PILOT DEBT A SAFETY ISSUE?

摘要

After working with the aviation industry for 16 years I have reached an unnerving conclusion: commercial aviation is on a dangerous trajectory. Cost-cutting is creating what psychologist Professor Jim Reason calls "resident pathogens" - the necessary pre-conditions for incidents and accidents. My research indicates the existence of a 'pilot diaspora' - a dislocated workforce for which long commutes to work are commonplace. Because of their relative poverty, novice-pilots are the least mobile and most dislocated. Unable to buy or rent in airport catchments they live as cheaply as possible, often residing with partners or parents many miles from base. Long commutes add to the physical and psychological fatigue pilots experience when flying multiple sectors in congested airspace. And fatigue is a safety issue because it slows reasoning, lengthens reaction times and inhibits team working.