Psychophysiological Factors Analysis in Unpressurized Aircraft Cabins

• Autor(a) principal: Coelho, Ana Catarina Casaleiro
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/6450
• topic: Acquisition and Data Processing; Flight Safety; Light Aviation; Non-Pressurized Cabins; Pilots Performance; Psychological and Physiological Parameters; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Outras Engenharias e Tecnologias

In the versatile aviation environment, the pilot’s well-being is a crucial and demanding factor which is directly related to his good performance. Adding the fact that most of the aircraft that belong to the light aviation do not have pressurized cabins, this type of aviation can become a dangerous activity for the safety of pilots and passengers. The change in pilot’s performance during the changing of psychological and physiological parameters has proved to be a very significant factor in terms of flight safety. Also the increasing of altitude in different phases of flight corresponds to a reduction in oxygen partial pressure. This occurrence may lead to early symptoms of hypoxia which may become an even greater danger if the pilots do not have time to feel, or recognize their symptoms. A review of international legislation indicates a high tolerance to establish safety limits in this matter, taking into account the unpredictability of reactions of the human body of each pilot for the same flight conditions. This work is generally focused in acquired data during different flight situations, with different pilots and respective processing of data obtained during different tasks of flight. To achieve the proposed objectives the acquired data contain parameters such as altitude, absolute pressure and temperature inside the cabin; as well as registration oximetry, peripheral and cerebral, to study the phenomenon hypoxia. Also comprises electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) in order to establish a correlation between the influence of mental workload and other physiological parameters during different phases of flight. The specific objective of this research is the acquisition and processing of data collected directly from the aircraft and the pilot, performing flight simulation tests in different scenarios, contributing to trying to define the physiological limits of each individual with the purpose of creating an alert system on board to avoid possible incidents or accidents. This study also aims to suggest a restriction in the legislation on licensing of light aviation, within physiological limits of each individual, thus contributing to a safer flight environment.