Hi Ariajolie,

I cannot go near hypoglycaemia any more. This was my initial idea but my supervisor spoke with the ethics committee who ruled it out due to safety etc Instead they suggested hyperglycaemia.

The candidates...will all have medical license excluding type 1 diabetes which has put an end to their career as a pilot. This will not affect those pilots in service except if someone attempts to draw comparisons from the stress induced hyperglycaemia or how say a heavy meal in flight has an affect. I ALREADY have the candidates so I wont need to hunt any down.

I don't really want to change the focus... I am a graduate who was going to be an airline pilot till 2007 when I myself became type 1 diabetic. I have now refocused my sights on a career in medicine (graduate entry medicine) and this research was a way of taking a transitional step from my aerospace engineering degree into something a bit different prior to medicine.

======= Date Modified 11 Jan 2011 09:33:36 =======
You beat me too it :-)


Ady... in my previous reply before you commented.

"I am in contact with over 15 FORMER pilots who have lost their piloting careers through type 1 diabetes".
They are all willing and their condition allows hyperglycaemia to be induced easier.
:-)

Hi,

I have use of a Civil Aviation Authority certified simulator, this will be used to a)allow the subjects to complete a series of tasks under a normal glucose range then b) attempt to cause stressful emergencies/high workload situations to induce hyperglycaemia during a series of flight tasks and then c) I will also use the simulator to test performance when we manually induce hyperglycaemia with oral glucose agents, again making the pilots carry out a series of flight tasks.

Finally the above tests which I need help with will be done on a computer away from the simulator due to time restrictions and equipment space on board the simulator. These tests will be carried out under the same protocol of: normal range then induced with oral glucose agents for a comparision. EEG and ECG data will be collected as well as the test results themselves.

I am in contact with over 15 former pilots who have lost their piloting careers through type 1 diabetes.

What do you think then? =) (up) or (down)

I need help...not sure what psychological/psychometric tests I should be looking at. I come from an engineering background and my lecturer asked me to get help with this before contacting the psychology department.

I am working on my research proposal for a MSc research degree and I want to carry out psychological/metric tests to see if hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose levels) affects the mental state ability of airline pilots when compare to normal blood glucose levels.

These are the mental attributes that pilots need:

hand eye co-ordination
long term/short term memory use
intelligence,
problem solving skills,
performance under pressure
numerical processing
motor skills
decision making

-THERE MAYBE SOME I HAVENT THOUGHT OF...?

What tests are there in existence which I can use to explore these options?

Many thanks

Karl

anyone?

anyone?

/compromise hypothesis?
I know we have ethics issues etc but the BIG issue which faces diabetes in the cockpit is hypoglycemia (low glucose levels) Can we try and work this into the study somehow?
Thanks

Karl

His reply to that:
Hi Karl,

The hypothesis you are suggesting is understandable but very propagandist and impossible to substantiate with the proposed set of experiments (although it can be falsified). It is far better to create a clear, relevant and verifiable challenge, hopefully with the result that the challenge can be met by diabetic pilots. This would be a positive outcome that is substantiated by the data. This does not mean we can't tweak what I have written.

There are a few more issues. Regarding the blood testing, to gain a resolution of, let's say, a measurement every 5 min over 2-3 hours, the best way is to use a cannula, rather than individual pricks. We are currently having staff trained to do this and I'm sure we would get one of them to help if they are available. This also involves getting semi-instantaneous readings (within 1-2 min of the sample extraction) and therefore almost real-time monitoring of blood glucose; we have the portable gear. This is important because we need to set a minimum and perhaps maximum blood glucose level in which we conduct the experiment. If we go outside this range the ethics committee would not accept the proposal on safety grounds, particularly if we don't have a nurse or physician present.

On the academic side, it is unlikely that the project will be accepted with only the experiments we thought of so far. It is simply too thin for a year's work. We would have to consider expanding the experiments, for example to include manipulation of diet or day rhythm, and inclusion of further physical and cognitive tests. This has implications for, amongst other things, the demands we put on the subjects.

Have a think....

Areles

I really need some help, I have been messed around by various tutors and being passed from 1 to the 1 I am now with since MAY and I want to start the research this academic year in the UK.

Please help me with ideas and suggestions, my head has become a mess and is making me want to quit but my heart wants to study this as I am truely passionate and interested in diabetes and aviation human factors.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Hi everyone, I am 21 and now hold a 2:1 hons in BSc aerospace engineering. I am a pilot, I also have type 1 diabetes and I need help as I want to do a study on diabetes effects of pilot performance in the aviation workplace the cockpit.

