Fatigue among Air crews on (Ultra)-Long-Range flights – A comparison of subjective fatigue with objective concentration ability

INTRODUCTION: Long duty times are common in the aviation industry, especially with the introduction of ultra long range flights (ULR). This article aims to compare the subjective fatigue assessment and concentration ability of flight crews with objective concentration and alertness tests during (U)LR-flights. METHOD: The study examined different (U)LR-flights. Before, during and after the flights subjective fatigue and concentration ability of the flight crew was examined with visual analog scale and objective attention and concentration ability with the FAIR-2 test respectively the 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test. For statistical analysis we used a repeated ANOVA with a post-hoc-analysis and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test for connected samples. RESULTS: In total 28 crew members were examined. Subjective concentration ability declined and fatigue increased significantly over the course of flights. However, no significant changes were observed in the objective concentration tests performed before and after the flights. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that fatigue significantly increased with flight time, particularly during night hours at the window of circadian low of the crews. However, objective concentration performance showed no significant deterioration over time. The study's results were consistent with previous research, except for the finding that objective concentration was still stable. The study also compared the findings to another profession and found similar results regarding the performance of complex tasks after long working hours while experiencing fatigue. PRATICAL APPLICATIONS: This study helps to understand the effects of ultra long-range flight on fatigue and concentration of the air crew and can help to improve safety issues on such flights.