AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 89

where we hear, “I have a new lease on life,” or “Life is precious.” How does this apply to our ability to pilot an aircraft? One study says that intellectual power is decreased 50 to 90 percent when you are in the midst of the first stage. It is important not to make big decisions at that time. When we perform a preflight on our aircraft before launch, we are careful to consider all the aircraft systems. The effects of exposure to trauma cannot be underestimated. In our go/no-go decision, we should carefully reflect on our emotional health and how that will affect the flight. After all, we want to be able to fly the airplane instead of it flying us. Here are some simple ways to put you and your emotional health on the preflight checklist, as well as some ideas on when to get support if needed. Mood: Think back over the past week. Rate your mood on a scale of one to five, with one being the lowest, and five being a happy mood. What is your average? Has anyone told you that you look tired, depressed, or nervous? Sometimes our spouse or families are our greatest mirrors—we might not see our mood, but to them it is written all over our faces. Sleep: Have you been sleeping well? The average person in a lab setting will sleep a six- to seven-hour stretch and take a one- to two-hour nap in the afternoon. Think back and check whether you have had any difficulties falling or staying asleep. Deep, restorative sleep typically happens well into an uninterrupted sleep cycle. Think about performing a go-around on every approach—when sleeping we simply cannot get down to Delta if the cycle is continually disrupted. Energy: Has your get up and go, got up and went? Do you find yourself drinking coffee or energy drinks just to get through the day? Some pilots find they have too much energy and are unable to relax into a healthy focus. Between the tortoise and the hare, somewhere in the middle is the most efficient. Anxiety and worry: Someone once told me that worry is interest on a debt we don’t yet owe. An interesting study on worry shows that it can be healthy in small doses. Worry is a high-brain function—one that can help us sort through possibilities and strategies. Too much worry shuts down the function and we can find ourselves in a state: fight, flight, or freeze. Thirty minutes of worry once per week is effective. How many minutes this week have you racked up?
AOPA PILOT • 89 • APRIL 2012

Please visit us at Sun n Fun in Hangar C 017-021

The difference between intelligent information and a PDF.
No matter how it’s delivered—through our dynamic mobile apps or a paper chart—Jeppesen navigation information is produced directly from the source data, quality veriﬁed and then transformed through our powerful, proprietary processes. Better than a PDF copy of a paper chart? Millions of pilots know so. Learn what makes our information intelligent at Jeppesen.com/mobile.

http://www.Jeppesen.com/mobile http://www.Jeppesen.com/mobile

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012