into our own aging
• We need to think about when to pull the pin
on our own flying
• The pilot population is getting older
• Instructors are getting older
• Instructors teach and assess old pilots
This Presentation
• A look at accidents/incidents and aging:
- accident type according to age
- accident stats according to age
• A quick look at/reminder about personality,
stress and hazardous attitudes as important
factors affected by aging
• Characteristics of the aging pilot
• What can we do about it
Accidents/Incidents and Age
Accidents/Incident Type and Age
• Younger pilots tend to have more accidents/incidents
related to perceptual-motor skills, judgment errors and
inadequate situation evaluation.
• Older pilots accidents and incidents are caused more
by procedural errors, inadequate flight preparation
and regulation violations.
Accidents/Incident Statistics and Age
• The accident rate for all classes of pilot tends to
decrease with age and remain relatively level for older
pilots up to the age of about 64, then increase.
• Mortimer (1991) found that Private Pilots over 60 had
2x the accident rate of younger pilots.
• Office of Technical Assessment Report (1990) found
that for pilots with over 1000hrs the accident rate
decreased until 60 and nearly doubled between ages
60-69.
Accidents/Incidents and Age
• For private pilots with low total flight time, if they
have less than the normal flight hours, then their
accident rates increase with age.
• In general, studies show a slight “U” shape in
accidents/incidents as a function of age.
Personality and Stress
Personality
High Anxiety
pessimistic,
unable to
handle stress
aggressive,
changeable,
need to prove
selves
risk-takers
Low Extraversion
High Extraversion
controlled,
thoughtful,
little fear
responsive,
too easy-going
and laid back
Low Anxiety
Personality
Studies have shown that individual variations
in functioning appear to increase with age.
Your personality also affects the amount of
stress that you experience.
Performance
Karmin Curve
Understimulation
zone
•Boredom
•Fatigue
•Frustration
•Dissatisfaction
Optimum
stimulation zone
Overstimulation
zone
•Irrational
problem solving
• poor decision
making
•Rational
problem solving
•Good decision
making
Stress
Flight or Fight Response
Acute Symptoms of Stress
Adrenaline and
noradrenalin
released
Muscles
tense for
action
Brain readies
body for action
Skin
blood
vessels
contract
Pupils dilate
Lower bowel and
bladder ready to
let go
Breathing
faster
Mouth drys
Liver releases
glucose –
energy for
muscles
Sweating
begins
Neck and
shoulder
muscles tense
Digestion slows
or stops
Psychological Symptoms of Stress:
Work
and
Home
• forgetful
• indecisive
• fixated
Thought
Processes
• accidents
• dissatisfied
• absent
Feelings
• aggressive
• depressed
• moody
The Reality of Stress and Flying
• Unless there is something wrong with you,
you will feel stress.
• How much depends on factors like
personality.
• Instructors can teach ways of recognising
and techniques of dealing with stress.
• You will get better at using strategies to
minimise stress if you work at it.
• Coping with stress becomes more difficult in
the older age group.
Methods to Deal with Overload and Stress
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Good preparation
Good situational awareness
Prioritize
Automatic responses – over learning
Write things down
Shed load – delegate or ask for assistance
Know your limitations
Use relaxation techniques
Problems of Higher Levels of
Experience
Ego – a
prominent
characteristic
of pilots
Margaret Maron - “Every time we start thinking we're
the center of the universe, the universe turns around
and says with a slightly distracted air, 'I'm sorry. What'd
you say your name was again'”
Knowledge
Hazardous
Attitudes
Hazardous Attitudes
1.
Deference
Deferring to someone else’s opinion
“Alright – if you say so”
“I’ll do what I think is right”
Hazardous Attitudes
2.
Anti-authority
Doing something because someone
in authority has said not to
Breaking rules deliberately
“Rules are for the obedience of
fools and the guidance of wise
men”
“Don’t tell me what to do”
”Follow the rules. They are usually right”
Follow SOP’s, zero tolerance for violations
Hazardous Attitudes
4
26 yrs
3
27-29 yrs
30-33 yrs
2
34-37 yrs
38+ yrs
1
Loss of
Control
Failure to
Maintain
Flying Speed
Regulation
Violations
Improper
Instrument
Procedures
Accident Causal Factor
Accidents per 100,000 flight hours for all US Navy pilots for 1977 – 1982 as a function
of causal factor and age group (based on data from Eyraud and Borowsky 1985)
Hazardous Attitudes
3.
Impulsivity
Doing something quickly without
thinking/planning
“Do something quickly”
”Not so fast, think first”
Be well prepared for every
flight.
Do not rush decisions in
unusual circumstances
Hazardous Attitudes
4.
Invulnerability
You think that nothing can
happen to you
“It won’t happen to me!”
“It could happen to me”
Remember that everyone
makes mistakes
Hazardous Attitudes
5.
Macho
Proving yourself to someone
else
Showing off
“I can do it”
“Taking chances is foolish”
Work as a member of the team
Do not try to impress
Hazardous Attitudes
6.
Resignation
Giving up
Nothing I can do will make
a difference
“It’s just my bad luck”
“What’s the use”
“I’m not helpless – I can
make a difference”
Hazardous Attitudes
7.
