Risk-taking, Stress and Aging

remembering

We all get old if we’re lucky

Penny Mackay

• We need to understand aging• We need to have insight into our own aging• We need to think about when to pull the pin

on our own flying• The pilot population is getting older • Instructors are getting older• Instructors teach and assess old pilots

Why Speak About Aging?

• A look at accidents/incidents and aging:

- accident type according to age

- accident stats according to age• A quick look at/reminder about personality,

stress and hazardous attitudes as important factors affected by aging

• Characteristics of the aging pilot• What can we do about it

This Presentation

Accidents/Incidents and Age

• Younger pilots tend to have more accidents/incidents related to perceptual-motor skills, judgment errors and inadequate situation evaluation.

• Older pilots accidents and incidents are caused more by procedural errors, inadequate flight preparation and regulation violations.

Accidents/Incident Type and Age

• The accident rate for all classes of pilot tends to decrease with age and remain relatively level for older pilots up to the age of about 64, then increase.

• Mortimer (1991) found that Private Pilots over 60 had 2x the accident rate of younger pilots.

• Office of Technical Assessment Report (1990) found that for pilots with over 1000hrs the accident rate decreased until 60 and nearly doubled between ages 60-69.

Accidents/Incident Statistics and Age

• For private pilots with low total flight time, if they have less than the normal flight hours, then their accident rates increase with age.

• In general, studies show a slight “U” shape in accidents/incidents as a function of age.

Accidents/Incidents and Age

Personality and Stress

High Extraversion

High Anxiety

aggressive, changeable, need to prove selves risk-takers

responsive, too easy-going and laid back

pessimistic, unable to handle stress

controlled, thoughtful, little fear

Personality

Low Anxiety

Low Extraversion

Personality

Studies have shown that individual variations in functioning appear to increase with age.

Your personality also affects the amount of stress that you experience.

Stress

Per

form

ance

Understimulation zone

Optimum stimulation zone

Overstimulation zone

•Boredom•Fatigue•Frustration•Dissatisfaction

•Rational problem solving

•Good decision making

•Irrational problem solving

• poor decision making

Karmin Curve

Flight or Fight Response

Skin blood

vessels contract

Adrenaline and noradrenalin

released

Muscles tense for

action

Brain readies body for action

Liver releases glucose – energy for muscles

Neck and shoulder

muscles tense

Digestion slows or stops

Breathing faster

Sweating begins

Lower bowel and bladder ready to

let go

Mouth drys

Pupils dilate

Acute Symptoms of Stress

• forgetful• indecisive• fixated

• accidents• dissatisfied• absent

• aggressive• depressed• moody

Thought Processes

Work and

HomeFeelings

Psychological Symptoms of Stress:

• Unless there is something wrong with you, you will feel stress.

• How much depends on factors like personality.

• Instructors can teach ways of recognising and techniques of dealing with stress.

• You will get better at using strategies to minimise stress if you work at it.

• Coping with stress becomes more difficult in the older age group.

The Reality of Stress and Flying

• Good preparation

• Good situational awareness

• Prioritize

• Automatic responses – over learning

• Write things down

• Shed load – delegate or ask for assistance

• Know your limitations

• Use relaxation techniques

Methods to Deal with Overload and Stress

Problems of Higher Levels of Experience

Ego – a prominent

characteristic of pilots

Margaret Maron - “Every time we start thinking we're the center of the universe, the universe turns around and says with a slightly distracted air, 'I'm sorry. What'd you say your name was again'”

Knowledge

Hazardous Attitudes

1. Deference

Deferring to someone else’s opinion

“Alright – if you say so”

“I’ll do what I think is right”

Hazardous Attitudes

2. Anti-authority

Doing something because someone in authority has said not to

Breaking rules deliberately

“Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”

“Don’t tell me what to do”

”Follow the rules. They are usually right”

Follow SOP’s, zero tolerance for violations

Hazardous Attitudes

Hazardous Attitudes

3

2

1

Loss of Control

Failure to Maintain

Flying Speed

Regulation Violations

Improper Instrument Procedures

Accident Causal Factor

26 yrs

27-29 yrs

30-33 yrs

34-37 yrs

38+ yrs

Accidents per 100,000 flight hours for all US Navy pilots for 1977 – 1982 as a function of causal factor and age group (based on data from Eyraud and Borowsky 1985)

4

3. Impulsivity

Doing something quickly without thinking/planning

“Do something quickly”

”Not so fast, think first”

Be well prepared for every flight.

Do not rush decisions in unusual circumstances

Hazardous Attitudes

You think that nothing can happen to you

“It won’t happen to me!”

