Current Aeromedical Issues in Rotary Wing Operations. (Problemes actuels de medecine aeronautique poses par les operations utilisant des voilures tournantes)

摘要

These proceedings include the Technical Evaluation Report, Keynote Address, and 41 papers from the Symposium sponsored by the NATO/RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel, which was held in San Diego, California, USA from 19-21 October 1998. Rotary wing operations include military or civilian missions such as transport, medevac, and combat. A range of human factors problems may be implicated in helicopter mishaps, such as spatial disorientation or excessive workload. Furthermore, flying a helicopter can contribute to various specific pathologies, ranging from lower back pain to flight phobias. In several helicopter accidents, it has been suggested that injuries could have been avoided if adequate safety and protection technologies had been used. Although helicopters can be used for medevac involving large numbers of wounded, the use of helicopters has to be fully integrated with other transport systems and their equipment should be adapted for this type of mission. New training methods, such as crew resource management or spatial disorientation training, and new technologies, such as the 'tactile situation awareness system' (TSAS) may, when fully implemented, help to avoid accidents. Utilization of swimming pools with specific tools for helicopter evacuation training can greatly reduce the risk of death by immersion. On the other hand, more effort is needed to improve the personal flight equipment. Although epidemiological data suggest that the risk of accidents and injuries is already low in certain air forces, the introduction of new protection technologies may help to further reduce the numbers of wounded. This symposium provided a review of the state-of-the-art concerning the various human factors implicated in helicopter operations, new methods and systems for increasing safety and efficiency of the helicopter operations, and new methods and systems for increasing safety and efficiency of the helicopter crew.