This book seeks to extend the boundaries of aviation psychology in two interrelated ways: by broadening the focus of aviation psychology beyond the flight deck to the whole aviation system; and by discussing new theoretical developments which are shaping this applied discipline. A key feature of these theoretical advances is that they are grounded in a more developed, ecologically valid, understanding of practice. Among the issues addressed in this new integration of theory and practice are the following: what goes on in the flight deck is dependent on the wider organisational context; human factors issues in aircraft maintenance and grounding are critical to aviation safety; our capacity to learn from aviation accidents and incidents needs to be supported by more systematic human factors investigation and research; we must also develop our understanding of the human factors of accident survival as well as accident prevention; theories of crew coordination and decision making must be supported by an analysis of how decisions are actually made in the real world with all its stresses and constraints; training should be grounded in a thoroughgoing analysis of the complexity of the job and a full understanding of the training process itself. The text will be of interest to human factors researchers and practitioners in aviation and related areas. It will be of particular relevance to those who have a role in training, management or regulation throughout the aviation system.

Covering field history and discussing actual modern-day pilot actions and tasks, the editors of this volume have integrated contributions from leaders in aviation to present psychological principles and research pertinent to the interface between a pilot and the cockpit. The book addresses the pilot‘s cognitive demands, capabilities, and limitations, which have important implications for operator selection and training as well as display/control designs in the cockpit. It emphasizes scientific methods of achieving this understanding and implies that theories and principles of human behavior are shaped and improved by practical problems and applied studies.

There is perhaps no facet of modern society where the influence of computer automation has not been felt. Flight management systems for pilots, diagnostic and surgical aids for physicians, navigational displays for drivers, and decision-aiding systems for air-traffic controllers, represent only a few of the numerous domains in which powerful new automation technologies have been introduced. The benefits that have been reaped from this technological revolution have been many. At the same time, automation has not always worked as planned by designers, and many problems have arisen--from minor inefficiencies of operation to large-scale, catastrophic accidents. Understanding how humans interact with automation is vital for the successful design of new automated systems that are both safe and efficient. The influence of automation technology on human performance has often been investigated in a fragmentary, isolated manner, with investigators conducting disconnected studies in different domains. There has been little contact between these endeavors, although principles gleaned from one domain may have implications for another. Also, with a few exceptions, the research has tended to be empirical and only theory-driven. In recent years, however, various groups of investigators have begun to examine human performance in automated systems in general and to develop theories of human interaction with automation technology. This book presents the current theories and assesses the impact of automation on different aspects of human performance. Both basic and applied research is presented to highlight the general principles of human-computer interaction in several domains where automation technologies are widely implemented. The major premise is that a broad-based, theory-driven approach will have significant implications for the effective design of both current and future automation technologies. This volume will be of considerable value to researchers in human

Situational awareness has become an increasingly salient factor contributing to flight safety and operational performance, and the research has burgeoned to cope with the human performance challenges associated with the installation of advanced avionics systems in modern aircraft. The systematic study and application of situational awareness has also extended beyond the cockpit to include air traffic controllers and personnel operating within other complex, high consequence work domains. This volume offers a collection of essays that have made important contributions to situational awareness research and practice. To this end, it provides unique access to key readings that address the conceptual development of situational awareness, methods for its assessment, and applications to enhance situational awareness through training and design.

Considering the global awareness of human performance issues affecting maintenance personnel, there is enough evidence in the US ASRS reports to establish that systemic problems such as impractical maintenance procedures, inadequate training, and the safety versus profit challenge continue to contribute toward latent failures. Manoj S. Patankar and James C. Taylor strongly believe in incorporating the human factors principles in aviation maintenance. In this, their second of two volumes, they place particular emphasis on applying human factors principles in a book intended to serve as a practical guide, as well as an academic text. Features include: - A real 'how to' approach that serves as a companion to the previous volume: 'Risk Management and Error Reduction in Aviation Maintenance'. - Self-reports of maintenance errors used throughout to illustrate the systemic susceptibility for errors as well as to discuss corresponding solutions. - Two tools - a pre-task scorecard and a post-task scorecard - introduced as means to measure individual as well as organizational safety performance. - Interpersonal trust and professionalism explored in detail. - Ethical and procedural issues associated with collection and analysis of both qualitative as well as quantitative safety data discussed. The intended readership includes aviation maintenance personnel, e.g. FAA-type aircraft mechanics, CAA-type aircraft maintenance engineers, maintenance managers, regulators, and aviation students.