Controlled nap for pilots on duty ups safety?

Mumbai: While taking a nap in the cockpit by the pilots is prohibited by the Indian regulator, airlines have long tuned into international studies that have established that a short, controlled nap only enhances physiological alertness for better flight safety.
One of the first studies done on this subject is in 1990, when NASA compared performance of pilots who were allowed to take naps to those who weren't. Several foreign airlines encourage it and last year Air India wrote to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urging it to make controlled rest in cockpit legal.
The researchers found pre-planned cockpit rest resulted in better behavioural and physiological alertness. In the last four-five years, quite a few foreign airlines like British Airways and Qantas took a fresh perspective to the issue after numerous scientific studies proved beyond doubt the positive effects of cockpit napping (during low-activity periods) on air safety. These airlines have also formulated strict guidelines on the conduct of controlled rest in cockpit on the flight deck.
Irrespective of whether it is legal or not, it is one practice, which pilots say, is common in India and abroad, especially on long-haul flights at night. "The pilots of Air Canada and some carriers in Australia are allowed to take controlled nap, lasting 35-40 minutes. We had written to DGCA last year asking that it should be allowed in India as well," said Captain V Kulkarni, training in charge, Air India Express, in his deposition before the court of inquiry into the Mangalore crash held in New Delhi last week.
Captain Z Glusica, commander of the Air India Express flight which crashed in Mangalore, was asleep for over an hour after it took off from Dubai. It was probably for these reasons that no one raised eyebrows during the court of inquiry.
11/09/10 Manju V/Times of India

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