LAUSR

Objective. To assess the fatigue risk is an important challenge in improving flight safety in the aviation industry. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive fatigue risk management indicators system and a fatigue questionnaire for Chinese civil aviation pilots. Methods. Participants included 74 civil aviation pilots (all males). They finished the questionnaire in 20 min before a flight mission. Estimation of internal consistency with Cronbach's α and Student's t test as well as Pearson's correlation analysis were the main statistical methods. Results. The results revealed that the fatigue questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency reliability and construct validity; there were significant differences in fatigue scores between international and domestic flight pilots. Also, some international flight pilots, who had taken medications as a sleep aid, had worse sleep quality than those who had not. Long-endurance flights across time zones caused significant differences in circadian rhythm. Conclusions. The fatigue questionnaire can be used to measure Chinese civil aviation pilots’ fatigue, which provides a reference for a fatigue risk management system for civil aviation pilots.