제 목 : NASA Enters Flight-Times Debate
일 자 : 1997년 08월
제공처 : Safety ＆ health(EU UPDATE)
The European Commission may propose new fight-time laws for aircrews in
the European Union despite long-standing disagreements between key players
in the industry.
The latest stumbling block is a report from the U.S. National Aeronautics
and Space Administration. The NASA report draws together all scientific
literature on air safety and concludes that although safety has radically
improved since the l950s, 75 percent of crashes that now occur are the
result of human error, which is often linked to crew fatigue. Air crews
must make highly complex judgments after long work periods, often at night,
says NASA.
Cockpit automation also has meant that pilots trust their instruments
too much and may not have a full, grasp of aircraft behavior in emergen-
cies. This can be worsened by fatigue.
The report recommends longer minimum rest periods between flight and
more attention to the extra fatigue caused by night flying. It also
suggests that three-crew operations may be more fatiguing than previously
thought.
Inside the cockpit, the report suggests more attention to human factors
in cockpit design, international instrument standardization and more pilot
training to deal with the effect of automatic control systems on flight
behavior.
Jeanne Breen,who represents the European Transport Safety Council,
supports the NASA document and says the recommendations are strictly
aimed at improving safety. While she doubts that all sides will reach
agreement, Breen says, "The commission must just go forward and regulate."
Marc Frisque of the Association of European Airlines says that attempts
to harmonize national flight-time laws across the EU failed several years
ago when parties could not find a common denominator. At the time, national
flight-time arrangements were considered satisfactory, he says. "Airline
companies shouldn't have to do more just for the purpose of harmonization;
that is the issue."
the NASA document only of fers guidelines and should not be considered a
solution to the debate, says Frisque.
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