Higher carbon dioxide levels in cockpit affect airline pilot performance: study

Higher levels of carbon dioxide in airplane cockpits may diminish commercial pilots’ ability to perform manoeuvres, recent research from Harvard indicates. For the study, 30 commercial airline pilots completed 3, 3-hour flight sessions in a simulator. They were paired up to perform several pre-established manoeuvres of varying difficulty, with carbon dioxide concentrations adjusted to 700, 1,500 and 2,500 parts per million. Findings showed that pilots were 69% more likely to correctly complete the manoeuvres when carbon dioxide levels were at 700 ppm than when CO2 levels were at 2,500 ppm. At 1,500 ppm, pilots were 52% more likely to correctly complete the manoeuvres than at 2,500 ppm. In addition, the negative effects of carbon dioxide on flight performance grew more conspicuous as pilots spent more time in the simulator. <br/>