The effect of psychological risk elements on pilot flight operational performance

This study aims to examine the relationship between psychological risk elements and flight operation performance for airline pilots. First, the concept of “risky pilots” is discussed, and the existence of “risky pilots” is verified using a percentage analysis of flight exceedance events. Second, three psychological risk elements for pilots are investigated using an implementation of psychological scales, and the exceedance behaviors of risky pilots are analyzed based on real flight data. Finally, correlation and cluster analyses are used to study the influence of psychological risk elements on the exceedance behaviors of airline transport pilots and their operational performance. The results indicate that approximately one‐third of pilots are more prone to exceedance events than other pilots. A moderate positive linear correlation (R [44] = 0.400; p < .05) existed between hazardous attitudes and severe exceedance rates. For pilots with a high level of risk psychology, of their flights were considered “poor” operational performance level. Finally, it is concluded that hazardous attitude is a psychological risk element that has significant negative effects on severe exceedance behaviors of pilots. In addition, the flight operation performance levels of pilots were also affected by the psychological risk level. Furthermore, it is suggested that special training to improve risky hazardous attitudes of pilots should be conducted for the purpose of reducing exceedance behaviors and improving flight performance. These findings are expected to provide support for airlines to identify and manage flight crew risks.     

Flight simulator research at the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine

After tracing the development of flight simulators, the author refers to the simulators used for research at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine, describing seven examples of the Institute's research carried out with their aid. These cover a comparison of attitude indicators, pilot response, motion cues and landing performance, student pilots assessments, familiarisation behaviour, evaluating an airborne navigation display, and attitude and opinion surveys.     

Use of Highways in the Sky and a virtual pad for landing Head Up Display symbology to enable improved helicopter pilots situation awareness and workload in degraded visual conditions

Abstract

Flight within degraded visual conditions is a great challenge to pilots of rotary-wing craft. Environmental cues typically used to guide interpretation of speed, location and approach can become obscured, forcing the pilots to rely on data available from in-cockpit instrumentation. To ease the task of flight during degraded visual conditions, pilots require easy access to flight critical information. The current study examined the effect of ‘Highways in the Sky’ symbology and a conformal virtual pad for landing presented using a Head Up Display (HUD) on pilots’ workload and situation awareness for both clear and degraded conditions across a series of simulated rotary-wing approach and landings. Results suggest that access to the HUD lead to significant improvements to pilots’ situation awareness, especially within degraded visual conditions. Importantly, access to the HUD facilitated pilot awareness in all conditions. Results are discussed in terms of future HUD development.

Practitioner Summary: This paper explores the use of a novel Heads Up Display, to facilitate rotary-wing pilots’ situation awareness and workload for simulated flights in both clear and degraded visual conditions. Results suggest that access to HUD facilitated pilots’ situation awareness, especially when flying in degraded conditions.     

Comparison of NASA-TLX scale,modified Cooper–Harper scale and mean inter-beat interval as measures of pilot mental workload during simulated flight tasks

Abstract

The sensitivity of NASA-TLX scale, modified Cooper–Harper (MCH) scale and the mean inter-beat interval (IBI) of successive heart beats, as measures of pilot mental workload (MWL), were evaluated in a flight training device (FTD). Operational F/A-18C pilots flew instrument approaches with varying task loads. Pilots’ performance, subjective MWL ratings and IBI were measured. Based on the pilots’ performance, three performance categories were formed; high-, medium- and low-performance. Values of the subjective rating scales and IBI were compared between categories. It was found that all measures were able to differentiate most task conditions and there was a strong, positive correlation between NASA-TLX and MCH scale. An explicit link between IBI, NASA-TLX, MCH and performance was demonstrated. While NASA-TLX, MCH and IBI have all been previously used to measure MWL, this study is the first one to investigate their association in a modern FTD, using a realistic flying mission and operational pilots.

Practitioner summary: NASA-TLX scale, MCH scale and the IBI were evaluated in a flight training device. All measures were able to differentiate most task conditions and there was a positive correlation between NASA-TLX and MCH scale. An explicit link between IBI, NASA-TLX, MCH and performance was demonstrated.

