Lingering Altitude Effects During Piloting and Navigation in a Synthetic Cockpit.

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Medicine
• Human Factors Engineering
• Physiology

Background:

• Cockpit flight simulation is crucial for evaluating pilot performance under various environmental conditions.
• Understanding the effects of moderate altitude exposure on cognitive and physiological functions is essential for aviation safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a flight simulation suite for measuring moderate altitude effects on pilot performance.
• To assess the apparatus's ability to detect performance deterioration, monitor physiological responses, and evaluate recovery during hypobaric exposure.

Main Methods:

• Eight subjects performed precision instrument control (PICT) and unusual attitude recovery (UAR) tasks in a hypobaric chamber simulating altitudes up to 17,500 ft.
• Performance metrics included flight simulation error (FSE) and time-out-of-bounds (TOOB) for PICT, and response times for UAR.
• Physiological data collected included oxygen saturation (SpO₂), heart rate (HR), and respiratory gases (end-tidal O₂ and CO₂).

Main Results:

• Precision instrument control performance significantly deteriorated at altitude, with increased FSE and TOOB.
• While UAR responses showed some acceleration, the effects were less pronounced than PICT impairments.
• Physiological monitoring indicated hypoxia, hyperventilation, and hypocapnia during ascent, followed by respiratory slowing during recovery.

Conclusions:

• The flight simulation paradigm effectively detected piloting impairment during and after moderate altitude exposure.
• Piloting performance and respiratory patterns are sensitive to moderate altitude, with potential lingering alterations post-exposure, possibly linked to hypocapnia.