| Commercial air carrier pilots are commonly faced with operational challenges that occur with flights that oscillate between day and night and span multiple time zones. An examination of 40 pilots flying domestic and international flight operations revealed significant differences that domestic pilots obtain for amount of time in bed overall, at home, during layover, and the second 24 hour period after returning home from trips, than international pilots. Significant differences were also found between light levels obtained by pilots on the ground and during flight operations. The number of time zone crossings was the main predictor of time in bed obtained during layover. These results may provide a step in understanding the extent that sleep loss and circadian disruption occur in flight operations (guiding policy makers on rulemaking), and components that may be integrated into modeling efforts employed to mitigate pilot fatigue and increase flight scheduling efficiency while maximizing safety. |
