Pilot Expertise and Instrument Failure: Detecting Failure is Only Half the Battle

Abstract

The present research examined novice and expert flight performance in simulated routine and announced instrument failure flight conditions. Pilots flew routine flight segments under simulated instrument flight rules, and were informed there would be an instrument failure at some point. Microsoft Flight Simulator was used to simulate a slow vacuum failure that impacted the attitude indicator and the failure was explicitly displayed in large letters on the instrument panel throughout the failure segment. Although novices and experts showed minimal axis deviations from optimal during routine flight maneuvers, the novice deviations increased significantly in the announced failure condition. The results have implications for the efficacy of instrument failure indicators for novice pilots with approximately ninety-five hours of flight experience.