Stress In The Cockpit

True story: A USAF F-105 Thunderchief pilot was shot down over North Vietnam, ejected and landed in the jungle. Coming up on his emergency radio, he was told a rescue mission was on the way, to hide out and to come back up on the frequency in an hour. The pilot waited for what seemed like an hour and called back; he once again was told to call back when the hour was up-in 55 more minutes.

Key Dismukes

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Stress significantly impairs pilot performance by overwhelming working memory and disrupting attention, leading to errors in comprehension, task management, and action.
Developing automatic processing through consistent practice and mental rehearsal is crucial, as this mode of operation is less vulnerable to the cognitive disruptions caused by stress.
Pilots can actively counter stress effects in flight by prioritizing essential tasks, slowing down to be deliberate, practicing emergency procedures to automaticity, and using techniques like deep breathing.

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Stressful situations are not limited to combat aviation and affect far more than just time perception. Pilots of all stripes encounter challenging situations ranging from the dire (an in-flight fire), to the threatening (ice accumulation during descent) to the social (struggling through a difficult check flight). How we handle the stress can be just as important as how we handle the challenge.