Largest U.S. airline pilots and the unions of pilots require the Federal Aviation Administration of the country to allow pilots and navigators to sleep during the flight. The fact is that such a project, according to the pilots and administrations of companies, will allow the crew to overcome the natural fatigue and be especially vigilant during takeoff and landing, the most dangerous moments of the flight. Thus, the flights will be safer.
Now the American pilots are strictly forbidden to rest during the flight. And the Administration of Federal Aviation is set sharply against the annulling of the ban on sleeping, because, according to officials, the picture of a captain who has fallen asleep at the controls does not contribute to the favorable health state of the passengers. However, doctors, whose opinions are referred by the pilots, believe that a nap is the best remedy for fatigue.
The pilots often spend on flying considerably more time than it is recommended for optimal performance by scientists. Thus, according to aviation rules that are in force now in Europe, the pilots are encouraged to work for 14 hours a day, while doctors insist on 13. At the same time, according to the results brought by the European trade unions of pilots of civil aviation, the main reason of 15% of all crashes occurring in the world is the tired condition of the pilots. Under the existing rules, pilots spend in flight too many hours, which increases the risk of a tragic outcome of the flight five times.
Jim Makoslan, general secretary of the British Association for the pilots of civil aviation claims that a very small number of specialists of narrow profile really understand how pilot flights negatively affect the body after several time zones, too early and late flights and many other factors that consider to be a part of the pilots’ daily life.
The confrontation of airlines administrations and the pilots union is not resolved by peaceful means, and the pilots decided to talk about their problems to passengers, whose security depends on the degree of airliner pilot fatigue. Pilots will take to demonstrations across Europe and plan to distribute about 2 million leaflets which will describe the situation. How these events will affect the schedule of European flights is still unknown, but the chances of delay and cancellation of flights is very high.
