A U.S. Air Force KC-46A crew has flown the aerial refueling aircraft for 24.2 hours in a mission to gather human factors data on long-duration flights.
The aircraft was flown by four pilots working on four-hour shifts with another two pilots acting as backup. They were joined by three boom operators, a photojournalist, and a physician assistant.
Taking off from McConnell Air Force Base on May 5, the jet landed back at McConnell Air Force Base the next day with just one refueling from a KC-46A.
A Psychomotor Vigilance Task test developed by NASA was used to monitor the fatigue levels of the crew. To mitigate fatigue effects on the pilots, the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool, a program that creates an optimal schedule for their in-flight schedules, was also implemented for this endurance mission.
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