submission - Independent Pilots Association

(3) Rescheduling the Protected rime Period by more than 3 hours once
during any 7 consecutive days by providing the flight crewmember l0
hours notice.
Scientific support:
(b) Limiting the movement of the Protected Time Period to PIus or Minus 3 hours
. . . the 8-hour sleep opportunity should not vary by more than 3 hours on
subsequent days to ensure circadian stability. . . .
NASA TM,12.6.2, p. 8.
Remarks of Dr. Dement
Q: . . . we're trying to insure that the protected time period, the rest period, stayed the
same from day to day, assuming the reserve crewmember is not called. Or for
that matter when he is called, he goes back into his cycle. We're anempting to try
to snap him back to as close to that original cycle and maintain that same rtrythm
from day to day. NASA has f,rndings on that. Their recommendation was to
maintain that circadian stability plus or minus 3 hours. Do you agree or disagree?
A: I absolutely agree that's better than no stability. Obviously the smaller that
number, the better. I think practically it couldn't be zero, but I think we rend to
feel there's kind of a daily flexibility within that range, like 0 ro 3 hours, O to 2
hours. To go outside of that is, again, inviting a condition of sleep deprivation.
So deliberately creating a bad siruation.
Appendix D,pp. 16-17.
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