In ground school pilots learned how high elevation, hot weather, and high humidity can degrade an aircraft’s performance. But they probably didn’t pick up much about what those conditions do to the pilot.
If taught at all, it was likely through trial and error. If only there was an easier way, and now there is. The Sizzling Summer Safety Series by psychologist, speaker, and commercial pilot Jolie Lucas walks you through this human-factors minefield.
Lucas’ three-part series examines how heat, dehydration, disrupted sleep, physical discomfort, and summer travel pressures can quietly and negatively affect attention, patience, communication, and judgment. For example, dehydration often leads to fatigue in an airplane that can be as detrimental to a pilot’s performance as the ingestion of alcohol.
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Lucas said the series will give pilots the tools to learn to recognize subtle changes in themselves and one another. It encourages pilots to question the assumptions that often accompany familiar flights and long-planned trips, and then establish clear limits before heat, fatigue, or destination pressure begin influencing the decision and robbing you of your aeronautical decision-making ability.
The series also highlights how a non-pilot companion can contribute to aviation safety by noticing behavioral changes, speaking up early, and helping a pilot normalize conservative choices.
The full series, companion guide, and research brief are available at JolieLucas.com.
More to Come
Sponsored by Avemco Insurance, the Sizzling Summer Safety Series offers practical tools to help aviators and companions make cooler decisions in hot conditions.
But since most pilots like to fly year-round, the project will continue throughout the year. Lucas said to expect the fall and winter safety series to explore the distinctive human factors and challenges of each flying season.