The Aviation Research Group (ARG) in the Department of Psychology at New Mexico State University (NMSU) has research interests relating to several aspects of the organisation and display of information in the cockpit. In this report, we present a systematic analysis of the information required by pilots in various phases of flight. Our aim is to produce a specification of what information is needed, when it is needed, and how pilots conceive of the organisation of the information. This project was devoted to an analysis of the information required in normal flight operations as contrasted with unusual or emergency situations. In future work, we plan to conduct a similar study of information requirements in various emergencies. The nature of the present study is largely descriptive in that it provides numerous analyses of the priorities pilots assign to different information elements. The study required the development of various taxonomies including: (a) Information used in flight and planning, (b) Phases of flight, and (c) Sources of information used in flight. The analyses show overall priorities of the information elements in various phases of flight and how these priorities compare for more- versus less-experienced pilots. Not surprisingly, priorities change over the course of a flight, and we proposed that the design of new displays would benefit from considering these changing priorities. We also present data on how pilots conceive of the organisation of the various elements of information. These data, too, can assist display designers in layout of information. The differences in information priorities as a function of flying experience identify some issues that flight instructors should consider in flight training. Overall, more experienced pilots tend to give higher priorities to several information elements as though they are considering more factors with higher priority. In particular phases of flight, less experienced pilots give lower priority to communications both with ATC and with traffic than do more experienced pilots in several phases of flight. The less experienced pilots assign higher priority to vertical velocity than do more experienced pilots. A discussion of these differences and others can be found in the report. Our analysis of the sources of information required in flight shows the dramatic impact of GPS technology on aviation. The analysis of sources also allows a determination of the degree to which redundant information is available. Clearly, safety may be compromised when information is only available from a single source. Modern aviation is undergoing several dramatic changes that affect nearly every aspect of operating aircraft in the national airspace system. Among these changes are: (a) the move to free flight, (b) the development of new systems for control of aircraft, (c) development of new information displays and methods for selecting displays, and (d) changes in processes and policies of aviation-related organisations. As these changes come about and as an aid in planning, it is valuable to have models that can help analyse the impact of the changes on critical issues of safety, automation, workload, and situation awareness. We have presented a pilot-centered model of information requirements in flight tasks emphasising the source, priority, and mental organisation of the information elements. This model should inform decisions about the design of new technology including information displays. The model should also help evaluate the impact of changes in the airspace system by providing baseline information about where pilots can obtain information in the current system and by reminding policy makers about what information pilots need and when they need it. (A)
Samenvatting