October 2008

Dear Pilot:

This survey is concerned with the current issue of fatigue in the Part 135 environment. Fatigue is an extremely valid topic of study in today's on demand charter market and your participation will assist in achieving reliable data, that may provide a basis for possible regulation amendments.

Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey honestly and to the best of your ability. I assure you that anonymity is of paramount importance and no identifier will be able to link surveys to any company or individual.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I greatly appreciate your input and assistance on this study.

Once this research is complete, the results of these surveys will be available here. BOOKMARK THIS PAGE and return to it around December 1, 2008.

Regards,

John M. Robbins
robbinsj @ erau.edu
Graduate Student
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University




December 3, 2008

The survey responses have been compiled and are available for viewing. The responses are located below, adjacent to the answer for the particular question.

Respondent answer percentages are in red. The percentages are calculated as follows: the number of respondents who chose [this answer] out of the total number of respondents who submitted the survey (electronically and on paper).

Also, the results are available for download in both DOC format or PDF.

For your reference, the historical Fatigue Survey is posted below. The below survey does not collect any data. Please do not attempt to fill it out, as there is no submit button.



This survey will take approximately 2-5 minutes on average to complete.

It is recommended that you use a public computer, such as one found in a FBO pilot lounge, for complete anonymity.


Please select the most appropriate response for following 21 questions:

Gender:
No answer  0%
Male  95%
Female  5%
Age:
No answer  1%
18-25  19%
26-30  28%
31-40  30%
41-50  14%
50+  8%
Number of flight hours:
No answer  0%
<500  3%
501-1000  9%
1001-2500  26%
2500+  62%
Years of 135 service:
No answer  0%
1-5  75%
6-10  12%
11-15  6%
16-20  2%
20+  5%


1. Do you feel that the duty-day restrictions enforced by the FAA under Part 135 are adequate?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  2%
Agree  40%
No Opinion  6%
Disagree  32%
Strongly Disagree  19%


2. Do you regularly equal or exceed FAA Part 135 duty time limitations?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  11%
Agree  33%
No Opinion  8%
Disagree  32%
Strongly Disagree  15%


3. Are you often pressured to return or reposition the aircraft under Part 91, after you have flown a full duty day under Part 135?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  23%
Agree  18%
No Opinion  7%
Disagree  24%
Strongly Disagree  27%


4. Are you often given at least 3 hours notice before a flight?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  25%
Agree  30%
No Opinion  2%
Disagree  18%
Strongly Disagree  24%


5. Do you feel fatigued during the Departure and Approach phase of your last flight of the day?
No answer  0%
Strongly Agree  20%
Agree  47%
No Opinion  11%
Disagree  17%
Strongly Disagree  5%


6. Do you feel fatigued during the Enroute phase of your last flight of the day?
No answer  0%
Strongly Agree  18%
Agree  46%
No Opinion  13%
Disagree  21%
Strongly Disagree  2%


7. Do you experience adverse weather conditions on a regular basis?
No answer  0%
Strongly Agree  31%
Agree  50%
No Opinion  5%
Disagree  11%
Strongly Disagree  3%


8. Are the majority of your flights done at night?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  20%
Agree  19%
No Opinion  18%
Disagree  32%
Strongly Disagree  10%


9. Would you be satisfied with more stringent rules as they pertain to duty days under Part 135?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  32%
Agree  34%
No Opinion  18%
Disagree  11%
Strongly Disagree  4%


10. Are most of your flights in actual Instrument Meteorological Conditions?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  10%
Agree  38%
No Opinion  9%
Disagree  38%
Strongly Disagree  4%


Please answer the following sleep related questions to the best of your ability:

11. Do you regularly sleep at least 7.5 hours during your scheduled days?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  18%
Agree  23%
No Opinion  3%
Disagree  39%
Strongly Disagree  16%


12. Would you say you feel refreshed more than 50% of the time before taking a flight?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  18%
Agree  43%
No Opinion  6%
Disagree  27%
Strongly Disagree  5%


13. It regularly takes over 15 minutes after you wake up to get over drowsiness?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  21%
Agree  34%
No Opinion  11%
Disagree  27%
Strongly Disagree  6%


14. Do you nap regularly during enroute portions of flights?
No answer  0%
Strongly Agree  5%
Agree  10%
No Opinion  9%
Disagree  28%
Strongly Disagree  48%


15. Has your drowsiness ever been a factor involving an incident or operational error?
No answer  0%
Strongly Agree  7%
Agree  13%
No Opinion  13%
Disagree  20%
Strongly Disagree  47%


16. Would you say that you are a morning person?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  14%
Agree  28%
No Opinion  14%
Disagree  27%
Strongly Disagree  16%


17. Would you say that you are a night person?
No answer  1%
Strongly Agree  26%
Agree  28%
No Opinion  15%
Disagree  21%
Strongly Disagree  9%


If you have any further comments, I would greatly appreciate your input (please, no personally identifiable information):


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