Variations in mood states among Brazilian air force pilots: a crossover analysis between operational and aerobatic flight missions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aerobatic flight maneuvers expose military pilots to a confluence of physiological and psychological stressors-including sustained G-forces, vestibular disorientation, and neuromuscular fatigue-that may acutely modulate emotional states and compromise cognitive performance. However, the differential psychometric impact of routine operational flights versus high-intensity air demonstrations remains poorly characterized.

Purpose

To examine and compare mood state fluctuations elicited by distinct aerial mission profiles-operational maintenance (OM) flights and aerobatic demonstrations (AD)-within a specialized military pilot cohort.

Methods

In this within-subject, crossover experimental design, nine elite male aviators (mean age: 32.1 ± 1.8 years) from the Bra

SUBMITTER: Santana WJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12683274 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature