Flying for Angel Flight West (AFW), or any philanthropic flying, is among the most meaningful work a general aviation pilot can do. Volunteer pilots, Earth Angels and all AFW staff and volunteers bring skill and compassion together in service to others. But these missions also introduce a unique set of risks – many of which are subtle, cumulative, and easy to underestimate.
Let us examine those risks under the umbrella of the TEM (Threat and Error Management) model and the “decision of a sure loss” concept. We discussed the TEM model during the April of 2023 article, linked here:
https://angelflightwest.org/news/april-2023-safety-report/
And we discussed the “decision of a sure loss” concept during the August of 2025 article, linked here:
https://angelflightwest.org/news/august-safety-update-rethinking-the-go-around/
Fatigue and multi-leg mission creep are two threats that may lead to errors and are also potential contributors to mishaps in volunteer flying. Unlike commercial operations, volunteer/philanthropic flights lack formal duty-time limits or operational oversight; that places the burden squarely on the pilot in command to recognize limits, manage risk, and sometimes make the hardest decision of all: stopping early or declining a mission.
In this article, we will explore how fatigue hides itself, how long multi-leg days can be deceptively dangerous, and how we as volunteer pilots can apply professional-level discipline to AFW flying.
Why philanthropic flying can be especially fatiguing.
Volunteer flights can look benign on paper. A couple of legs. Good weather. Familiar airplane. But those missions routinely involve factors that quietly compound fatigue:
- Early departures to meet medical appointment times
- Long cross-country legs that demand sustained attention
- Emotional load, including concern for passengers’ health or urgency
- Unfamiliar airports, airspace, or terrain
- Pressure to complete because “someone is counting on me”
Fatigue in aviation is not simply about being sleepy. It is a physiological and cognitive degradation that affects judgment, situational awareness, response time – often without the pilot recognizing it.
How fatigue hides itself in the flight deck.
One of the most dangerous aspects of fatigue is that it rarely announces itself clearly, nor is it easily detectable by us. Instead, fatigue often appears as:
- Increased confidence paired with reduced caution
- Repetitive yawning
- Slower mental math and checklist processing
- Over-reliance on automation
- Irritability and lack of patience with ATC or passengers
- Reduced willingness to divert or delay
A fatigued pilot may actually feel fine – until something unexpected happens. That is when fatigue (threat) shows its true cost: errors, slower responses, poorer decisions, undesired aircraft states and missed cues.
Self-imposed duty-day limits: Borrowing from the airlines.
Airline crews are mandated to operate under strict and complicated duty-time rules for obvious safety reasons. While volunteer pilots under FAR part 91 are not bound by those regulations, clearly the human body does not know the difference between paid and unpaid flying.
Many experienced volunteer pilots adopt self-imposed duty limits, such as:
- Maximum duty day: 8-10 hours total (from the preflight briefing to the post flight debriefing)
- Maximum flight time: 6 hours per day
- Mandatory breaks: 60 minutes between legs
- No night or heavy IMC flying at the end of a long day, especially into unfamiliar airports
- Consideration of what consists an early morning departure for each individual
These are not hard rules, but you can choose to make them as such. These rules create a decision framework before fatigue clouds judgment. Also, consider how the “decision of a sure loss” might apply here. For example, even though it means an extra day, it might be prudent to fly to the pick-up point the night before, stay at a hotel, and start fresh with the mission in the morning.
What is more, a useful question before launching on any leg late in the day is: if this were the first flight of the day (with multiple legs to follow), would I still go? If the answer is no, the day is already too long.
Caffeine: Tool, not solution.
I am not a nutritionist, nor an MD, but like most folks, I have experience with caffeine and all-night, or international flying :-). Caffeine is widely misunderstood. While it can increase alertness temporarily, it does not restore cognitive performance degraded by fatigue. It can reduce perceived drowsiness and improve short-term alertness. However, it cannot restore judgment, improve reaction time under stress, or replace actual rest.
Consider that if using caffeine to push through a late leg is often a sign that the safer choice might be to stop flying.
Turning down a mission due to rest issues.
Declining or discontinuing a mission because of fatigue is emotionally difficult in philanthropic/volunteer flying. We may worry about disappointing passengers, coordinators, and/or ourselves. However, we must view fatigue as a threat and a legitimate safety risk, not as a personal failing.
AFW leadership, coordinators and staff will absolutely always support you in your decision and they are always incredibly resourceful in creating alternative plans.
Some professional approaches to mission refusal include:
- Communicating early to all involved
- Framing the decision around safety, not inconvenience
- With the passengers, avoiding detailed justifications – “I am not adequately rested to fly safely” is sufficient, as an example
- Remembering that another pilot or organization may be able to help, but no one can undo an incident/accident
In volunteer aviation, canceling/discontinuing is often the most professional act of command.
Threat and Error management for multi-leg days.
Volunteer missions typically involve multiple legs due to pick up, delivery, return, repositioning and potential diversions around weather. Each additional leg adds incremental risk. Fatigue, complacency and mental saturation accumulate across the day. It becomes a cumulative risk problem. On the third or fourth leg is where potentially the threats become errors. Checklists getting abbreviated, weather gets rationalized, go-arounds get delayed, and fuel margins shrink.
Consider these strategies to preserve safety late in the day:
- Treat each leg as a new flight, with a full mental reset
- Conduct a fresh weather review
- Conduct a fresh pre takeoff, stabilized approach and go-around briefing
- Planning at least one hour of reserve fuel whenever possible
- Avoiding fuel stops late in the day when fatigue is highest
- Treating fuel stress as a reason to stop – not push
- Recalculating fuel methodically on every leg
The professional volunteer pilot mindset.
As volunteer pilots, coordinators, volunteers and staff we often hold ourselves to a high standard of generosity. The safest pilots pair that generosity with professional restraint. The truly professional volunteer pilot recognizes fatigue as an operational threat and understands that safety is the service. The goal is not to complete every mission. The goal is to be available to safely complete many missions over a lifetime.
I heard this phrase a while back: In volunteer aviation, compassion motivates the mission, but discipline brings everyone home!
I want to thank you for all that you do and for your attention and continued engagement.
You have my warmest wishes for health and happiness for the new year!
In safety,
Alexi Stavropoulos
AFW Safety Officer
707-953-8947