The aviation authorities wont allow diabetics to fly due to the risk and effects of incapacitating hypoglycemia. However with careful management I believe this shouldnt be a issue.
This would use a simulator although I have limited hours access to this...and I have access to continuous glucose monitoring technology for logging glucose data.

I would like to try and pull together a research topic for this to submit to my academic supervisor (who has suggested 1 idea but it is negative towards diabetics and I think it is defeatist)

His proposal:

"Project title: The effect of simulated flying on performance and blood glucose levels in diabetic and non-diabetic pilots

Aim: To characterise the impact of simulated flying and flying emergencies on airman performance and blood glucose levels in diabetic and non-diabetic pilots.

Principal hypotheses: Diabetic pilots with medication-controlled blood glucose levels under conditions of simulated flying (including flying emergencies) will display

* a drop in blood glucose concentration that is significantly larger than in non-diabetic pilots under the same conditions,

* a reduction in performance that is significantly larger than in non-diabetic pilots under the same conditions.

Method:

The method will be approved by the Life Sciences Ethics Committee.

Subjects: 5 diabetic and an age/sex/flying experience matched group of non-diabetic pilots will be trained to fly in the CAA/FAA-validated (xxx) flying simulator to ensure a comparable experience baseline between subjects.

Blood glucose measurement: Blood glucose concentrations will be measured using the pin prick method (xxx) every xx min, and by using a Dexcom (xxx) continuous tissue glucose meter.

Performance measurement: Pilot performance will be measured...(to be determined...slightly unsure how)

Statistical analysis: xxx as suited

Protocol: After training, subjects will participate in a 1hr session in the simulator as Pilot-In-Command (PIC). The session will be uniformly scheduled 2hr after a meal. Blood glucose concentration will be measured from 1 hour before the session to establish a baseline, and until 1 hr after the session. Simulation of take-off and emergencies (including resolution), and landing will take place, with the option of repeats of part of the protocol."

My response was:
Hi Areles,

The hypothesis seems rather negative and somewhat incorrect as it is known that blood sugars rise with stress and not fall. I got mixed up and told you this so I am sorry. It would be much better to have a positive slant I.e that with frequent enough blood sugar testing AND blood sugar management, that there are no significant safety issues but this is obviously biased positive so can we not have a middle/com

======= Date Modified 09 Dec 2009 13:02:59 =======
Nice post! ;-)

Well I see it from a different angle, the CAA and other authorities wont act further without more evidence/more studies/trials into diabetic flight, there is very little being done within this area and is on the 'back seat' of the CAA's or EASA's agendas.

Also: I can already guess what your thesis will conclude even before you've written it -- they should change the rules.
I think thats a very narrow minded response, I am not sure of your knowledge of diabetes and aviation but there is a large scope for this project not all leading to a change the rules- how can I be taken seriously by aviation authorities if its a biased skewed report not taking all accounts into respect in a balanced and equal manner.

You say conflict of interest but everywhere I see when investigating about PhD's says:

How do I choose a research project?
Primarily you should look for a project which interests you. (http://www.findaphd.com/students/explain.asp)

But you have to be interested in the topic. "You are going to do this for three or four years and it can get terribly boring if you aren't interested it in," warns James Hartley, research professor in psychology at Keele University. (http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=210079§ioncode=26)

There is no point in me spending 3 years on a subject that has little interest or doesnt tap into my passions.
I dont want a PhD to cause a vendetta against the aviation authorities- thats counter productive, I want a PhD to produce a paper which has meaning and value thats been backed with scientific reasearch/experiments which will be taken seriously and myself to be taken more seriously as an adcademic within this field.

Karl.

Haha, is it rare for a student to have pinpointed a subject area/topic before even starting?

I cant really ask my university as I do not want to continue there, I would like to go somewhere else but having emailed nottingham and cranfield I still havent heard back!! :-(

thnanks for your reply! (up)

56 viewings and not 1 reply... =(

Hello everyone, now please be gentle!

I am in my final year of a BSc Aerospace Technology & Management degree. I am also a type 1 diabetic and also a recreational pilot with the ambition to become a professional pilot at somepoint when regulations allow (currently prevented by a blanket ban). I love academia and I am very passionate about aviation, flying and even diabetes/medicine.

I really want to channel these passions and self motivations towards obtaining a PhD in a topic based around diabetes/aviation human factors, this would also provide hardcore evidence to the regulators I wish to challenge the blanket ban system against as well as providing me with more professional recognition on the subject I would have studied.

I feel there could be a big scope to this project and I need some advice/help how I go about taking it from an idea in my head to an application and position at a univeristy in the near future.

I await your replies! :-)

Karl