Assessing General Aviation Pilots’ Interpretation of Weather Products: Traditional and New Automated Generation Products

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
Jayde M. King ◽  
Yolanda Ortiz ◽  
Thomas Guinn ◽  
John Lanicci ◽  
Beth L. Blickensderfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Aviation Accidents ◽  
Automated Generation ◽  
Human In The Loop ◽  
Product Generation ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
And Training ◽  
Hazardous Weather ◽  
Aviation Weather

The General Aviation (GA) community accounts for the majority of weather related aviation accidents and incidents. Interpreting and understanding weather products is crucial to hazardous weather avoidance, and previous studies have indicated that improving usability of weather products can improve pilot decision making. The Aviation Weather Center offers two broad types of graphical weather products for assessing icing, turbulence and flight category. These are traditional human-in-the-loop products (G-AIRMETs Ice, Tango, and Sierra) and fully-automated products (CIP/FIP, GTG, and CVA). This study assessed and compared pilots’ understanding of the fully-automated products in comparison to the human-in-loop products. Participants (n=131) completed a set of weather product interpretation questions. A series of mixed ANOVAs were conducted to analyze the effects of pilot certificate and/or rating (Student, Private, Private with Instrument, Commercial with Instrument) and product generation (traditional vs. automated) on product interpretation score. Results indicated that, despite product generation, pilots performed similarly on the icing and ceiling/visibility products, but performed significantly better on the new fully automated turbulence product (GTG) than when using the traditional turbulence product (AIRMET Tango). Usability and training implications are discussed.

Predicting General Aviation Pilots’ Weather-Related Performance through a Scenario-Based Assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 2000-2004
Author(s):  
Jessica Cruit ◽  
Christina Frederick ◽  
Beth Blickensderfer ◽  
Joseph R. Keebler ◽  
Thomas Guinn
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Predictor Variables ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Additional Education ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
And Training ◽  
Aviation Weather

Weather-related accidents continue to challenge the general aviation (GA) community and with the development of advanced weather technology, GA pilots need additional education and training on how to effectively use these weather products to ensure flight safety. Currently, the literature on aviation weather suggests that there is a gap in both training and assessment strategy for GA pilots. Furthermore, several studies advocate assessing GA pilots at a deeper level of learning by including weather-based, scenario/application questions on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) written exam for private pilots. After first developing a scenario-based, aviation weather assessment, we used a multiple regression analysis to predict aviation weather performance from 90 GA pilots. In addition, we used Baron and Kenny’s (1986) test for mediation to predict aviation weather performance from four predictor variables (i.e., a scenario-based aviation weather assessment, a traditional, non-scenario-based weather assessment, weather salience, and aviation weather experience). The results of the study indicated that scores on the scenario-based assessment were the strongest predictor of aviation weather performance followed by aviation weather experience. These results support the need for scenario-based weather questions on the FAA written exam for private pilots. The results of this study could help aviation officials and educators better assess and train general aviation pilots on weather-related topics.

scholarly journals Evolution Mechanism on the Unsafe Behavioural Risks of General Aviation Pilots

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-117
Author(s):  
Xinyao Guo ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
Qingmin Si ◽  
Yuansheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Interaction Mechanism ◽  
Bottom Layer ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Evolution Mechanism ◽  
Aviation Accidents ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Aviation Pilots

The unsafe behaviour prevention and control of general aviation pilots has become an emphasis in the general aviation safety management with the increasing number of general aviation enterprises, lengthening of flight time and frequent occurrence of public safety events caused by general aviation accidents. How to identify the factors influencing the unsafe behaviours of general aviation pilots and clarify the inter factor evolution mechanism is hot issue in the general aviation. To accurately identify the key factors influencing the unsafe behaviours of general aviation pilots and define the interaction mechanism between factors, using the unsafe behaviours of pilots in 200 global general aviation accidents during 2015-2019 and the association rule method, the bottom-layer factors of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) model were analysed. Furthermore, the influence degree, influenced degree, centrality and causality of the influencing factors in the HFACS model were calculated, and the risk transfer path at different layers was determined on the basis of the integrated decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and fuzzy theory. Results show that the poor individual ready state is strongly associated with skill error, decision-making error and habitual violation. Moreover, 11 factors, such as poor physical environment, physical/intelligence limitation and poor technical environment, constitute the factors in the cause group for pilot unsafe behaviours. 7 factors, such as insufficient supervision, improper operation plan and failure to discover and correct problems, are the factors in the result group. Illegal behaviour, failure to discover and correct problems and decision-making error of pilots, which are of high centrality, are key factors influencing the unsafe behaviours of general aviation pilots. The conclusions obtained from this study compensate the deficiencies for the linear statistical model of risk factors and provide a novel method for regulating and controlling the unsafe behaviours of general aviation pilots.