Abbreviations: ANOVA: Analysis of Variance; ECG: Electrocardiograph; F/A: fighter/attack; ft: feet; FTD: flight training device; G: Gravity; km: kilometer; m: meter; m/s: meters per second; MWL: mental workload; MCH: modified cooper-harper; NASA-TLX: NASA Task Load Index; NM: Nautical Mile; NN: normal-to-normal; IBI: inter-beat interval; ILS: Instrument Landing System; RR: R-Wave to R-Wave; SD: standard deviation; TTP: tactics, techniques and procedures; WTSAT: Weapon Tactics and Situation Awareness Trainer     

The benefits of integrated eye tracking with airborne image recorders in the flight deck: A rejected landing case study

Aircraft accident investigation has played a pivotal role in improving the safety of aviation. Advances in recorder technology, specifically Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) have made a huge contribution to the understanding of occurrences for accident investigators. However, even these recorders have limitations such as the evidence they provide about pilots' situation awareness or behaviours. Supplementing audio and data recordings with video has been discussed for many years and whilst there continues to be debate among regulators, operators, manufacturers and pilot unions, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has mandated Airborne Image Recorders (AIR) from 2023. The purpose of installing such systems is to provide evidence of crew operational behaviours in terms of both human-human and human-computer interactions (HCI) on the flight deck. Video alone is unlikely to provide sufficient evidence for investigators. This study examines the additional value that eye-tracking technology may provide through the case study of an accident involving an Airbus A330-300 aircraft which experienced a rejected landing. Currently, the investigation of such events, where crew interaction with automation is critical to their situation awareness, relies heavily on interview data. Such data may be unavailable (in the case of serious injury) or unreliable (based on hindsight bias). By integrating eye tracking technology into an AIR, accident investigators will potentially gain a better understanding of pilots’ visual scan patterns across flight deck instrumentation. This has implications for flight deck and procedural design as well as training and simulation.     

Change blindness in pilot perception of METAR symbology

ObjectiveTo assess General Aviation (GA) pilots' perception of changes in aviation routine weather report (METAR) symbols.MethodSixty instrument-rated GA pilots were randomly assigned to one of three METAR symbology groups. We assessed pilots' ability to detect changes to the METAR symbols during a simulated flight, and examined the relationship between detection performance and pilots' flight behavior, cognitive engagement, and decision making.ResultsDepending on the symbology, pilots varied considerably in their overall detection of METAR symbol change during flight. Pilots who detected the METAR-symbol changes differed in their cognitive engagement compared to pilots who did not detect the changes.ConclusionWeather presentation symbology affects pilots' perception of symbol change and cognitive engagement.Relevance to industryThe simulation outcome provides important data on the perception of weather-presentation symbology important to the design and optimization of cockpit weather displays.     

Burnout among pilots: psychosocial factors related to happiness and performance at simulator training

Abstract

In this study among airline pilots, we aim to uncover the work characteristics (job demands and resources) and the outcomes (job crafting, happiness and simulator training performance) that are related to burnout for this occupational group. Using a large sample of airline pilots, we showed that 40% of the participating pilots experience high burnout. In line with Job Demands-Resources theory, job demands were detrimental for simulator training performance because they made pilots more exhausted and less able to craft their job, whereas job resources had a favourable effect because they reduced feelings of disengagement and increased job crafting. Moreover, burnout was negatively related to pilots’ happiness with life. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors and health for valuable outcomes for both pilots and airlines.

Practitioner Summary: Using an online survey among the members of a European pilots’ professional association, we examined the relationship between psychosocial factors (work characteristics, burnout) and outcomes (simulator training performance, happiness). Forty per cent of the participating pilots experience high burnout. Job demands were detrimental, whereas job resources were favourable for simulator training performance/happiness.

Twitter text: 40% of airline pilots experience burnout and psychosocial work factors and burnout relate to performance at pilots’ simulator training.     

基于神经网络的民用飞机重着陆诊断技术研究

针对飞行品质监控工作中发现的国内航空公司对于重着陆的判断方法存在很多不足,一线飞行员和机务人员对此满意度不高,研究从造成重着陆的相关因素入手,利用QAR记录的多个飞行参数的信息,采用人工神经网络建立重着陆的诊断模型;以航空公司的B737机型的实际数据为样本对模型进行训练和验证,结果显示基于神经网络的模型能够准确判断重着陆事件,为重着陆的诊断提供了一条行之有效的途径,具有较强的工程实用价值和通用性。     

How well do pilots sleep during long-haul flights?

