Brussels, 09/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Pilot fatigue was measured in a recent poll published by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), revealing that it is far more common than first appears. Pilot and crew fatigue is currently under discussions because the European Commission is working on flying and rest-times.
According to 2011 and 2012 figures compiled for the pilot fatigue poll, the ECA says that four out of five pilots have to cope with fatigue whilst in the cockpit (the average figures of Austria, Sweden, Germany and Denmark). Worst still, in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, half of all pilots admit falling asleep involuntarily in the cockpit whilst flying. More than three out of five pilots in Sweden (71%), Norway (79%) and Denmark (80-90%) acknowledge to have already made mistakes due to fatigue, while in Germany it was four out of five pilots. This is the firs time that such data has been compiled, showing that fatigue is very common in cockpits. (MD/transl.fl)