Fighter pilots' heart rate, heart rate variation and performance during an instrument flight rules proficiency test.
Increased task demand will increase the pilot mental workload (PMWL). When PMWL is increased, mental overload may occur resulting in degraded performance. During pilots' instrument flight rules (IFR) proficiency test, PMWL is typically not measured. Therefore, little is known about workload during the proficiency test and pilots' potential to cope with higher task demands than those experienced during the test. In this study, fighter pilots' performance and PMWL was measured during a real IFR proficiency test in an F/A-18 simulator. PMWL was measured using heart rate (HR) and heart rate variation (HRV). Performance was rated using Finnish Air Force's official rating scales. Results indicated that HR and HRV differentiate varying task demands in situations where variations in performance are insignificant. It was concluded that during a proficiency test, PMWL should be measured together with the task performance measurement.
Human Systems Integration Group, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mansikkh@uni.coventry.ac.uk.
Heikki
H
Mansikka
Systems Analysis Laboratory, Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis, School of Science, Aalto University, P.O.Box 11100, FIN 00076 Aalto, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: kai.virtanen@aalto.fi.
Kai
K
Virtanen
Human Systems Integration Group, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: don.harris@coventry.ac.uk.
Don
D
Harris
Finnish Defence Research Agency, Human Performance Division, Rantatie 66, 04401 Järvenpää, Tuusula, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Cognitive Science, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: petteri.simola@mil.fi.
Petteri
P
Simola
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000401:Aircraft; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005387:Finland; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000523:psychology*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011361:Professional Competence; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*
Heart rate; Pilot mental workload; Pilot performance