Assessment of adaptive capabilities of pilots during flight training and performance: a retrospective study

INTRODUCTION. Preservation and improvement of flight safety of Russian-made aircraft in different regions of the world today remains an important problem and is subject to permanent actualization. In order to choose a trajectory for improving medical support of flights and enhancing their safety, a field study was conducted with the involvement of pilots flying modern airplanes.

OBJECTIVE. To study adaptive capabilities and dynamics of functional state of foreign pilots in the pre-flight period and during the flight shift.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study involved 22 pilots, from which two groups with different levels of professional training were formed: Group 1 (n = 12) – with a lower level of flight training and Group 2 (n = 10) - with a higher level of flight training. The studies were conducted during the period of pilots’ preparation for flights and during the flight shift. The flights were performed with moderate flight load.

Heart rate regulation as an integral indicator of adaptation processes in the body, mobility and speed of nervous processes, and the state of the visual analyzer were subject to evaluation. Mathematical and spectral analysis of the cardiorhythmogram and tests for visual-motor reactions were used for this purpose.

RESULTS. In the pilots of the 1^st group, the pre-start state was characterized by tension of adaptation mechanisms, which is a variant of the norm in aviation practice. During the flight period, even greater tension of regulatory systems with the inclusion of humoral components was found, which corresponds to the formation of neuro-emotional tension, which can also be defined as a normal state. In the 2^nd group of pilots, no significant changes in adaptation mechanisms were revealed.

DISCUSSION. In pilots with a lower level of training it was registered that adaptation processes are characterized by optimal tension of regulatory systems and insignificant change in the level of central nervous system functioning during the pre-flight period. During the flight shift, the tension of regulatory systems with the inclusion of humoral components was established. No significant adaptation reactions and dynamics of the functional state of the organism were recorded in pilots with a high level of training. The obtained results showed a sufficient level of pilots’ adaptive capabilities to perform flights with moderate flight load.

CONCLUSION. Pilots with a low level of flight training have a pronounced pre-launch functional state and neuro-emotional tension during the flight shift, which indicates that adaptive capabilities remain at a sufficient level during flight performance.

Pilots with a high level of flight training have a normal functional state with optimal tension of adaptation processes.

To form a complete psychophysiological profile of pilots at the next stage of work it is necessary to study the nature of adaptation processes at much higher flight loads and under conditions of different types of flights.

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