CABINSAFETY © Boeing Commercial Airplanes © Boeing Commercial perchance to BY WAYNE ROSENKRANS Crew rest facilities assume critical importance when flights exceed 16 hours. Dream Crew rest facilities espite the difficulty researchers have in time spent in crew rest facilities, protecting crew conducive to deep scientifically isolating the effects of crew sleep from disruption except during emergen- sleep, as on the rest facilities on quantity and quality cies and crew coordination to manage sleep Boeing 777-200LR, of in-flight sleep from other aspects of inertia after in-flight rest. require caution about Dalertness management, there is no debate about Operating Singapore–New York flight possible effects of the importance of the sleeping environment. sectors with the Airbus A340-500, Singapore sleep inertia, initial Crew rest facilities designed around guidelines Airlines averaged 18.5 hours flight time and 20.5 disorientation/ from the 1990s for long-range operations, flights hours duty time when it set the precedent for grogginess after of 12 to 16 hours, have been accepted by the ULR operations. The term means out-and-back waking. airline industry as a significant factor in coun- flights between an approved city pair using a teracting fatigue. Since 2005, some airlines also specific aircraft type with a defined departure have found that part of the guidance published window and planned flight-sector lengths, or for ultra-long-range (ULR) operations has the block times, greater than 16 hours and flight- potential to improve pilots’ and flight attendants’ duty periods from 18 to 22 hours. Other airlines ability to obtain sleep on long-range flights as have planned or launched ULR operations well. All ULR operations require optimizing under evolving regulatory oversight methods 38 | FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION | AEROSAFETYWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2007 CABINSAFETY that focus on operations specifications to all regulatory agencies that will be volumes of space for ingress/egress, for proposed city pairs rather than ap- providing the oversight that is necessary changing clothes and sleeping with plying prescriptive rules to all airlines. to maintain existing standards of safety adequate privacy; minimum dimen- For example, Delta Air Lines began during these longer range operations. A sions for each sleeping surface; physi- using the Boeing 777-200ER and Air cautious approach is warranted until such cally isolating the crew rest facility “in India began using the 777-200LR for time as a sufficient body of information a location where intrusive noise, odors daily New York–Mumbai operations is available from which to make more and vibration have minimum effect on in November 2006 and August 2007, specific conclusions.” sleep”; designing the facility for a back- respectively. The steering committee postponed ground noise level of 70 to 75 dB(A) During a ULR flight, one captain — development of detailed recommenda- during cruise flight; and ensuring that the pilot-in-command of the flight — tions to improve crew rest facilities only relevant announcements via the and one first officer typically comprise — relative to existing specifications public address system reach sleeping the main crew. Another captain and an- for long-range operations — pending crews, such as notification of in-flight other first officer, comprising the relief discussions of proposed standards and smoke/fire/fumes, aircraft depressur- crew, alternate with the main crew in recommended practices for fatigue risk ization or preparation for landing. flight deck duty and in obtaining sleep management, scheduled for fall 2007 This guidance also says that airflow during at least two precoordinated within the International Civil Aviation and temperature controls in the crew in-flight rest periods. Cabin crewmem- Organization. rest facility should provide “a uni- bers take rest similarly. Before and after For example, in the United States, the formly well-ventilated atmosphere free ULR flights, pilots and flight attendants Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from drafts, cold spots and temperature follow prescribed sleep schedules de- advisory circular for crew rest was pub- gradient.” Occupant seat belts for each signed to enable them to be fully rested lished in 1994 as one acceptable means seat and bunk, illuminated signs that and alert before the next flight. of compliance with regulatory require- convey the on-duty captain’s instruc- In 2005, the ULR Crew Alertness ments for on-board sleeping quarters and tions to fasten seat belts, approved Steering Committee cosponsored by rest facilities “for flight crewmembers to emergency oxygen equipment for the Airbus, Boeing Commercial Airplanes obtain sleep of adequate quality during emergency descent