Introduction:

The electrical response of the skin is a mechanism related to the activation of the nervous system. The measurement of this activity in pilots is possible today thanks to innovative devices which could determine the psychophysical effort made.

Aim:

To measure the Skin Electrodermic Activity during real and in simulator flight from pilots of F18 of the Ala 15 of the Spanish Air Force. Thus, it will be analyzed the feasibility of using these new devices as real-time psychophysiological activity meters, to compare this activation in real flight with respect to flight in simulator and to analyze those real flight phases that request more activation resources.

Material and Methods:

2 Empatica E4 Wristband devices. 13 measurements of real flight and 5 measurements of flight in simulator were taken during regular training and mission plans.

Results:

The results show differences in the initial values between the simulator flight (1.69 µS) and the actual flight (9,50 µS) but the values are equalized throughout the activity, obtaining a similar score in both cases. It is found that during the landing is the moment when the highest level of electrodermic activity shows (12,88 µS).

Conclusions:

The results confirm the feasibility of these devices to measure the psychophysiological effort of fighter pilots as significant variations throughout the phases in both flight conditions are found.