Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 15, 1992                   TAG: 9203150105
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

FAA WANTS TO LET PILOTS GET SOME REST - WHILE FLYING

The thinking is that a mid-flight nap while a co-pilot takes over during long, trans-oceanic flights could help keep the aircraft commander fresh for landing after an otherwise tiring flight.

But the FAA is proceeding warily, concerned that visions of pilots snoring at 40,000 feet could agitate passengers.

The agency has been exploring the idea ever since a NASA study two years ago suggested passengers will be safer if a pilot is bright-eyed when his skills are most needed - at landing.

In cases where there are at least three pilots on the crew, the study suggests there may be no danger in letting one pilot nap during the long, typically humdrum, over-the-water periods of international flights, when there's not much work to do in the cockpit anyway.

"We now have direct scientific evidence that short, carefully controlled rest periods can act as a `safety valve' to reduce fatigue and improve alertness during the most important parts of the flight such as descent and landing," said Curtis Graeber, an investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center at Mountain View, Calif.

"Under those limited circumstances, it may be something that is beneficial," said Chris Witkowski, director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project. "It would have to be extremely well controlled before it was done."

The FAA is working with the Airline Pilots Association to draft recommendations. Before going further, the agency will seek comments from pilots and airline officials.

"We want to make sure we aren't stubbing our toes or that there aren't some sort of pitfalls out there," said FAA spokesman Fred Farrar.

John Mazor, spokesman for the pilots' association, believes passengers will tolerate sleeping pilots if the proposal is presented in terms of a demonstrated safety improvement.

"We recognize that this is the kind of thing that has to be carefully presented because if you don't know what is involved it may sound a little alarming," Mazor said.

"The question is, would you rather have a pilot perform to the best of his ability when it counts, or would you rather have a pilot whose performance has been degraded by fatigue?" he asked.

He said naps should be approved only for aircraft with three qualified pilots on the crew. On most trans-oceanic commercial flights, the third person in the crew, the flight engineer, is a qualified pilot.