General Aviation Pilots’ Capability to Interpret Aviation Weather Displays

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Beth Blickensderfer ◽  
Jacqueline McSorley ◽  
Nicolas Defillipis ◽  
Jayde M. King ◽  
Yolanda Ortiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Aviation ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
Aviation Weather

Pilots as Weather Briefers: The Direct Use of Aviation Weather Products by General Aviation Pilots

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-381
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Casner ◽  
Michael Pat Murphy ◽  
Erin C. Neville ◽  
Matthew R. Neville
Keyword(s):  
General Aviation ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
Aviation Weather

Assessment of General Aviation Cognitive Weather Tasks: Recommendations for Autonomous Learning and Training in Aviation Weather

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1861-1865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Ortiz ◽  
Beth Blickensderfer ◽  
Jayde King
Keyword(s):  
General Aviation ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Training Module ◽  
Accident Rate ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Accident Data ◽  
And Training ◽  
Aviation Weather

General aviation (GA) operations incur the majority of fatal weather-related accidents. Previous research highlights the lack of aviation weather knowledge and skills as a possible contributing factor to the stagnant GA weather-related accident rate. This is congruent with accident data indicating weather-related accidents mostly involved non-instrument rated pilots and/or pilots with low flight hour experience flying into inadvertent meteorological conditions, such as low ceiling/visibility. However, though weather has serious and potentially fatal implications toward flight safety, weather training is an underrepresented area of pilots’ education, training, and testing. As such, autonomous (i.e. self-study) learning and training may be a viable training tool to expose pilots to various weather scenarios and to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) related to aviation weather. This paper will focus on evaluating complex cognitive weather tasks and providing recommendations for developing an effective autonomous learning and training module.

Evaluating the Decision-Making Skills of General Aviation Pilots

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter E. Driskill ◽  
Johnny J. Weissmuller ◽  
John C. Quebe ◽  
Darryl K. Hand ◽  
David R. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Aviation Pilots

Mild Hypoxia of a Skydiver Making Repeated, Medium-Altitude Aircraft Exits

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-115
Author(s):  
Brian S. Bradke ◽  
Bradford R. Everman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Supplemental Oxygen ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
And Training ◽  
Mild Hypoxia

INTRODUCTION: Dramatic increases in parachuting safety over the last three decades have been attributed to advances in technology and training for parachutists. However, very little is known about the physiological condition of skydivers making repeated, medium-altitude aircraft exits without using supplemental oxygen. As in aviation, human error is broadly responsible for the majority of skydiving mishaps, although it is unclear what role, if any, physiological factors contribute to these mishaps. Over the course of 2 d, a healthy, 50-yr-old male skydiver executed four normal exits (two jumps per day) from an aircraft between 13,500 and 14,000 ft (4115 and 4267 m) pressure altitude while wearing a helmet-mounted biomonitoring device (SPYDR, Spotlight Labs). On both days, after the subject’s second jump, he reported feeling lightheaded and dizzy, symptoms he experiences approximately once every five jumps, and had previously attributed to the excitement of the jump. Inspection of Spo2 and pulse data revealed that the subject was mildly hypoxic at jump altitude (Spo2 < 90%). For all four jumps, Spo2 did not return to normal levels until under canopy. Previous studies have evaluated the cognitive impairment of general aviation pilots operating unpressurized aircraft above 12,500 ft (3810 m) without supplemental oxygen. Alarmingly, mildly hypoxic pilots exhibited twice the rate of procedural errors as compared to normally oxygenated subjects. This study found that the skydiver exited the aircraft with mild hypoxia, which has been associated with cognitive impairment in pilots and could possibly be linked to injuries and/or fatalities.Bradke BS, Everman BR. Mild hypoxia of a skydiver making repeated, medium-altitude aircraft exits. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(2):110–115.

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