It is imperative that shiftworkers in safety-critical workplaces obtain sufficient sleep to operate effectively. This presents a challenge to long-haul airline pilots who are required to supplement normal bed sleep with sleep on-board an aircraft during flight. In the current study, the sleep/wake behaviour of 301 airline pilots operating long-haul flight patterns was monitored for at least 2 weeks using self-report sleep diaries and wrist activity monitors. The data indicate that sleep opportunities in on-board rest facilities during long-haul flights result in a similar amount of sleep, but only 70% as much recovery, as duration-matched bed sleeps.

Statement of Relevance: This study indicates that in-flight sleep provides airline pilots with 70% as much restoration as duration-matched bed sleep. To increase the restoration provided by in-flight sleep, airlines could take measures to improve the quality, or increase the amount, of sleep obtained by pilots during flights.     

Cooperative surveillance systems and digital-technology enabler for a real-time standard terminal arrival schedule displacement

As the backbone of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM), Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a surveillance technology and digital-technology enabler relying on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The onboard ADS-B Out system broadcasts the aircraft’s real-time digital information such as position and ground speed periodically (every 0.5–2 s), which is more frequent than the radar system. Taking this advantage, situational awareness and flight efficiency can be highly improved. In this paper, a novel heuristic search method based on ADS-B is proposed for the Aircraft Landing Problem (ALP) with the objective of reducing flight time while maintaining the time separation standards mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The recorded ADS-B data in Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong international airports are adopted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. Results show that there is an obvious decrease in the total flight time. Besides, the heuristic search method can achieve continuous and real-time ALP updates, satisfying the requirements for air traffic control. While highlighting ADS-B-based applications, this study also provides some basic implications for the updated model in air traffic management.     

Examining the Effects of Conformal Terrain Features in Advanced Head‐Up Displays on Flight Performance and Pilot Situation Awareness

Synthetic vision systems (SVS) render terrain features for pilots through cockpit displays using a GPS database and three‐dimensional graphical models. Enhanced vision systems (EVS) present infrared imagery of terrain using a forward‐looking sensor in the nose of an aircraft. The ultimate goal of SVS and EVS technologies is to support pilots in achieving safety under low‐visibility and night conditions comparable to clear, day conditions. This study assessed pilot performance and situation awareness (SA) effects of SVS and EVS imagery in an advanced head‐up display (HUD) during a simulated landing approach under instrument meteorological conditions. Videos of the landing with various HUD configurations were presented to eight pilots with a superimposed tracking task. The independent variables included four HUD feature configurations (baseline [no terrain imagery], SVS, EVS, and a combination of SVS and EVS), two visibility conditions, and four legs of the flight. Results indicated that SVS increased overall SA but degraded flight path control performance because of visual confusion with other display features. EVS increased flight path control accuracy but decreased system (aircraft) awareness because of visual distractions. The combination of SVS and EVS generated offsetting effects. Display configurations did not affect pilot spatial awareness. Flight performance was not different among phases of the approach, but levels and types of pilot SA did vary from leg to leg. These results are applicable to development of adaptive HUD features to support pilot performance. They support the use of multidimensional measures of SA for insight on pilot information processing with advanced aviation displays. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

On the feasibility of real-time prediction of aircraft carrier motion at sea

Landing aircraft on board carriers is a most delicate phase of flight operations at sea. The ability to predict the aircraft carrier's motion over an interval of several seconds within reasonable error bounds may allow an improvement in touchdown dispersion and reduce the value of the ramp clearance due to a smoother aircraft trajectory. Also, improved information to the landing signal officer should decrease the number of waveoffs substantially. This paper indicates and shows quantitatively that, based upon the power density spectrum data for pitch and heave measured for various ships and sea conditions, the motion can be predicted well for up to 15 s. Moreover, the zero crossover times for both pitch and heave motions can be predicted with impressive accuracy. The predictor was designed on the basis of Kalman's optimum filtering theory (the discrete time case), being compatible with real-time digital computer operation.     

