Low-Airspeed Protection for Small to Medium-Sized Commercial Airplanes: an Important Safety Gap

In November 2003, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) convene a panel of aircraft design, operations, and human factors specialists to examine the feasibility of requiring the installation of low airspeed alerting devices on airplanes operating commercially under 14 C.F.R. Parts 121 and 135. The Board further recommended that if the panel determined such a requirement to be feasible, the FAA should establish requirements for low-airspeed alert systems. This paper discusses the reasoning behind these recommendations, explores relevant accident history from the Safety Board’s investigative records, and discusses shortcomings of an approach to cockpit design that relies on flight crew monitoring and artificial stall warnings for avoidance of low airspeed related accidents. Potential benefits and concerns associated with the installation of a new kind of low airspeed alerting device are also addressed

Personal computer-based flight training devices

This article reviews the role of personal computer aviation training devices (PCATDs) in general aviation pilot training. A brief history of flight simulator development is provided, accompanied by a sampling of early research on the effectiveness of simulator training. PCATDs are described along with their more common interface devices. Next, an examination of the use of PC-based flight simulators in formal and informal flight training programs reveals some of the recent data validating their use. Special emphasis is paid to the use of PC-based flight simulators for the instruction of novices in how to fly and the training of pilots in the performance of instrument flight maneuvers. Then, the role fidelity plays in producing transfer from PC-based training devices is addressed. Finally, a case is made for researchers to provide the kind of data that regulatory agencies should use in determining the standards for certification of PCATDs in flight training programs. Finally, suggestions are made for improvement of future PC-based flight training devices