The Application of Frequency Analysis Based Performance Measures as an Adjunct to Flight Path Derived Measures of Pilot Performance

Measures such as the arithmetic mean error and standard deviation of error are commonly used to assess the magnitude of errors between the tracked parameter and a target value when evaluating pilot performance. Although these measures have strong validity when associated with a well-prescribed flight task that demands a high level of performance, there can be a certain dissociation between the control input behavior of the pilot and the flight path response of the aircraft, particularly in large transport types with relatively high inertia and stability. This study uses frequency-based metrics based on pilot control inputs as an adjunct to these commonly used measures to evaluate performance. Using both types of measures, findings demonstrate how the performance of 12 cadet pilots changed while undertaking a 40-hour jet orientation course on a flight training device. The results show that variation in the flight path is reduced as the cadet pilots progress through the course. At the later stages of the course, the control strategy used is characterized by more frequent but smaller amplitude control inputs. These findings suggest that frequency-based measures can provide a sensitive measure of pilot performance when directly applied to control input data, and can be a useful adjunct to more traditional measures

EXPLORING AIRPORT NAVIGATION CHALLENGES FACED BY AIRLINE TRAVELERS WITH HIDDEN DISABILITIES

In this paper, the Servicescape theory was employed as the conceptual framework to (a) investigate the live airport experiences of passengers with an HD and (b) understand the negative experiences of passengers within the airport\u27s physical environment. The authors collected the electronic word-of-mouth statements of 203 travelers from the TripAdvisor website. The data generated were analyzed using thematic analysis. Common themes found from the analysis included (1) human interaction, (2) services, and (3) terminal design. This paper offers insight into airport navigational challenges faced by travellers with an HD at various stages within the airport. These findings have practical implications for airport operators and decision-makers implementing a Hidden Disability Assistance Program. The results may help airport operators, including airlines, understand passenger-customer interaction issues. Findings may equally help airport operators, while addressing identified challenges, to offer appropriate support effectively and efficiently to travellers with an HD when transiting through airports

Exploring the Implementations of Hidden Disability Assistance Program in Australian Airports

A small but increasing number of airports have implemented a hidden disability assistance program (HDAP) and issued sunflower lanyards to allow airport staff to recognize their travelers who have a hidden disability (HD) and may require special needs transiting through airport terminals. Airports employees are required to become aware of the challenges that travelers with an HD may face to provide appropriate support to meet their needs. A vital part of the overall program is the provision of training to airport ground staff so they may render appropriate and effective assistance. Several studies have investigated the challenges airline travelers with a physical disability face; however, there exists limited research focusing on travelers with an HD. This paper is exploratory in nature A semi-structured interview was employed to investigate (a) the implementation issues of HDAPs at Australian airports; and (b) staff training procedures based on the perspectives of 10 participants from major Australian airports. Servicescape and ADDIE concepts guided the investigations. The authors used the thematic text analysis approach to analyze the data. This paper produced three main findings for researchers and air transport stakeholders: (1) provided an awareness of the challenges affecting the implementation of HD programs, (2) provided an understanding of appropriate airport design, and (3) proposes a series of guidelines for developing and designing appropriate airport staff training to cater to the needs of all airline passengers with an HD. Finally, it is hoped that the present paper can be used to contribute to theory and practice in important ways. It is envisaged that the findings might provide a more theoretically sound and detailed model for understanding the challenges faced by travelers with HDs when navigating the physical environment of airport terminals. Furthermore, this study offers a new perspective regarding the training of airport ground staff in assisting passengers with an H

The loss of manual flying skills in pilots of highly automated airliners

Anecdotal and subjective evidence suggests that the manual flying ability of pilots operating highly automated aircraft is declining owing to a lack of opportunity to exercise such skills in the modern air transport environment. However, there is a paucity of objective evidence to support this safety concern. Consequently, the work presented in this thesis aims to provide empirically derived data to evaluate the extent and causes of the speculated manual skills decline and guide possible intervention strategies. Initially a cognitive task analysis is undertaken to determine the cognitive demands of performing manual flight in a large jet transport aircraft. Expert pilots report employing highly refined mental models structures which enable them to predict the aircrafts performance whilst causing minimal burden to their mental capacity. The study concludes that when measuring manual flying performance careful consideration must be given to designing a task which challenges both the cognitive and physical aspects of manual flying skill. Secondly, relatively novel pilot performance measures based upon the frequency analysis of control input data are evaluated. An empirical study finds that these techniques are both reliable and sensitive to manual flying performance. Furthermore, when studying large transport aircraft, such measures of the pilots control strategy are found to contribute valuable information about performance which is missing when just traditional ‘outer-loop’ performance measures are applied. The study concludes that these measures of control strategy are valuable in evaluating manual flying performance. Finally, the manual flying skills of a sample of pilots of highly automated aircraft are evaluated on a challenging manual flying task. A significant proportion exhibit poor manual flying performance as judged by a type rating examiner. Further analysis reveals that the performance of the pilots is significantly influenced by the amount of recent manual handling experience they have accumulated, rather than their longer-term manual flying experience. Significantly, airspeed tracking ability is influenced which is cited elsewhere as a causal factor in many manual flying skill related accidents. The results support the previous anecdotal and subjective concerns relating to the loss of manual flying skills.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Loss of Manual Flying Skills in Pilots of Highly Automated Airliners

Anecdotal and subjective evidence suggests that the manual flying ability of pilots operating highly automated aircraft is declining owing to a lack of opportunity to exercise such skills in the modern air transport environment. However, there is a paucity of objective evidence to support this safety concern. Consequently, the work presented in this thesis aims to provide empirically derived data to evaluate the extent and causes of the speculated manual skills decline and guide possible intervention strategies. Initially a cognitive task analysis is undertaken to determine the cognitive demands of performing manual flight in a large jet transport aircraft. Expert pilots report employing highly refined mental models structures which enable them to predict the aircrafts performance whilst causing minimal burden to their mental capacity. The study concludes that when measuring manual flying performance careful consideration must be given to designing a task which challenges both the cognitive and physical aspects of manual flying skill. Secondly, relatively novel pilot performance measures based upon the frequency analysis of control input data are evaluated. An empirical study finds that these techniques are both reliable and sensitive to manual flying performance. Furthermore, when studying large transport aircraft, such measures of the pilots control strategy are found to contribute valuable information about performance which is missing when just traditional ‘outer-loop’ performance measures are applied. The study concludes that these measures of control strategy are valuable in evaluating manual flying performance. Finally, the manual flying skills of a sample of pilots of highly automated aircraft are evaluated on a challenging manual flying task. A significant proportion exhibit poor manual flying performance as judged by a type rating examiner. Further analysis reveals that the performance of the pilots is significantly influenced by the amount of recent manual handling experience they have accumulated, rather than their longer-term manual flying experience. Significantly, airspeed tracking ability is influenced which is cited elsewhere as a causal factor in many manual flying skill related accidents. The results support the previous anecdotal and subjective concerns relating to the loss of manual flying skills

Aviation Simulation Laboratory (STEM Blitz April 2015)

Full title: Aviation Simulation Laboratory - human factors and safety research activities (STEM Blitz April 2015). A brief overview of the 'human in the loop' research activities which are underway or have been planned for conduct in the Aviation department's simulation laboratory. Recorded on 10 April 2015