Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1): Sleep, Fatigue, and Aviator Performance Study
Abstract
The Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course conducted at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) command in Yuma, Arizona is considered the capstone of Marine aviation training. Concerned about its high aviation incident rate, MAWTS-1 leadership asked the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) to assess whether student sleep is a contributing factor. In a baseline study at MAWTS-1, the students were found to be chronically sleep deprived. Six months later, this thesis effort gathered sleep data on 20 WTI 1-06 student pilots using wrist activity monitors and activity logs. Results showed the mean nightly sleep to be significantly higher than the baseline study, possibly caused by the implementation of a Tactical Risk Management course. Unlike their predecessors, the students in WTI 1-06 were not sleep deprived. As a result, no significant correlations were seen between sleep quantity and quality and student performance, as measured by exam and flight scores, or between predicted effectiveness and performance, as generated with the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST) program. While other variables were found to be slightly correlated with performance, several issues were identified that may have affected these results, along with recommendations for improving future studies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA494076
Entities
People
- Pamelyn L. Maynard
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School