(Above) B747-400 Pilot fills out the electronic diary with sleep/wake information in the AIRLOG.

Long-haul aircraft are equipped with onboard crew rest facilities (bunks) to allow augmenting (extra) crewmembers an opportunity to sleep on a rotating basis when flights exceed a certain number of hours. These bunk facilities are essentially provided as a fatigue countermeasure to provide inflight rest opportunities for flight crewmembers, thereby promoting alertness and performance while on the flight deck. The purpose of the current study is to determine the quantity and quality of sleep obtained in onboard crew bunk facilities and identify factors that promote or interfere with bunk sleep. The study involves two phases and will examine the effectiveness of bunk sleep to promote subsequent alertness and performance in augmented long-haul flight operations. In Phase I, an extensive survey of crewmembers using the bunk facilities has been conducted at several air carriers. The survey examined factors that affect sleep in the bunk, such as physiological, environmental (e.g., noise, light, temperature), and social/psychological aspects. During the Phase II field component of the study, physiological data has been used to quantify the sleep/wake parameters in the bunk (e.g., time to fall asleep, amount and pattern of different sleep stages, number of awakenings, total sleep time). Self-report data, vigilance performance, and physiological alertness have been assessed to determine the effects of the bunk sleep period.

More than 1,400 flight crewmembers completed Phase I survey responses from three airlines representing operations in the Boeing 747-100, -200, and -400, and MD-11 aircraft. All of this data has been entered into a database and has been analyzed. The responses represent an extremely large database on the reported quantity and quality of sleep obtained in onboard crew rest facilities and the factors that promote or interfere with bunk sleep. The final reort is available below.

The Phase II field component has been completed. A pair of NASA researchers accompanied flight crews on regularly scheduled transpacific flights aboard B747-400, -200, 767-300 aircraft. An extensive amount of data was collected during the course of these trips and data analysis efforts has been completed and a report is currently being drafted.

The overall study results will be published in two papers reporting the findings from the survey and field components of the project. One particular area of interest is the noise levels, both ambient background levels and discrete, intrusive noise events. This information will be correlated with the physiological data to provide the FAA and industry groups with data on how noise, as one environmental factor, affects bunk sleep. This study will also provide information on fatigue, sleep, alertness, and performance from 2-person long-haul glass cockpit operations. The results will be examined for specific information that would support recommendations on sleep strategies, potential rostering practices, and factors that interfere or promote sleep in the bunk.

Flight_Ops_XII_CrewRestSurv.pdf (601 K)