Get – there - itis
To get to where you first intended – no matter
what
“I must get there”
“You don’t have to get there”
Aging Pilots
Acknowledgment
Some of this information comes from
Dr Claude Preitner
Senior Medical Officer, CAA
Changes
• Vision
• Hearing
• Strength and range
of movements
• Posture and
balance
• Sleep regulation
• Thermoregulation
• Mental function
Vision
Decrease in:
• Visual acuity
• Contrast sensitivity
• Depth perception
• Colour vision
• Night vision
(All worse in low illumination)
• Dark adaptation is slower
• Eyes can’t change focus as quickly
• Increased susceptibility to glare
Vision
• Get regular eye exams.
• Vision degrades with lack of oxygen. Consider
using supplemental O2.
• Get bifocals if you need them.
• Spend more time scanning for traffic.
• Wear good quality prescription sunglasses.
• Consider purchasing traffic alert equipment.
(FLARM/ADS-B Equipment?)
Hearing
• We are unable to hear higher frequencies –
Presbycusis and NIHL.
• It is difficult to pick out one voice or sound in a
noisy environment.
• This can affect how verbal instructions are heard
(ATC).
Hearing
• Get your hearing checked by a professional.
• Ask ATC to speak slowly.
• Remind passengers to be quiet when you’re
talking to ATC.
Strength and Motion
• We lose about 15 to 20 % of our strength
• Older pilots can do the same tasks but they
may be working closer to their maximum.
– undercarriage?
– rigging and derigging gliders?
• Loss of flexibility such as reduced shoulder and
neck motion.
– lookout ?
Posture and Balance
• More difficult to maintain good posture and balance
– cockpit comfort and general ergonomics ?
– can reach manual levers?
Strength and Motion
• Fly lower (within reason). Lower oxygen
levels at altitude can cause headaches and
fatigue.
• Stay hydrated.
• Stay as fit as possible.
Sleep Regulation
• Affects both length and quality of sleep.
• Disruptions are more noticeable.
• We are more affected by light and noise.
Sleep Regulation
•
•
•
•
•
Be aware of the effects of fatigue
If fatigue is a problem, plan shorter flights.
Make sure you are well rested
The cockpit should not be too warm.
Keep tasks interesting
Cognitive Skills
• Memory:
• Working memory and memory span declines.
• Retrieval of information from memory may be
slower.
• We are less likely to remember instructions
unless using memory aids.
• Procedural memory is largely unaffected.
• It takes more time to learn and acquire new
skills.
• Fatigue makes these factors worse.
Cognitive Skills
• We learn differently - based on what we already
know.
• Some studies report that we may learn slower but
show no difference in performance/accuracy once
material is learned.
• Fluid intelligence (required for learning new
information) declines as well as inductive
reasoning, selective attention, dual task
activities, vigilance and information processing.
• We have slower reaction times.
Study by Hardy and Parasuraman
• Expertise sometimes ameliorates the effects
of aging but not always.
• If the processing demands are relatively low,
older pilots are usually fine, but if they are
unusually high, older pilots may be vulnerable.
• The absence of flying results in the decay of
attention, monitoring and procedural related
flight skills.
• Older pilots are slower than younger pilots at
having to remember and specify principles
and relationships of new aviation-related
material and orientation to new equipment.
Study by Golaszewski
• Accident rates are inversely proportional to
recent flight time.
• Pilots with more than 1,000 hours total but less
than 50 hours recent have most accidents.
• In terms of pilots with low amounts of recent
flight time, older pilots have more accidents
than younger pilots but older pilots are less
likely to have an accident than younger pilots if
they have high amounts of recent flight time.
Study by Golaszewski
• When recent flight time is
low professional pilots have
more accidents than private
pilots.
• Accident rates are inversely
proportional to total flight
time. Independent of total
flight time private pilots
have more accidents.
(Less professionalism? )
OPS 10 Form
Use this form only for incidents involving
minor injuries and/or minor damage. For all
other accidents and incidents use CAA
Form CA005.
Think of this as an accident
prevention form
Personal Strategies
Personal Strategies
• Age well and wisely
– Exercise
– Eat well
– Take care with sleep hygiene
• Know yourself and your health
• Stay sharp – proficiency and recency are
extremely important
• Plan as much as possible and take more time
to plan (stress reduction)
• Raise personal minimums
Personal Strategies
• Try not to put yourself in situations:
- where you need to process information quickly
- that require complex thought
- that put you under too much stress
• Spend more time familiarising yourself when
changing aircraft
• Keep current on complex equipment
• Have shorter flights
• Hitch rides with other pilots
• Beware of delusions of adequacy
The Last Go/No go Decision
– Calling it Quits
The Wisdom of Experience
Calling it Quits
• Think sensibly about how you would like to be
remembered as a pilot and the possible
consequences if you push things for too long.
• You don’t have to be PIC.
• If you value your friends, you owe it to tell them
that they should consider no longer flying as PIC.
Calling it Quits
Time spent flying is
not deducted from
one’s lifespan
Vision
EYE
• Get regular eye exams.
•
T
E
S
T
Vision degrades with lack of oxygen. Consider
FOR
using supplemental O2.
• Get bifocals if you need them.
DIRTY
• Spend more time scanning for traffic.
• Wear good quality prescription sunglasses.
•
O
L
D
Consider purchasing traffic alert equipment.
MEN