The application of intelligent cockpit systems is examined to aid air transport pilots at the task of planning and then following a safe four-dimensional trajectory to the runway threshold during emergencies. The design of a proof-of-concept system is described, including the use of embedded fast-time simulation to predict the trajectory de ned by a series of discrete actions, the models of aircraft and pilot dynamics required by the system, and the pilot interface. Then results of a ight simulator evaluation with airline pilots are detailed. In 6 of 72 simulator runs, pilots were not able to establish a stable ight path on localizer and glideslope, suggesting a need for cockpit aids. However, results also suggest that, to be operationally feasible, such an aid must be capable of suggesting safe trajectories to the pilot; an aid that only veri ed plans entered by the pilot was found to have signi cantly detrimental effects on performance and pilot workload. Results also highlight that the trajectories suggested by the aid must capture the context of the emergency; for example, in some emergencies pilots were willing to violate ight envelope limits to reduce time in ight, in other emergencies the opposite was found.
IntroductionR ESPONSIBILITY for the safe completion of a ight rests primarily with the pilot in command. During emergencies onboard air transport aircraft, this responsibility can be demanding, due to the large number of tasks to which the pilot must attend, including detecting and resolving failures in aircraft systems; continuing to monitor aircraft system health; coordinating with cabin crew, airline dispatchers, and air traf c control; controlling the aircraft; and deciding on (and then following) a course of action that will result in a safe landing. This inherent dif culty is compounded by a signi cant number of stressors, including physical danger, an uncomfortable physical environment (heat, smoke, noise, etc.), an overwhelming amount of information to consider, and the need to make decisionsin a short periodof time. In addition,the aircraftmay have degraded performance and handling qualities, limiting the extent to which the pilot's past experience is relevant to the present problem.The objectives of this research were to investigate how pilots generateand then follow a four-dimensionaltrajectoryto the runway threshold during emergencies and to examine the functions needed in pilot aids for these tasks. This paper rst presentsrelevantresearch from a number of domains, highlighting the important aspects of these tasks, pilots' needs in cockpit aids, and availabletechnologies. Then, the design of a prototype aid is described. The results of a ight simulator evaluation with airline pilots are detailed.The paper concludes with a discussion of pilot performance at these tasks and design recommendations for future cockpit systems.