More experience might not bring more safety: Negative moderating effect of pilots’ flight experience on their safety performance

ObjectiveThis study aimed to improve our understanding of the relationship between pilots' total flight hours (TFH), levels of hazardous attitude (HA), and flight safety performance.BackgroundThe negative effect of airline pilots' flight experience on safety performance has received attention but has not been extensively investigated.MethodUsing a sample of 45 Chinese commercial airline pilots, we not only tested the mediation model in which the relationship between TFH and exceedance rate was mediated by HA, but also tested the moderation model in which the relationship between HA and exceedance rate was moderated by TFH.ResultsTFH positively predict flight exceedance rates; more importantly, it moderated the effect of HA on flight exceedance rates. Specifically, TFH exacerbated the negative effect of HA on flight exceedance rates. Meanwhile, the mediating effect of HA was not significant.ConclusionResults implies the nonlinear relationship between TFH, HA, and flight safety performance. The moderation model indicates that the experience-related risks may appear before 5000 h for an individual commercial airline pilot.ApplicationResearchers, safety managers, and policymakers in the aviation industry that conduct pilots' psychological competency research in the Professionalism Lifecycle Management (PLM) system should be aware of the potentially interactive effects of hazardous attitude and experience on commercial airline pilots’ flight safety performance.     

Using random forests to diagnose aviation turbulence

Atmospheric turbulence poses a significant hazard to aviation, with severe encounters costing airlines millions of dollars per year in compensation, aircraft damage, and delays due to required post-event inspections and repairs. Moreover, attempts to avoid turbulent airspace cause flight delays and en route deviations that increase air traffic controller workload, disrupt schedules of air crews and passengers and use extra fuel. For these reasons, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have funded the development of automated turbulence detection, diagnosis and forecasting products. This paper describes a methodology for fusing data from diverse sources and producing a real-time diagnosis of turbulence associated with thunderstorms, a significant cause of weather delays and turbulence encounters that is not well-addressed by current turbulence forecasts. The data fusion algorithm is trained using a retrospective dataset that includes objective turbulence reports from commercial aircraft and collocated predictor data. It is evaluated on an independent test set using several performance metrics including receiver operating characteristic curves, which are used for FAA turbulence product evaluations prior to their deployment. A prototype implementation fuses data from Doppler radar, geostationary satellites, a lightning detection network and a numerical weather prediction model to produce deterministic and probabilistic turbulence assessments suitable for use by air traffic managers, dispatchers and pilots. The algorithm is scheduled to be operationally implemented at the National Weather Service’s Aviation Weather Center in 2014.     

The influence of training level on manual flight in connection to performance,scan pattern,and task load

This work focuses on the analysis of pilots’ performance during manual flight operations in different stages of training and their influence on gaze strategy. The secure and safe operation of air traffic is highly dependent on the individual performances of the pilots. Before becoming a pilot, he/she has to acquire a broad set of skills by training to pass all the necessary qualification and licensing standards. A basic skill for every pilot is manual control operations, which is a closed-loop control process with several cross-coupled variables. Even with increased automation in the cockpit, the manual control operations are essential for every pilot as a last resort in the event of automation failure. A key element in the analysis of manual flight operations is the development over time in relation to performance and visual perception. An experiment with 28 participants (including 11 certified pilots) was conducted in a Boeing 737 simulator. For defined flight phases, the dynamic time warping method was applied to evaluate the performance for selected criteria, and eye-tracking methodology was utilized to analyze the gaze-pattern development. The manipulation of workload and individual experience influences the performance and the gaze pattern at the same time. Findings suggest that the increase of workload has an increased influence on pilots depending on the flight phase. Gaze patterns from experienced pilots provide insights into the training requirements of both novices and experts. The connection between workload, performance and gaze pattern is complex and needs to be analyzed under as many differing conditions. The results imply the necessity to evaluate manual flight operations with respect to more flight phases and a detailed selection of performance indications.

