Evaluating the Decision-Making Skills of General Aviation Pilots

Author(s):  
Walter E. Driskill ◽  
Johnny J. Weissmuller ◽  
John C. Quebe ◽  
Darryl K. Hand ◽  
David R. Hunter
Author(s):  
Jayde M. King ◽  
Yolanda Ortiz ◽  
Thomas Guinn ◽  
John Lanicci ◽  
Beth L. Blickensderfer ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-117
Author(s):  
Xinyao Guo ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
Qingmin Si ◽  
Yuansheng Wang

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.


Author(s):  
Mark Wiggins ◽  
David O'Hare

Inappropriate and ineffective weather-related decision making continues to account for a significant proportion of general aviation fatalities in the United States and elsewhere. This study details the evaluation of a computer-based training system that was developed to provide visual pilots with the skills necessary to recognize and respond to the cues associated with deteriorating weather conditions during flight. A total of 66 pilots were assigned to one of two groups, and the evaluation process was undertaken at both a self-report and performance level. At the self-report level, the results suggested that pilots were more likely to use the cues following exposure to the training program. From a performance perspective, there is evidence to suggest that cue-based training can improve the timeliness of weather-related decision making during visual flight rules flight. Actual or potential applications of this research include the development of computer-based training systems for fault diagnosis in complex industrial environments.


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

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (18) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Roman Matyáš ◽  
Andrej Novák

Modern technologies and portable devices are part of our everyday lives almost two decades. This article describes how Aeronautical Information Service providers in Central Europe utilize modern technologies in the communication interface with general aviation pilots.


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