Development and Initial Evaluation of a Reinforced Cue Detection Model to Assess Situation Awareness in Commercial Aircraft Cockpits

Commercial transport aircraft of today vary greatly from early aircraft with regards to how the aircraft are controlled and the feedback provided from the machine to the human operator. Over time, as avionics systems became more automated, pilots had less direct control over their aircraft. Much research exists in the literature about automation issues, and several major accidents over the last twenty years spurred interest about how to maintain the benefits of automation while improving the overall human-machine interaction as the pilot is considered the last line of defense. An important reason for maintaining or even improving overall pilot situation awareness is that the resulting improved situation awareness can assist the human pilot in rapidly solving unanticipated, novel problems for which no computer logic has been written. It is essential for the pilots to obtain cues to make appropriate decisions under time pressure. However, to date, no studies have directly examined the approach of reinforcing the relevant flight and automation status cues during flight to increase the pilot’s situation awareness when a failure unexpectedly occurs. Attitudes toward, and issues with automated systems from the pilots’ perspectives were studied using a survey completed by commercial air transport pilots. The survey results were used as the framework for designing a simulation analysis, using a small group of commercial airline pilots, to assess the benefits of a reinforced cue detection model. A phenomenological assessment of open ended questions asked at the conclusion of each simulation showed, subject to the limits of the relatively small sample size, that the “Reinforced Cue Detection Model” implemented in the form of asking the pilots situational awareness questions during the flight, can help to reduce pilot’s complacency, increase situation awareness, and make automation a better team member. Pilots also found reinforced cues to be helpful in the event of unexpected system failure. The current research supports literature regarding pilots’ opinions towards automated systems and indicates that there are benefits to be gained from improving the pilot automation integration. The Reinforced Cue Detection Model, albeit tested on a small sample size, supported improvement of the pilots’ situation awareness

Digital cockpits and decision support systems : design of technics and tools to extract and process data from heterogeneous databases

Tableau d'honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2006-200

The impact of cockpit automation on crew coordination and communication. Volume 1: Overview, LOFT evaluations, error severity, and questionnaire data

The purpose was to examine, jointly, cockpit automation and social processes. Automation was varied by the choice of two radically different versions of the DC-9 series aircraft, the traditional DC-9-30, and the glass cockpit derivative, the MD-88. Airline pilot volunteers flew a mission in the simulator for these aircraft. Results show that the performance differences between the crews of the two aircraft were generally small, but where there were differences, they favored the DC-9. There were no criteria on which the MD-88 crews performed better than the DC-9 crews. Furthermore, DC-9 crews rated their own workload as lower than did the MD-88 pilots. There were no significant differences between the two aircraft types with respect to the severity of errors committed during the Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) flight. The attitude questionnaires provided some interesting insights, but failed to distinguish between DC-9 and MD-88 crews

The Pilot Proficiency Audit of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Adding to the Air Carrier Safety Toolbox

The correlation between air carrier pilot performance and age, total flight time, total airline flight time, and time in current position has not been fully documented. This study observed 62 F/Os in line operations and graded 74 knowledge, skills, and abilities performance variables, utilizing a five-point Likert scale. Knowledge items scored slightly below the referent, with no improvement over time; skills improved with both flight time and years of service; and abilities decline markedly across all independent variables. Changes to pilot training syllabi and techniques, as well as hiring practices, may be indicated. Integrating Pilot Proficiency Audit data into existing LOSA, AQP, ASAP, and FOQA programs can provide a more robust air carrier safety program

Flight deck automation: Promises and realities

Issues of flight deck automation are multifaceted and complex. The rapid introduction of advanced computer-based technology onto the flight deck of transport category aircraft has had considerable impact both on aircraft operations and on the flight crew. As part of NASA's responsibility to facilitate an active exchange of ideas and information among members of the aviation community, a NASA/FAA/Industry workshop devoted to flight deck automation, organized by the Aerospace Human Factors Research Division of NASA Ames Research Center. Participants were invited from industry and from government organizations responsible for design, certification, operation, and accident investigation of transport category, automated aircraft. The goal of the workshop was to clarify the implications of automation, both positive and negative. Workshop panels and working groups identified issues regarding the design, training, and procedural aspects of flight deck automation, as well as the crew's ability to interact and perform effectively with the new technology. The proceedings include the invited papers and the panel and working group reports, as well as the summary and conclusions of the conference

Crafting Next Generation Eco-Label Policy

Eco-labels present a promising policy tool in the effort to achieve sustainable consumption. Many questions remain, however, about the extent to which eco-labels can contribute to sustainability efforts and how to maximize their effectiveness. This Article deploys research from evolutionary psychology, behavioral law and economics, and norm theory to offer specific insights for the design and implementation of eco-labels to enhance their influence on sustainable consumer choice. Notably, this research suggests possibilities for eco-labels to shape or expand consumer preferences for green goods, and thereby enhance eco-label influence on consumer behavior by extending it beyond eco-minded consumers. We suggest that public exposure of the label (so that people see it) and the exposure of the purchasing behavior (so that other people can see that you have bought the product) are key elements to the success of eco-labels--the social context around product purchasing may be as important as the eco-label itself. We recommend that behavioral insights be used to improve eco-labeling as traditionally understood by incorporating knowledge about behavioral tendencies into label design so as to allow for more accurate matching of consumers\u27 preexisting environmental preferences to eco-labeled goods, and develop next-generation eco-labeling policy with the potential to significantly expand the market for eco-labeled goods. Specifically, 1) Eco-labels could be purposefully designed and implemented to attract consumers motivated by social norms; 2) Eco-labels could appeal to a wider range of abstract norm alternate more broadly or locally accepted and strong abstract that are stronger and/or more broadly accepted or locally-salient; and 3) Eco-labels could highlight private, near and near-term benefits

The City as Illusion and Promise

In The City as Illusion and Promise, the author examines the claim (by Henri Lefebvre, and later David Harvey) that the city no longer exists, at least as we know it. What we have instead is merely an illusion, something that Martin Heidegger also implies in some of his later writings, notably his seminal work on the essence of technology. In confronting such an extreme proposition, the author first raises a conceptual problem: Is the city a city insofar as it is not a province? And vice versa? But the conceptual problematic of course is also manifested in actual material conditions. Can the city exist without the province? What is the relationship between the city and province? While the author finds merit in recognizing the illusion that is the city, he nonetheless invites the reader to imagine other possibilities, however impossible they may seem: Either we settle with the illusion that is the city of our age, or reimagine and work towards the realization of new possibilities for the city, one that restores and respects the balance in nature that we have for so long forgotten and covered over with our illusions

Making Sense of the City: Public Spaces in the Philippines

Making sense of the City is a collection of essays from scholars in the humanities and the social sciences examining the city within the Philippine context. With Metro Manila bursting at the seams, as tensions continue to intensify and more intractable problems arise than those that are being solved, it becomes a matter of survival for all stakeholders to come together and shape the future of the city

Community rotorcraft air transportation benefits and opportunities

Information about rotorcraft that will assist community planners in assessing and planning for the use of rotorcraft transportation in their communities is provided. Information useful to helicopter researchers, manufacturers, and operators concerning helicopter opportunities and benefits is also given. Three primary topics are discussed: the current status and future projections of rotorcraft technology, and the comparison of that technology with other transportation vehicles; the community benefits of promising rotorcraft transportation opportunities; and the integration and interfacing considerations between rotorcraft and other transportation vehicles. Helicopter applications in a number of business and public service fields are examined in various geographical settings