Digital Training to Analog Flying:

Is There a Problem?Western Michigan University,

College of AviationGeoff Whitehurst, Tom Grossman,

William Rantz

Great Lakes International Aviation Conference 2011

1827

577323

Glass equipmentAnalog equipmentLight Glass equipment

Number of aircraft

Notes: (1) Light Glass means EADI and EHSI(2) Total aircraft includes part 121 regional airlines and part 135 charter operators likely to hire WMU grads(3) Part 91 operations are not included due to lack of reliable data.

09/0

0 - 0

8/02

09/0

2 - 0

8/04

09/0

4 - 0

8/06

09/0

6 - 0

8/08

09/0

8 - 0

9/10

0102030405060708090

100

Glass

Analog/light glass

Leaving Avia-tion

CFI’s Leaving WMU to Fly…

Notes: Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

Date Frame (month/year)

Perc

enta

ge

134, 45%

118, 40%

43, 15%

CFI's leaving…..

To fly glassTo fly analog or light glassAviation

Data represents years 1999 – presentNotes: Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

# of individuals, percentage of total

16, 47%

13, 38%

5, 15%

CFI's leaving…..

To fly glassTo fly analog or light glassAviation

Data represents years 09/2000 – 08/2002Notes: Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

# of individuals, percentage of total

7, 17%

22, 55%

11, 28%

CFI's leaving…..

To fly glassTo fly analog or light glassAviation

Data represents years 09/2002 - 08/2004Notes: Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

# of individuals, percentage of total

Conclusions• Pilots hired into a 121 carrier will likely be

assigned a glass equipped aircraft.

• Industry trends indicate a shift toward entry level positions requiring glass proficiency.

• Recent economic times has shifted entry level positions from 121 to 135 & 91 operators, thereby maintaining the need for analog skills.

CFI Survey

• WMU is considering the pros and cons of moving to an all-glass training fleet. Please answer the following questions.

CFI Survey• What percentage of your multi engine students struggle with

situational awareness when initially transitioning to the Seminole/Seneca?

• List the approximate percentage of students who have experienced the following.

• The total of your responses should be close to 100%.

______ No struggle at all______ Slight initial struggle but adapted well______ Moderate struggle______ Significant struggle to adjust to analog presentation______ Still struggling at course completion 

CFI Survey• On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least important and

5 being the most, how important is it for WMU graduates to have

– An all glass exposure 1 2 3 4 5

– An all analog exposure 1 2 3 4 5

– A mixed glass/analog exposure 1 2 3 4 5

5%34%

33%

21%

7%

How Well Do Students Transition to Analog?

No struggles

Slight initial struggle

Moderate struggle

Significant struggle

Still struggling at course completion

What % struggle with SA?

Conclusions

• WMU MEIs indicate that the average student experiences moderate difficulty with Situational Awareness while flying aircraft equipped with analog instrumentation.

• WMU MEIs have expressed an overwhelming opinion that WMU graduates should have a mixed exposure to both glass and analog equipment.

Research• Research into this potentially lethal problem

is obviously required.

• A study is being developed to determine if there is flight performance degradation, and/or situational awareness degradation for pilots who have only experienced digital flight instrumentation when exposed to analog instrumentation for the first time.

Review of Existing Literature

• Numerous studies on transition from traditional cockpit to a modern-glass cockpit.

• No empirical research examining the transition of pilots from a modern-glass cockpit to a traditional analog cockpit and the possible risks involved

• Anecdotal information about transition challenges

Research Questions

• When pilots trained in digitally equipped aircraft transition to analog equipped aircraft, is there:

• A) technical skills degradation?• B) situational awareness degradation?

Simulator vs PC-ATD

Simulator

Sim Photo

Sim Photo

Personal Computer – Aviation Training Device (PC-ATD)

Cessna 182 Skylane Glass

Cessna 182 Skylane RG

PC-ATD Photo with Analog Instrumentation

Flight Profiles

• Four flights per session• Each flight consists of

– Take-off – Radar vectored instrument pattern

• Position check (situational awareness)– ILS to land

• Assessed using practical test standards for instrument flight

Experimental Design

• Two group control group design

• Participants randomly allocated to either the control group or the treatment group

• Pre-test - Control and Treatment– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass

• Post-test - Control– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass

• Post-test - Treatment – Cessna 182 Skylane RG

Analysis of Data

• Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)

• Pre-test scores as the covariate

Applied Research Outcomes

• If there are technical skills degradation. To what extent is that degradation and can those skills be brought to proficiency and within what time period?

• If there is situational awareness degradation. To what extent is that degradation and can those skills be brought to proficiency and within what time period?