Everyone knows someone who claims to thrive on very little sleep—some even boast how much more they can accomplish with all the extra time. Although getting less sleep than usual may not always feel harmful in the moment, scientific evidence tells a different story. Research published through the National Library of Medicine shows that even short-term sleep loss can trigger increased stress, bodily pain, mood disturbances, and cognitive deficits that impair memory, judgment, and performance. Besides being an immediate threat to safety, inadequate sleep can also contribute to chronic health conditions.
In aviation, acute fatigue is sometimes treated as an unavoidable cost of conducting demanding operations. For mission-critical, high-risk organizations with a low tolerance for error, however, the consequences are too significant to leave unmanaged. Reliable methods for identifying, measuring, and mitigating fatigue risk, both acute and chronic, are essential.
The International Space Station provides a high-profile example. Because the ISS orbits the earth once every 90 minutes, astronauts experience a sunrise or sunset about every 45 minutes. Because this environment is much different from the regular diurnal cycle of daylight that humans are used to, it disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm—the internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Without careful management of sleep as an operational resource, this circadian disruption would significantly interfere with an astronaut’s ability to rest, compromising their alertness and readiness to carry out mission-critical objectives.
Although aviation professionals are not exposed to the extreme workplace environment as astronauts, many do have rotating, around-the-clock schedules that alternate between day and night operations. And at the same time, they must perform complex, safety-critical duties with consistently high levels of attention and judgment.
Recognizing fatigue as an operational risk—and sleep as an operational resource—is where the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) and Pulsar Informatics have come together. By combining innovative ideas, advanced technology, scientific expertise, and proven practices, these organizations are working to establish a comprehensive strategy for a Fatigue Risk Management Program (FRMP).
The USHST Fatigue Risk Management Working Group HSE 23-04, led by Pulsar and industry participants, has developed and published a practical checklist for Part 135 rotorcraft operators. The checklist covers all the essential components of an FRMP and is to make it easy to implement an FRMP tailored to an operation of any size or maturity level. Its structure aligns with the principles of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 5 Safety Management System framework.
The Working Group is presently working with a selected group of operators to implement an FRMP in their operations using the checklist. The resulting case studies are expected to serve as real-world examples of how to adopt a comprehensive FRMP. They will also provide USHST, VAI, and the FAA with a foundation for developing standardized guidance, promoting common practices, and consistent data-collection methods to serve as feedback in a continuous improvement cycle. Together, these efforts are expected to support a comprehensive industry strategy for preventing, identifying, and managing the adverse effects of fatigue, while promoting readiness for the most important asset in operations: the human in the loop.
The FRMP Checklist, supporting White Paper and other resources can be found at