Pilot Fatigue Essay

In 1903, the Wright brothers made history in North Carolina by achieving the first flight with the Wright flyer. This event marked the birth of aviation and collected the attention of the world. Over the last century, scientists, engineers, and pilots have made tremendous advancements in aircraft designs. By the 1940 's, airlines began to transport the general public with larger and more reliable aircraft, which created a massive demand for commercial aviation. Many companies such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Pan American Airways, Trans World Airlines, and United Airlines experienced major success. The 1960 's and 1970 's ushered in the jet age and introduced aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9, which made traveling

During the NTSB 's investigation of the crash, analysis of the aircraft 's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed that the pilots were exhausted and received little to no rest prior to the flight (National Transportation Safety Board, 2009). Due to the side effects of fatigue, the pilot 's response to abnormal flight conditions resulted in the loss of directional control and the subsequent crash of the aircraft outside of Buffalo, New York (National Transportation Safety Board, 2009). The United States House of Representatives and the Federal Aviation Administration 's response to this accident was additional legislation regarding pilot duty time, commuting limitations, and experience requirements. Although regulations do exist, which attempt to prevent the occurrence of pilot fatigue, it still exists and honestly always will. In order for commercial aviation to remain the safest mode of transportation in the world, every effort must be made to reduce the occurrence of pilot fatigue and improve the safety

The intensification of pilot fatigue has frequently been traced back to the current pilot shortage. The pilot shortage has been difficult for the entire industry and is anticipated to become more severe as time progresses. The largest cause of the pilot shortage is due to the current economic climate within the aviation industry and the massive amount of money it takes to become a qualified pilot. Educational requirements and training costs to receive the necessary pilot qualifications are extremely expensive and can easily surpass the $100,000 mark. Normally, job fields, which require such a financial commitment, will compensate employees with high wages in order to offset debts that have been acquired. Unfortunately, young pilots who receive jobs as a flight instructor or regional airline pilot will make $30,000 dollar or less on average. Therefore, the combination of high student loans and low starting wages has deterred people from pursuing this career path and an entire generation of new pilots has vanished. A contributing factor to the pilot shortage is because more and more airline captains are reaching the FAA mandated retirement age of 65 years old (Federal Aviation Administration, 2017). Major air carriers are rapidly loosing qualified personnel to fly their aircraft and are having difficulties