[PAGE 1]
Subject: Conferenca on Aircrew Viability and Performance Monitoring. to: Life Sciences Research Advisory Group. 3!

A. Backaround Information:

s 1. Dver the past 15 years considerable interest and effort has i periodically been focussed on the problem of determininn,: as a functi of time and place in the flight path, tha precise state of an aircrew members consciousnass and purposeful responsiveness. zi Although a wide range of; psychophysiologic parameters have been studiad and many different technics of remots monitoring hava been attampted, ws the fact remains that,to date,there is no proven operationally usuable system available.

2. Currently the only reliable (reasonably) means of determining the pilot's state ofifunctional responsiveness is by voice communications with him through the radio link. uIf for any reason voice communications are lost by virtue of range. spherics, power failure or 'things happening too fast in the cockpit for tha pilot to use the radio' then, in the ievent of a fatal accident, the true status of the pilot throughout the terminal emergency period may never be known. It is awell-known fact that a siqnificant per centage of fatal accidents are listad as 'couse unknown.' As a corollary to this latter. fact is: the rather dubious indirect inference which is drawn to tha factor of 'pilot error' or 'hypoxia' asbeing the basic causativs factor all of which might well constitute a comnpletaly erroneousconclusion.

3. Newcomers to the fisld of physiologic monitoring are fraquent perplexed as to why, with all ofthe work going on in NASA, DOD & NiH R&D qroups. we have yet to fly an operationally proven and reliable system. Tha simplest reply to such a query is to stata that no systam thus far has bean able to satisfy all tha requirements 1(and constraints imposed) sat bysuch factors as; pilot comfort & mobility; aircraft elactronics & poaer supply; raliability of the indicator(s) providad to tha monitor at his observation post. iit is unfortunately true:that with all of the equipment, personnel and flving hours available to those of us in the Armed Services, we have yet to justify and mount a przgam which, over a period of raasobls time, would give us a usable solution to this very iimportant problem. Perhaps. with tha newly-injected interest of the FAA and the Commercial Airlines generated by Porthcoming flight tast and èperational use of the SuperSonic Transport, we may be able to focalize our interests and integrate our resources in a more productive program than we have had in the past. : 1

E01FOR

ARTICLE NO

SHEET RO:.

[PAGE 2]
B. Diractions of Current Programs:

EDITO.7

ARTICLE NO.

JHEET NO..

[PAGE 3]
EDITOR

ARTICLE NO.

SHEET NO.

[PAGE 4]
EDITCP

ARTICLE NO.

JHEET 1O.

[PAGE 5]
2. Subjact population for use by Dr. lgroup in thair further experimental studies is largely composed of flying personnel and air traffic controlers, the majority of whom have been followed by the Gcai for at least 4 years. Additional subjects are rsadily availabla from the student body and also as volunteers from the local government argadizations.

51 3. Within the abovs subject population group are a numbsr of individuals with proven coronary diseass who have been quita
extensively studied on a contonuing basis. Displaying a wide variaty of 'patterns' of cardio-vascular malfunction in the form
of electro-mechanical and acoustical abnormalities, they provide a template of sorts against which can be measured cartain patterns
of early changes in 'normal' individuals whyChay prove ussful in prsdicting'pre-coronary' susceptibility.
ai

4. Based on a pramise-that these same early, abnormal responses found in both aged pilots and those with coronary disease might bs indicative of degraded cardio-vascular function in a younger individual with poor, intrinsic strass-response characteristics, it would appaar feasible and potentially valuabla to join with this group, in the furtherance of .our own studies.

5. In addition, (to the reason given in #4 above) it would be equally valuable for Ito have immediately available, a completaly equipped and operating laboratory research facility which would allow a quick reacting capability to asses and evaluate new technics and procadures for possible further devekopement and operaticaal trial.

AnCLE 1O

THEET NO.