Pilots of the future: human or computer?

Abstract

As more and more automation is incorporated in aircraft, the essential question becomes one of autonomy: Should the automated system serve as the human pilot's assistant, or vice versa?

A model for types and levels of human interaction with automation

“…This would be appropriate if the human operator is not required to intervene or manage the system in the event of automation failure. In fact, in this case even full automation (Level 10) could be justified 3 . However, if the human operator is ever expected under abnormal circumstances to take over control, then our analysis suggests that high levels of decision automation may not be suitable because of the documented human performance costs associated with such automation.…”

Situational Awareness in Complex Systems

“…Press (1986) states that SA can be increased through improvements in selection, aircraft technology, tactics and training. Other authors have advocated improved sensor capabilities (Stiles and Pearson, 1986), improved, integrated eyes-out controls and displays (Dornheim, 1986;Person and Steinmetz, 1981), intelligent systems which will integrate, prioritize, filter, and communicate information to the pilot based on the situation (Morishige and Retelle, 1985), and systems to reduce workload through the automation of certain pilot tasks (AirForce, 1982;Chambers and Nagel, 1985; 0 Jurgensen and Feldman, 1985;O'Shannon, 1986).…”

Human Performance Models for Computer-Aided Engineering

“…DEBORAH A. BOEBM-DAVIs Most pilots seek to maintain their aircraft within an operationally safe envelope. To accomplish this, they must successfully perform a number of tasks (Chambers and Nagel, 1985), such as These tasks all require that the pilot have some sort of internal representation of the environment. This representation must include both declarative knowledge, such as facts and characteristics associated with aircraft and flight, and procedural knowledge about how to use various systems and how to perform certain tasks (Roske-Hofstrand and Papp, 1986).…”