Heart Rate Variability During Fighter Pilot Training Preliminary Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe an evaluation method and measurement methodology for the study of heart rate variability in fighter pilots during their training. The reason for this research is the demand to monitor the physical and mental state of fighter pilots. Knowledge of these states allows experts to determine the pilot’s readiness to perform real missions. It is generally known that a person’s physical and mental state affects physiological functions like heart rate variability. To assess the heart rate variability, it is standard to use beats per minute (BPM). In this study, the BPM signal was obtained from two fighter pilots and the data was recorded during training missions in a flight simulator. The training mission was composed of three submissions (composed of stressful events and mid events) and four rest intervals. The nonlinear Poincaré plot analysis was used for evaluating BPM variability during training. The results showed statistically significant differences in heart rate variability, when comparing submission stressful events or mid event periods with the rest intervals. The findings demonstrate the ability of the proposed method to quantify the fighter pilot’s physical and mental load, i.e. stress during flight simulator training. The results can be used to help evaluate the level of stress and readiness for missions.