scholarly journals Severity-Mapped Vibrotactile Cues to Support Interruption Management with Weather Messaging in the General Aviation Cockpit

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Carolina Rodriguez-Paras ◽  
Johnathan T. McKenzie ◽  
Pasakorn Choterungruengkorn ◽  
Thomas K. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Mountainous Terrain ◽  
Task Management ◽  
Training Device ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Interruption Management

Despite the increasing availability of technologies that provide access to aviation weather information in the cockpit, weather remains a prominent contributor to general aviation (GA) accidents. Pilots fail to detect the presence of new weather information, misinterpret it, or otherwise fail to act appropriately on it. When cognitive demands imposed by concurrent flight tasks are high, the risks increase for each of these failure modes. Previous research shows how introducing vibrotactile cues can help ease or redistribute some of these demands, but there is untapped potential in exploring how vibratory cues can facilitate “interruption management”, i.e., fitting the processing of available weather information into flight task workflow. In the current study, GA pilots flew a mountainous terrain scenario in a flight training device while receiving, processing, and acting on various weather information messages that were displayed visually, in graphical and text formats, on an experimental weather display. Half of the participants additionally received vibrotactile cues via a connected smartwatch with patterns that conveyed the “severity” of the message, allowing pilots to make informed decisions about when to fully attend to and process the message. Results indicate that weather messages were acknowledged more often and faster when accompanied by the vibrotactile cues, but the time after acknowledgment to fully process the messages was not significantly affected by vibrotactile cuing, nor was overall situation awareness. These findings illustrate that severity-encoded vibrotactile cues can support pilot awareness of updated weather as well as task management in processing weather messages while managing concurrent flight demands.

Free Flight Cockpit Displays of Traffic and Weather: Effects of Dimensionality and Data Base Integration

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janelle Viera O'Brien ◽  
Christopher D. Wickens
Keyword(s):  
Data Base ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Free Flight ◽  
Weather Effects ◽  
Flight System ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Flight Instructors ◽  
Cockpit Displays

In any Free Flight system, pilots must have displays which effectively depict traffic and weather information as more and more responsibility for separation from such hazards transfers from air traffic controllers to pilots. This research effort seeks to address the issues of dimensionality (3D versus 2D coplanar displays) and data base integration (separation or integration of traffic and weather information within displays). Seventeen general aviation flight instructors flew a series of en route trials with four display types in which dimensionality, data base integration, and hazard geometries were manipulated. Analysis of the data revealed that the 2D displays resulted in a smaller percentage of conflicts with traffic and weather hazards. The results also suggested that displays in which traffic and weather were integrated resulted in fewer hazard conflicts for trials in which both hazard types were critical to maneuver selection. Maneuver strategy was also found to vary by scenario geometry.

An Examination of Pilot-Reported Trust and Response to Information Conflicts Experienced on the Flight Deck

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Meredith Carroll ◽  
Paige Sanchez ◽  
Donna Wilt
Keyword(s):  
Information Sources ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
Aviation Pilots ◽  
Flight Deck ◽  
Navigation Information

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine how pilots respond to conflicting information on the flight deck. In this study, 108 airline, corporate, and general aviation pilots completed an online questionnaire reporting weather, traffic, and navigation information conflicts experienced on the flight deck, including which information sources they trusted and acted on. Results indicated that weather information conflicts are most commonly experienced, and typically between a certified source in the panel and an uncertified electronic flight bag application. Most participants (a) trusted certified systems due to their accuracy, reliability, recency, and knowledge about the source, and (2) acted on the certified system due to trust, being trained and required to use it, and its indicating a more hazardous situation.

