A qualitative study on the concept of extreme fatigue in pilots: Turkey

Fatigue is an important element that must be kept under control in aviation operations. Aviation authorities have developed many restrictions and practices for fatigue. However, statistics and reports from pilots show that current regulations are not sufficient enoughth . In this study, it is aimed to determine the fatigue level of pilots in Turkey and to reveal the perception of support they receive from their institutions about fatigue. In this context, 326 airline pilots working in Turkey participated in the survey study. Since there is no study on the concept of " fatigue in pilots" in the current literature in Turkey, it is thought that this study will contribute to the literature. As a result of the study; It was revealed that 13% of the pilots participating in the research had not heard of the concept of fatigue before, 67% of them went to the flight by not returning their flight duty despite being extremely tired, 65% made minor mistakes due to fatigue and 19% made serious mistakes. In addition, it was concluded that the reporting culture is higher in male pilots than female pilots, and that pilots report less to themselves and more to their colleagues due to fatigue-related errors. In addition, it was determined that the fatigue levels of the pilots according to age and the year in the profession, and the perceptions of the support received by the pilots from their institutions according to gender and age showed significant differences. Key Words: Fatigue, Air transportation, Pilot, Turkey, Quantitative research