     

Exposure of agricultural pilots to occupational whole-body vibration: The effects of runway maintenance and the stages of flight

BackgroundAgricultural pilots fly inside rural areas, usually, in runways without proper maintenance. Neglected runway maintenance contributes to increased exposure to shocks and vibrations. On the other hand, during cruise and spraying, the pilot is not exposed to the effect of the runway surface, and thus the exposure may be different.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the factors that may increase occupational exposure to WBV in agricultural pilots.MethodThe methodology used in this study consisted of evaluating the exposure of WBV according to the runway surface quality and the stages of flight for a sample of four different agricultural aircraft models.ResultsThe results confirmed that the magnitude of the vibration is significantly influenced by the runways surface quality and the stages of flight. This suggests the possibility to decrease the exposure to WBV improving runway maintenance and managing flight time.Relevance for the industryBased on the results of the present study, it was possible to define strategies to reduce whole-body vibration exposure and thus improve the working conditions of agricultural pilots.     

A fuzzy expert system for aviation risk assessment

The Flight Operations Risk Assessment System (FORAS) is a risk modeling methodology which represents risk factors and their interrelationships as a fuzzy expert system. A FORAS risk model provides a quantitative relative risk index representing an estimate of the cumulative effects of potential hazards on a single flight operation. FORAS systematizes the process of eliciting human expertise, provides for a natural representation of the knowledge in an expert system, and automates the process of risk assessment. The FORAS tool is valuable to airline safety departments for examining risk trends, to pilots and dispatchers for assessing risks associated with each flight, and to airline management for quantifying the effects of making safety-related changes. The quantitative relative risk index generated by FORAS allows comparisons between flights, and facilitates the communication of safety issues throughout the organization.     

The role of whole-body vibration in back pain: A cross-sectional study with agricultural pilots

ObjectiveA cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the role of whole-body vibration as a risk factor for spinal musculoskeletal symptoms among agricultural pilots.MethodThe study was conducted in two stages that included measuring the pilots’ exposure to whole-body vibration during the flight procedures and applying a self-administered questionnaire about musculoskeletal symptoms of the spine.ResultsNone of the four aircraft texted exposed the pilot above the Exposure Limit Value (ELV) established by the standards. However, in a few specific situations, two of them exceeded the Exposure Action Value (EAV). About 62% of the pilots who operated these aircraft reported some musculoskeletal symptoms of the spine in the last few 12 months.ConclusionUsing the data from this study, it was possible to calculate the odds ratio of the agricultural pilot suffering low back pain, based on eight personal and work-related factors.Relevance for the industryBased on the results of the present study, it was possible to define strategies to reduce whole-body exposure in agricultural aircraft and, consequently, improve the pilots’ health. Strategies included management of the exposure and aircraft improvement.     

Fuzzy Logic Based Approach to Design of Autonomous Landing System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This paper is concerned with autonomous flight of UAVs and proposes a fuzzy logic based autonomous flight and landing system controller. Besides three fuzzy logic controllers which are developed for autonomous navigation for UAVs in a previous work as fuzzy logic based autonomous mission control blocks, three more fuzzy logic modules are developed under the main landing system for the control of the horizontal and the vertical positions of the aircraft against the runway under a TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation) approach. The performance of the fuzzy logic based controllers is evaluated using the standard configuration of MATLAB and the Aerosim Aeronautical Simulation Block Set which provides a complete set of tools for rapid development of 6 degree-of-freedom nonlinear generic manned/unmanned aerial vehicle models. Additionally, FlightGear Flight Simulator and GMS aircraft instruments are deployed in order to get visual outputs that aid the designer in evaluating the performance and the potential of the controllers. The simulated test flights on an Aerosonde indicate the capability of the approach in achieving the desired performance despite the simple design procedure.     

基于HBase的QAR数据存储设计与实现

为解决传统关系数据库存储QAR数据可扩展性低、可用性差的问题,设计一种基于HBase的QAR数据分布式存储方法。根据QAR数据的特点,设计HBase表结构,将QAR参数划分为安全、航迹、燃油、发动机、预测、飞行员操作及其它共七大主题,构建基于航班号、航班日期、参数主题三者组合的MD5散列值行键结构,根据行键散列值对QAR数据值表预分区,通过行键散列机制和预分区技术相结合的两级优化策略实现QAR数据文件分布式存储。真实QAR数据集上的实验结果表明,该QAR数据存储模式能使数据均衡分布在集群中,避免了写热点和数据倾斜问题,有较高的存取性能。