Media Release
August 10, 2005
UniSA sleep study helping pilots get through the night
University of South Australia researchers are working to make flying safer and reduce the risks of night flying, thanks to a special grant from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The $25,000 grant will support an investigation into the effects of night flights on commercial pilots and how that impacts on performance and safety.
The study will focus on transcontinental “back of clock” operations, which typically involve late-night departures from Perth for early morning arrivals on the east coast. Evidence already shows this is an extremely difficult time to fly for pilots and researches are trying to find out what can be done to improve safety.
“Flying a plane through the middle of the night when your body wants to sleep can have a huge effect on performance,” explains lead researcher Dr Matthew Thomas from UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research.
“We know that “back of clock” flying can affect critical tasks like reaction times, decision-making and overall awareness.
“We also know this can be a big problem. There have been a number of incidents over the years on these night flights in Australia where fatigue could be to blame.
“By looking at fatigue on these flights, we’re trying to find out how to build better flight rosters to help pilots and keep our skies safer.”
Transportation Minister Warren Truss says the ATSB Aviation Safety Research grant is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to improving aviation safety for the fare-paying public.
Contacts for interviews
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Dr Matthew Thomas - 0438 808 808 email: matthew.thomas@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
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Tess van Straaten - 0412 102 662 email:
tess.vanstraaten@unisa.edu.au