Attitudes of Experienced Helicopter Pilots to Nap-of-the-Earth Flight

Abstract

The work unit of the Behavior and Systems Research Laboratory (BESRL) was recently asked to investigate reports that nap-of-the-earth (NOE) daytime flight was excessively fatiguing and stressful. Since fatigue and stress are largely subjective experiences, the logical initial approach was to ask helicopter pilots flying NOE how they felt about the matter. Twenty-two pilots from the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, based at Ft. Hood, were each interviewed for 45 minutes during the period June 7 - 9, 1972. Twenty of the pilots were Vietnam veterans with an average total number of 1377 helicopter hours, 1025 of these flown in Vietnam. The two (2) non-Vietnam pilots had an average of 240 flight hours.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1972
Accession Number
ADA076178

Entities

People

  • David Meister Sr.

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Flight
  • Helicopters
  • Level Flight
  • Navigation
  • Neurobehavioral Manifestations
  • Night Flight
  • Reconnaissance Aircraft
  • Scanning
  • Terrain Avoidance
  • Terrain Following
  • Training
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems
  • Windshield Wipers

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Educational Psychology
  • Military Science