Aviation operators (pilots, ATCOs) decision-making process

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and evaluate the subjective decision-making of pilots during final approach with varying degrees of experience for landing and go-around. Design/methodology/approach In this research, the “Lorenz Attractor” was modified and used to model the subjective decision-making of pilots during the final approach. For landing and go-around situations, “hesitation frequency” and “decision-making time” were calculated for the subjective decision-making of pilots. Findings In this research, the modified Chaotic Lorenz Model was used on MATLAB with varying degrees of experience, namely, student pilots, less-skilled pilots, experienced pilots and well-experienced pilots. Based on the outcomes, the less-skilled pilot needs nearly four times more decision-making time on landing or go-around compared to the well-experienced pilot during the final approach. Practical implications Operators (pilots, air traffic controllers) need to make critical and timely decisions in a highly complex work environment, which is influenced by several external elements such as experience level and human factors. According to NASA, 80% of aviation accidents occur due to human errors specifically over the course of the aviation decision-making process in dynamic circumstances. Due to the consequences of this research the operators' training should be redesigned by assisting flight instructors on the weaknesses of pilots. Originality/value This research explores the endogenous dynamics of the pilot decision-making process by applying a novel “Chaotic Lorenz Model” on MATLAB. In addition, the operator's total decision time formula was improved by including the decision reviewing time and external factors. Moreover, subjective decision-making model created by the current authors and Wicken's information model were modified to the highly automated systems.

Digital Ergonomics—The Reliability of the Human Factor and Its Impact on the Maintenance of Aircraft Brakes and Wheels

“…Human factors and ergonomics, in a context relevant to aircraft maintenance, can be defined as part of each worker's professional maturity, based on an understanding of the physical, psychological, and social factors that form the basis of a safety culture in aviation. The objective of the human factor in all technical branches and sections of aircraft maintenance is to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of aircraft maintenance by minimizing human errors and their negative impact on the performance of maintenance personnel [40,[45][46][47][48].…”