Physiological Issues in UAS

Which OTC medications do you think pose the most significant risk to UAS operators?

There are many medications that can affect you while you are piloting a UAS or manned aircraft, and regardless of what you are flying they can have significant and dangerous side-effects.  Most over the counter cold and flu medications such as antihistamines and decongestants use ingredients that have significant effects on cognitive ability and that can cause significant drowsiness (Pilot Safety, n.d.).  This makes them extremely dangerous to use without first properly assessing how they affect you and the side-effects that you might experience.  Unfortunately, because they are over the counter medication, many people do not think twice about taking them prior to participating in cognitively demanding activities such as flying a UAS.  For this reason, I think that these types of medications are far more dangerous than narcotics or other drugs that more severe side-effects because of the relaxed nature that some people have with them.

What do you think are the most effective mitigation strategies from a human factors perspective that operators can use when conducting UAS operations?

The best way to mitigate the human factor issues that come with the use of medications and other physiological issues is education.  There are tons of studies, articles, and FAA circulations that discuss the effects of fatigue, stress, medication and other physiological factors that effect UAS and manned pilots alike.  Making sure that new and old pilots alike get continues exposure to training on the effects of medications, both prescription and over the counter, is imperative to pilots remaining safe and aware of the risks.  The second most important way to mitigate these physiological factors is to ensure pilots have adequate and easily remembered techniques to help them mitigate their effects by flying only when it is safe to do so.  The IMSAFE technique is a very popular and easy to remember acronym that can help pilots to evaluate themselves before taking the controls of a UAS.  IMSAFE stands for (Pilot | Health, n.d.):

            I – Illness: Are there any illnesses or recent illnesses effecting the pilot?

            M – Medication: Are any medications effecting or impairing your ability to fly?

            S – Stress: Are you experiencing any unusual stress or pressure?

            A – Alcohol: Any alcohol in the last 8 hours and/or feeling the effect of alcohol?

            F – Fatigue: Are you tired and/or not properly rested?

            E – Emotion: Are you upset or distracted by anything?

This popular checklist (or something similar) should be used by every pilot before every flight to assess their condition and assess whether they should be flying.  When combined with proper training and knowledge on the effects of medication, this simple checklist can be a very powerful tool in protecting UAS pilots and manned pilots alike (Pilot | Health, n.d.).

Describe how fatigue and stress affect the safe operation of UAS

Fatigue and stress affect the pilots of UAS in the same ways that they affect the pilots of manned aircraft.  Fatigue can cause a pilot to have reduced cognitive abilities, trouble concentrating, and reduced dexterity.  These symptoms, while just some of what fatigue can cause, can wreak havoc on a pilot’s ability to operate their UAS safely and effectively.  Reduced cognitive function can lead to unsafe situations developing by impairing the pilots decision-making abilities and data processing abilities.  These factors can lead to missed safety concerns or malfunction in the UAS going undetected, potentially leading to property or UAS damage and injury (Salazar, n.d.).

References:

Pilots | Health | Readiness | IMSAFE | Checklist. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2019, from https://www.businessaircraftcenter.com/articles/pilot-s-health-readiness-IMSAFE-check-list-art1014.htm

Pilot Safety: Flying During Cold and Flu Season. (2019, January 03). Retrieved April 19, 2019, from http://hartzellprop.com/pilot-safety-flying-during-cold-and-flu-season/

Salazar, J. (n.d.). Fatigue In Aviation. Retrieved April 19, 2019, from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/Fatigue_Aviation.pdf