Flying Lessons:

or what aviation can tell other

disciplines about user interfaces.

Blay Whitby

blaywhitby.org

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In other words:

Aviation has a rather clear way of

exposing false assumptions and

outdated work practices.

Other areas of human activity might be

wise to take notice. 3

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What I'm not saying…

Aviation always got it right.

Aviation has all the answers.

Other fields should simply imitate

aviation.

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On the other hand…

Aviation has some hard-won knowledge

from which other fields might learn.

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The Aviation Model – some key features

Blame doesn't help fix anything.

Stopping it happening again is the goal.

Technical and human factors are usually

combined.

Chains of events; not single causes

Management (and even national culture) is

part of the problem.8

So:

Don‟t assume, no really, DON‟T

ASSUME!

Blaming the user is worthless – it‟s not

the user‟s fault.

Gather data - data shows where the

problems are.9

“Pilot Error”

Now never used in aviation

Why?

It won‟t stop the same set of events

happening again.

We need to know why people make

errors – in particular this error.10

“Pilot Error”

Tiredness…

Lack of attention…

Lack of training…

Lack of adequate information…

Loss of situational awareness

CRM

tinael11

Data collection

Find out why people made a particular

error.

Improve displays, communication,

training.

Examine the psychology of decision

making.12

Psychology of Decision

Making

The „risky shift‟

The domineering captain and compliant

co-pilot

CRM

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Current research topics in

aviation human factors

Cultural variations

Situational awareness

Mode confusion

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Cultural variation

KAL 801

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Cultural variation

KAL 801

“Captain, the weather radar has helped

us a lot.”

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Situational awareness

AA695

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Situational awareness

AA695

FMS logic that dropped all intermediate fixes

from the display(s) in the event of execution

of a direct routing.

FMS-generated navigational information that

used a different naming convention from that

published in navigational charts.21

Mode Confusion

AF 447

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Mode Confusion

AF 447

Not one cause but a chain of events:

Tropical storm – turbulence

At 02.10.06 in cruise;

Pitot tubes blocked; ADCs lost input;

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Mode Confusion

Handover to humans, „the startle effect‟;

Alternate law; (suddenly it‟s a different

aircraft)

At 02.11.30 PF declares the a/c out of

control

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Mode Confusion

In alternate law stall protection is

inoperative.

An aural warning “stall, stall” sounded.

When the airspeed drops below about

60kts the stall warning stops!

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Mode Confusion

The CRM was also not quite right.

The Captain and PNF may not have

fully realised what control inputs that the

PF was making.

None of the crew realized in time that

the a/c was completely stalled.26

The problem of mode

confusion will be solved

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The problem of mode

confusion will be solved

Learn from the mistakes of others: you

won’t live long enough to make all of them

for yourself.

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