The Aviation Safety Aspects of Post-Covid Syndrome, Particularly Fatigue, and the Possible Objective Measurement Methods of Fatigue

It has been recognized since the dawn of aviation that it is not material resistance that limits the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft, but rather the boundaries of human performance, as humans constitute the ‘brain of the aircraft’ (Louise Blériot). Determining the limits of human performance is therefore of paramount importance for aviation safety. Among the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic literature, numerous post-Covid complications have been described that can significantly influence human performance, such as cognitive impairment (brain fog), memory disorders, and sleep disturbances. Of particular importance is the increased fatigue that develops and persists for extended periods in a significant proportion of patients during the post-Covid period. Currently, there is no widely accepted objective method for measuring fatigue. Therefore, this research aims to examine the prevalence of post-Covid fatigue among domestic military and civilian aviation personnel and to explore the possibilities for objective fatigue measurement.
Keywords: aviation safety, human factor error, post-Covid, human performance, fatigue