4. Invulnerability

“It could happen to me”

Remember that everyone makes mistakes

Hazardous Attitudes

5. Macho

Proving yourself to someone else

Showing off

“I can do it”

“Taking chances is foolish”

Work as a member of the team

Do not try to impress

Hazardous Attitudes

Hazardous Attitudes

6. Resignation

Giving up

Nothing I can do will make a difference

“It’s just my bad luck”

“What’s the use”

“I’m not helpless – I can make a difference”

Hazardous Attitudes

7. Get – there - itis

To get to where you first intended – no matter what

“I must get there”

“You don’t have to get there”

Aging Pilots

Acknowledgment

Some of this information comes fromDr Claude PreitnerSenior Medical Officer, CAA

• Vision• Hearing • Strength and range

of movements• Posture and

balance• Sleep regulation• Thermoregulation• Mental function

Changes

Decrease in:

•Visual acuity

•Contrast sensitivity

•Depth perception

•Colour vision

•Night vision

(All worse in low illumination)

Vision

• Dark adaptation is slower

• Eyes can’t change focus as quickly

• Increased susceptibility to glare

Vision

• Get regular eye exams.

• Vision degrades with lack of oxygen. Consider using supplemental O2.

• Get bifocals if you need them.

• Spend more time scanning for traffic.

• Wear good quality prescription sunglasses.

• Consider purchasing traffic alert equipment. (FLARM/ADS-B Equipment?)

• We are unable to hear higher frequencies – Presbycusis and NIHL.

• It is difficult to pick out one voice or sound in a noisy environment.

• This can affect how verbal instructions are heard (ATC).

Hearing

Hearing

• Get your hearing checked by a professional.

• Ask ATC to speak slowly.

• Remind passengers to be quiet when you’re talking to ATC.

• We lose about 15 to 20 % of our strength

• Older pilots can do the same tasks but they may be working closer to their maximum.

–undercarriage?

–rigging and derigging gliders?

• Loss of flexibility such as reduced shoulder and neck motion.

– lookout ?

Strength and Motion

• More difficult to maintain good posture and balance

– cockpit comfort and general ergonomics ?

– can reach manual levers?

Posture and Balance

Strength and Motion

• Fly lower (within reason). Lower oxygen levels at altitude can cause headaches and fatigue.

• Stay hydrated.

• Stay as fit as possible.

• Affects both length and quality of sleep.

• Disruptions are more noticeable.

• We are more affected by light and noise.

Sleep Regulation

• Be aware of the effects of fatigue• If fatigue is a problem, plan shorter flights. • Make sure you are well rested• The cockpit should not be too warm.• Keep tasks interesting

Sleep Regulation

• Memory:• Working memory and memory span declines.• Retrieval of information from memory may be

slower.• We are less likely to remember instructions

unless using memory aids.• Procedural memory is largely unaffected.• It takes more time to learn and acquire new

skills.• Fatigue makes these factors worse.

Cognitive Skills

• We learn differently - based on what we already know.

• Some studies report that we may learn slower but show no difference in performance/accuracy once material is learned.

• Fluid intelligence (required for learning new information) declines as well as inductive reasoning, selective attention, dual task activities, vigilance and information processing.

• We have slower reaction times.

Cognitive Skills

Study by Hardy and Parasuraman

• Expertise sometimes ameliorates the effects of aging but not always.

• If the processing demands are relatively low, older pilots are usually fine, but if they are unusually high, older pilots may be vulnerable.

• The absence of flying results in the decay of attention, monitoring and procedural related flight skills.

• Older pilots are slower than younger pilots at having to remember and specify principles and relationships of new aviation-related material and orientation to new equipment.

• Accident rates are inversely proportional to recent flight time.

• Pilots with more than 1,000 hours total but less than 50 hours recent have most accidents.

• In terms of pilots with low amounts of recent flight time, older pilots have more accidents than younger pilots but older pilots are less likely to have an accident than younger pilots if they have high amounts of recent flight time.

Study by Golaszewski

Study by Golaszewski

• When recent flight time is low professional pilots have more accidents than private pilots.

• Accident rates are inversely proportional to total flight time. Independent of total flight time private pilots have more accidents. (Less professionalism? )

OPS 10 Form

Think of this as an accident prevention form

Use this form only for incidents involving minor injuries and/or minor damage. For all other accidents and incidents use CAAForm CA005.

Personal Strategies

Personal Strategies

• Age well and wisely– Exercise– Eat well– Take care with sleep hygiene

• Know yourself and your health• Stay sharp – proficiency and recency are

extremely important• Plan as much as possible and take more time

to plan (stress reduction)• Raise personal minimums

Personal Strategies

• Try not to put yourself in situations:

- where you need to process information quickly

- that require complex thought

- that put you under too much stress• Spend more time familiarising yourself when

changing aircraft• Keep current on complex equipment• Have shorter flights• Hitch rides with other pilots• Beware of delusions of adequacy

The Last Go/No go Decision – Calling it Quits

The Wisdom of Experience

Calling it Quits

• Think sensibly about how you would like to be remembered as a pilot and the possible consequences if you push things for too long.

• You don’t have to be PIC.• If you value your friends, you owe it to tell them

that they should consider no longer flying as PIC.

Calling it Quits

Time spent flying is not deducted

from one’s lifespan

Vision

• Get regular eye exams.

• Vision degrades with lack of oxygen. Consider using supplemental O2.

• Get bifocals if you need them.

• Spend more time scanning for traffic.

• Wear good quality prescription sunglasses.

• Consider purchasing traffic alert equipment.

E Y E T E S T

F O R D I R T Y O L DM E N