PMID- 19378906
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20090602
LR  - 20191027
IS  - 0095-6562 (Print)
IS  - 0095-6562 (Linking)
VI  - 80
IP  - 4
DP  - 2009 Apr
TI  - Pilot workload during approaches: comparison of simulated standard and 
      noise-abatement profiles.
PG  - 364-70
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A new noise-reduced landing approach was tested--a Segmented 
      Continuous Descent Approach (SCDA)-with regard to the resulting workload on 
      pilots. METHODS: Workload of 40 pilots was measured using physiological (heart 
      rate, blood pressure, blink frequency, saliva cortisol concentration) and 
      psychological (fatigue, sleepiness, tension, and task load) parameters. 
      Approaches were conducted in A320 and A330 full-flight simulators during night 
      shift. SCDA was compared to the standard Low Drag Low Power (LDLP) procedure as 
      reference. RESULTS: Mean heart rate and blood pressure during the SCDA were not 
      elevated, but were partly, even significantly, reduced (on average by 5 bpm and 4 
      mmHg from the flying captain). Cortisol levels did not change significantly with 
      mean values of 0.9 to 1.2 ng ml(-1). Landing was the most demanding segment of 
      both approaches as indicated by significant increases in heart rate and decreases 
      in blink frequency. Subjective task load was low. DISCUSSION: Both approach 
      procedures caused a similar workload level. Interpreting the results, 
      methodological limitations have to be considered, e.g., the artificial and 
      controlled airspace situation in the flight simulator. Nevertheless, it can be 
      concluded that under these ideal conditions, the SCDA is operable without a 
      higher workload for pilots compared to the common LDLP.
FAU - Elmenhorst, Eva-Maria
AU  - Elmenhorst EM
AD  - DLR-German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne, Germany. 
      eva-maria.elmenhorst@dlr.de
FAU - Vejvoda, Martin
AU  - Vejvoda M
FAU - Maass, Hartmut
AU  - Maass H
FAU - Wenzel, Jurgen
AU  - Wenzel J
FAU - Plath, Gernot
AU  - Plath G
FAU - Schubert, Ekkehart
AU  - Schubert E
FAU - Basner, Mathias
AU  - Basner M
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Aviat Space Environ Med
JT  - Aviation, space, and environmental medicine
JID - 7501714
RN  - WI4X0X7BPJ (Hydrocortisone)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aerospace Medicine
MH  - *Aviation
MH  - Blinking
MH  - Blood Pressure
MH  - Computer Simulation
MH  - Fatigue
MH  - Female
MH  - Heart Rate
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hydrocortisone/metabolism
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Noise, Transportation/*prevention & control
MH  - Saliva/metabolism
MH  - *Task Performance and Analysis
MH  - *Workload/psychology
EDAT- 2009/04/22 09:00
MHDA- 2009/06/03 09:00
CRDT- 2009/04/22 09:00
PHST- 2009/04/22 09:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2009/04/22 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2009/06/03 09:00 [medline]
AID - 10.3357/asem.2382.2009 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Aviat Space Environ Med. 2009 Apr;80(4):364-70. doi: 10.3357/asem.2382.2009.