A Comparison of Alternatives for Automated Decision Support in a Multi-Task Environment

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean MacMillan ◽  
Stephen E. Deutsch ◽  
Michael J. Young
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
Task Environment ◽  
Control Environment ◽  
Task Management ◽  
The Status ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Support

Complex, multi-task work environments that require humans to “juggle” many simultaneous tasks are becoming more widespread. How can automated capabilities best support the operator in these environments? We grouped the cognitive workload associated with multi-task management into two broad areas: 1) creating, maintaining, and updating an awareness of the status of all of the active tasks, and 2) choosing actions from among these active tasks based on overall goals. We then developed automated decision support for each of these aspects of workload and assessed which type of support was more effective in improving performance. Our findings indicate that, in a simulated air traffic control environment, the effort associated with creating and maintaining situation awareness was overwhelmingly responsible for the operator's workload. The results suggest that effective decision support in this environment should focus on helping the operator maintain awareness of the changing status of the active tasks, not on setting priorities or choosing among alternative tasks.

Transfer of a Computer-Assisted Instrument Procedures Trainer to Flight

1977 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 377-381
Author(s):  
James P. Finnegan
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Computer Assisted Instruction ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Training Curriculum ◽  
Similar Magnitude ◽  
Substantial Cost ◽  
Assisted Instruction ◽  
School Ground

A simple, comparatively inexpensive instrument flight trainer based on computer-assisted instruction (CAI) technology was compared with more traditional devices in training 48 private pilots to fly a standard instrument procedure. Groups of students were trained using either (a) CAI and aircraft training, (b) ground school, ground-based trainer and aircraft training, or (c) ground school and aircraft training. Both the CAI system and the general aviation flight trainer were found to provide similar magnitude of transfer to the aircraft. The results suggest that substantial cost benefit could be derived by substituting such CAI training for more costly higher fidelity training in the flight training curriculum.

Helicopter Trainee Performance Following Synthetic Flight Training

1966 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. Caro ◽  
Robert N. Isley
Keyword(s):  
Flight Training ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Training Device ◽  
Helicopter Flight ◽  
Handling Characteristics ◽  
Level Of Training ◽  
Ground Effects

In a study to determine whether the use of a synthetic helicopter flight training device would improve the subsequent primary flight performance of trainees at the U. S. Army Primary Helicopter School, two groups were trained to “fly” a captive helicopter mounted on a ground effects machine. The device had the approximate handling characteristics of a free‐flying vehicle, yet it allowed the trainees to obtain “aeronautical experience” not otherwise possible at their level of training.

Relating Flight Experience and Pilots' Perceptions of Decision-Making Skill

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Goh ◽  
Douglas A. Wiegmann
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Flight Path ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Flight Experience ◽  
Underlying Causes

Relationships between flight experience and pilots' perceptions of their ability to perform various aspects of the decision-making process were examined in the present study. Pilots were asked to rate how good they were, compared to the average General Aviation pilot, at monitoring, recognizing, diagnosing, generating solutions and implementing solutions when encountering flight path deviations, changes in weather conditions, mechanical malfunctions and conflicting traffic. Numerous measures of flight experience were collected. Results indicate that more experienced pilots felt that they were better at recognizing problems and implementing solutions, however, they did not necessarily feel more confident in their abilities to diagnosis the underlying causes of the problems. The results have implications for aeronautical decision making theories in general, and the design of flight training curricula in particular.

Weather Deviation Decisions by Air Transport Crews during Simulated Flight

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-144
Author(s):  
James P. Bliss ◽  
Corey K. Fallon ◽  
Ernesto A. Bustamante ◽  
William R. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Air Transport ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Onboard System

As the variety and capabilities of cockpit weather displays have increased, weather deviation decisions have become more complex. Important issues include conflicting or outdated weather information, and teamed reactivity of crews to weather displays. We investigated the influence of onboard and NEXRAD agreement, range to the simulated potential weather event, and the pilot flying on collective weather deviation decisions. Twelve pilot-copilot teams flew a simulated route while reacting to weather events presented in two graphical formats on a separate visual display. Results showed that pilots often chose to deviate from weather rather than confront it. When onboard and NEXRAD displays did not agree, flight crews reacted by trusting the onboard system more but using the NEXRAD system as a backup. These results suggest that future weather displays should exploit existing benefits of NEXRAD presentation for situation awareness while retaining the display structure and logic inherent in the onboard system.

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