I have read someplace that the average person on a daily basis only truly concentrates in a minimax of 30 second chunks with rest periods in between.
Really intense tasks such as hand flying in IMC with things busy is one such where you will have to force yourself go longer periods. You don’t get many breaks. Same with pipeline patrol or doing long aerial mapping flight lines. After a full day of those things you are lucky to be able to remember you name.
As I understand it, a person doing real intense mental tasks can get even more fatigued and sleepy than a person doing physical labor. You don’t get the muscle tiredness but you are really wore out none the less.
I know pilots that after a long day in the air won’t drive in heavy traffic.
Four hours of agricultural aerial application with the intense concentration, the physical demand of horsing around an 450 HP Agcat and the ideas of easy and the questions about how much attention need to be paid will all be answered.
So many people assume that airline flight and general aviation Sunday trips is the bulk of flying . That just ain’t so.
Military. ( formation flights are not very relaxing much less a combat sortie.)
Pipeline patrol.
Aerial Mapping.
Check hauling.
Cargo hauling. ( the little guys for FedEx and UPS who go to all the little places )
Fish spotting.
All helio work.
Petroleum magnetic surveys.
Many others.
A lot of it done at night in all weathers for long hours.
When I was check hauling, I had only two reasons that I could refuse a take off without getting fired. (not counting a broken airplane)
a: A tornado on the airfield. ( when it left, I also took off. )
b: Moderate to sever icing reported on approach by the airlines. ( moderate icing on a 727 is a bit more deadly on a small airplane. Not a fun night.)
It amazes me that more of use did not die. ( I only did this for a about a year to help a business get started. I was also doing all my regular mapping during the day. (( yeah, not real bright but my training paid off along with the unrelenting focus and never becoming complacent. )) Remember, this was in the mid 1980’s so things were different then in many respects.
I am amazed more airline pilots do not go crazy. Day in and day out, Houston to Chicago, 35K, nothing much to see up there except clouds. The whole flight rigidly controlled and by the numbers with even you ability to talk controlled below 10K. Night and instrument conditions give a little interest but the name of the game is to be as gentle, smooth as possible and do everything thing in your power to make the ride the best for the terrified passengers. I can see why guys try to move to the cargo runs besides the better money.
Yeah, they get to bid on different routes but not many afford the same thrills as going into St Martin’s.
I have always been impressed with the guys that fly the ‘big iron’, and I’m sometimes jealous. I just plan do not think about some of my cousins that get to fly the military hot rods and the one who flew the C-130’s for 20 years and now flies the airliners.
I did push too hard in 1972 and went to sleep heading West for Huston in the late afternoon in a C-180 over the Atchafalaya swamp. The engine winding up and the aircraft nosing over woke me up. First and last time I ever let myself do that (get drowsy much less go to sleep) in my 35 year flying career.
My earlier comments about the rogue auto pilot was an old Lear L-2 with the carbon powder clutches. It slammed the elevators full down while were at 1500 AGL mapping and would not disconnect. A wrestling match ensued. Brute strength and ripping wires out saved the day. That airplane - auto pilot combination did that a again a few years later. I did not like to use it but it was the only style available that you could cheat the rudder and make flat turns while running a ‘strip’ camera. ( a camera without a shutter that you synchronized the film speed with the ground movement.
Used back when the DOT was getting info on the pipe line companies. No day dreaming on that type of flying either.
If you don’t like to pay attention all the time, don’t be a pilot.