after cabin depres- and Flight Safety Foundation — dis- flights scheduled for more than 12 hours surization and emergency lighting also tilling consensus recommendations during any 24 consecutive hours.”2 A are considered important equipment. from specialists who participated in related document used by many states The SAE Aerospace recommended workshops over four years — said that — the aerospace recommended practice practices currently apply to “commercial a high priority in airline preparations for crew rest facilities published by SAE transport aircraft capable of ultra long for ULR flights should be to integrate Aerospace in 1992 — was reaffirmed range operations with augmented/en- fatigue risk management systems into by specialists with only format/edito- larged crew complement.” Elements that safety management systems, with crew rial changes in December 2006.3 The go beyond the FAA guidance include rest facilities as one of many elements.1 steering committee’s Ultra-long Range optional inclusion of sleeping seats that “Preventing degradation of crew Crew Alertness Initiative – Recommended meet SAE criteria as a flat horizontal alertness and performance during ULR Guidelines also specify crew rest facili- sleeping surface; level sleeping surfaces flights involves issues beyond simply ties mostly comparable to those required during cruise; private access to a nearby managing fatigue as practiced in current for long-range operations. “Because lavatory; a method to bar entry of pas- long-range operations,” Capt. Dennis on-board crew sleep is a critical factor in sengers; individual reading lights; smoke Dolan said in a letter (ASW, 8/06, p. 6) as ULR operations, the quality of the crew detector; consideration of humidifica- president of the International Federation rest facility is of paramount importance,” tion; an audible signal to summon of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA). these guidelines say. sleeping crewmembers to the flight “IFALPA urges the promotion and adop- In the FAA guidance, the key ideas deck; nonintrusive intercom; and secure tion of the Flight Safety Foundation ULR are to provide enough separate sleep- stowage so that crewmembers’ carry- Crew Alertness Steering Committee ing surfaces for crewmembers taking on bags, clothing and shoes cannot be recommendations and guidance material simultaneous rest periods; adequate dislodged by severe turbulence. WWW.FLIGHTSAFETY.ORG | AEROSAFETYWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2007 | 39 CABINSAFETY The steering committee’s guidelines in part say, system. Scientists found that the airline’s pilots “Ideally, each resting pilot should have an individ- obtained, on average, total sleep lasting from ual sleeping compartment with facilities available about two hours 15 minutes to four hours to enable him or her to have a choice of a comfort- within the maximum five-hour rest period. In able reclining seat or sleeping surface at all times. diaries kept by crewmembers, turbulence was These facilities should be separated from the flight the most commonly cited factor disturbing deck and not be positioned in the passenger cabin.” sleep, mentioned in one-third of all entries. Research has focused in part on providing In early ULR operations, crews spotlighted sound dampening, 16-g seats, adequate heating heater failure — which can cause a crew rest and ventilation, humidification systems, read- facility to become cold-soaked — as a problem ing lights to minimize disturbance to sleeping that can interfere severely with sleep if crew- occupants, vertical space and sleeping surface members have to be displaced to business-class dimensions, handholds and other fall protection seats in the cabin during ULR operations. on stairs, and multiple emergency egress paths, Airlines similarly should be vigilant for hu- according to Boeing. midifier failures and intrusive noise from loose equipment. Protecting In-Flight Sleep Independent studies of early ULR flight opera- Wake-Up Calls tions found that the typical quantity and quality A U.S. voluntary safety reporting system con- of sleep obtained by pilots, their alertness levels tains examples of how some crews have handled An influential 1998 and their reaction-time performance were not problems involving a crew rest facility. In one, standard issued by less than those previously measured during the captain designated as aircraft commander the Australian and long-range flights, the steering committee said. and one of the two first officers on a 777 were International Pilots In applying this guidance, and the initial re- summoned from the crew rest facility to the Association gives quirements for ULR operations from its national flight deck during a long-range international resting pilots the civil aviation authority, Singapore Airlines has sector. The