Jeppesen Study Advances Fatigue Risk Science Principles, Using Mobile Technology

Jeppesen and leading sleep and performance scientists are advancing knowledge and modeling of crew fatigue in direct collaboration with airline pilots and cabin crew worldwide

Englewood, Colo. | 15 Feb 2012 | By Jeppesen

Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Flight Services, will conduct an industry-wide survey this spring to collect pilot and cabin crew fatigue data. The study will collaborate with sleep and performance scientists, using the Jeppesen CrewAlert iPhone application to collect data directly from airline crew members. The study will advance understanding on how crew fatigue issues develop in an operational setting.

The Fatigue Data Collection 2012 (FDC2012) study will be used to improve and evaluate scientific fatigue models such as the Boeing Alertness Model (BAM). Last November, Jeppesen conducted a similar fatigue data collection among volunteering pilots worldwide logging their sleep/wake patterns and collecting assessments of fatigue levels. That study was conducted to fine-tune the concept of “crowd sourcing” as a viable complement to more traditional fatigue data collections.

“We are very excited about our participation in the FDC2012 study and the value these kinds of studies may bring to advance scientific knowledge on fatigue and air crew scheduling principles,” said Professor Torbjörn Åkerstedt, Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet. “Jeppesen has developed a unique set of tools that we anticipate will make a big difference in understanding and managing airline crew fatigue.”

To coincide with the FDC2012 study, a scaled-down version of the Jeppesen CrewAlert application, CrewAlert Lite, is now available on iTunes App Store worldwide at no charge. CrewAlert Lite will simplify capturing schedule information, sleep and wake periods and fatigue assessments during the FDC2012 study. The application also enables crew to predict fatigue risk, using the Boeing Alertness Model.

“Jeppesen is leading the way in addressing this important field of flight safety,” said Tim Huegel, director, Jeppesen Aviation Portfolio Management. “FDC2012 will allow crew to provide direct feedback on their actual experiences, enabling us to improve our solutions even further in collaboration with our scientific partners and our global airline customers.”

The two-week FDC2012 study is scheduled in April. Individual crew members, pilots and cabin, in possession of an iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad) are welcome to register to participate at www.jeppesen.com/frm.

Jeppesen will make accommodations for airline operators to access collected anonymized data originating from their crew participating in the collection, at no charge. For airline operators seeking further details about how to access this study information, please contact Jeppesen in advance of the FDC2012 study at frm@jeppesen.com.