Commercial Pilots Research Articles

Developing a Taxonomy for Success in Commercial Pilot Behaviors

Human error has been well studied in aviation. However, less is known about the ways in which human performance maintains and contributes to aviation safety. The lack of data on positive human performance prevents consideration of the full range of human behaviors when making safety and risk management decisions. The concept of resilient performance provides a framework to understand and classify positive human behaviors. Through interviews with commercial airline pilots, this study examined routine airline operations to evaluate the concept of resilient performance and to develop a taxonomy for success. The four enablers of resilient performance, anticipation, learning, responding, and monitoring, were found to be exhaustive but not mutually exclusive. The tenets of resilience theory apply in airline pilot behavior, but operationalizing a taxonomy will require more work.

Marital Status & Work-Life Balance: A Case Study of Commercial Pilots of Pakistan

The aim of this research is to examine whether the states of work-life balance differ according to the different marital statuses of commercial pilots in Pakistan. The increasing intensities resulting from globalization have led to pressure on organizations, and in times such as the present when job insecurity and downsizing are a norm, employees tend to invest more effort and time into their professions to provide them with greater security. As a result, employees often neglect the other and equally important domain, the life domain. The variables that were used for the research study are marital status and work-life balance. This quantitative study concluded that commercial pilots, regardless of their marital statuses, undergo massive imbalances in their work and life domains. The study also provides recommendations for improving levels of work-life balance.

Developing a Competency Learning Model for Students of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Over the past decade, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), along with commercial UAS pilots, have become an established and increasingly regulated industry. Unfortunately, in the U.S. the number of near misses and incidents involving unsafe UAS operations is increasing dramatically. Additionally, industries looking to adopt UAS technologies not only require trained professionals to ensure safe and legal operations but may look for competencies that go well beyond the minimum regulatory requirements. To date, research regarding the higher order learning outcomes and competencies that are expected of UAS university graduates is lacking. Therefore, this research attempts to provide perspective of the core competencies that industry organizations may desire in a UAS graduate and, by extension, in a UAS professional. This paper describes the methods used to identify core UAS competencies, and presents a UAS Competency Learning Model that may help educators better prepare graduates for successful industry careers. Researchers utilized a multi-phase process over an 18-month period using both quantitative and qualitative methods, which included literature reviews, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and attendance at UAS industry events. Ultimately, from this research emerged the following six UAS competencies: Leadership, Technical Excellence, Safety and Ethics, Analytical Thinking, Teamwork, and Entrepreneurship.

Personality Trends in the Pilot Population

Personality has been acknowledged since the 1970’s as an influencing factor in pilot performance and training outcomes (King, 2014; Bartram, 1995). Since the late 1940’s, pilot selection techniques have included personality related questions (Olson, Phillips, aWalker, 2009; Callister, King, Retzlaff, a Marsh, 1999; Dolgin a Gib, 1988; Fiske, 1947). Unfortunately, despite the large number of different personality indexes used within this line of research, there has not been an aggregation of all aviation studies examining pilot personality and its impact on performance and success. In the current effort, a literature review was conducted to identify research that examined pilot personality traits, and a high-level summary of the findings related to trends in pilot personality traits is provided. The summary includes an examination of personality traits across the differing pilot categories (i.e., commercial, student, and military pilots) and pilot genders. When examining pilots, in general, compared to a general population, consistent with past research, pilots tend to exhibit personality traits lower in neuroticism, higher in extraversion, equivalent in openness, lower in agreeableness, and higher in conscientiousness. However, when different pilot categories are examined, the trends are not as ubiquitous. For instance, commercial pilots research consistently shows pilots to have higher levels of conscientiousness than the general population; however, for military and student pilots the results are not equivocal. We present here the methods and results associated with our review of the literature and provide a discussion of what can be gleaned and future research needed.

A TLD-Microdosimeter for aerospace usage: Results relevant to airline pilots undertook long-haul intercontinental flights during March–May 2017

During high altitude long haul flights pilots, cabin crew and passengers are exposed to enhanced level of radiation originating from cosmic ray showers (CRS), produced via the interaction of very high-energy (~GeV) primary protons with the air molecules in Earth's atmosphere. The CRS are composed of energetic particles of diverse species, i.e. neutrons, protons, electrons, muons, pions and photons. Furthermore, the magnitude of aircrew radiation exposure depends on flight altitude and duration, geographical location (latitude), geomagnetic conditions and solar activity (modulation) status. In 1990 the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) classified airline crewmembers as “radiation workers”. A miniature passive microdosimeter (LiBe-14) based on LiF (TLD700) and Beryllium Oxide (BeO) thermoluminescence dosimeter chips emulating a large volume gas-filled Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) was developed by one of the authors (BM). The LiBe-14 was deployed to assess the integrated ambient dose equivalent of two commercial pilots on long haul intercontinental flights during March–May 2017. The accumulated dose equivalents of 1st (38 y, Female, 148 total block hours) and 2nd (29 y, Male, 149 total block hours) pilots were evaluated to be 565 μSv ± 105 μSv and 738 μSv ± 137 μSv, respectively. The results agreed well within ±20% of simulated data evaluated using the well-known EPCARD (European Program Package for the Calculation of Aviation Route Doses) aviation dosimetry code. The implementation of LiBe-14 Microdosimeter in routine long haul, high-altitude commercial flights for the estimation of dose equivalent, average LET and quality factor relevant to impinging cosmic radiation is recommended.

Predicting Design-Induced Error on the Flight Deck : An Aircraft Engine Oil Leak Scenario.

To explore the types of errors that commercial pilots may make when trying to resolve a suspected engine oil leak using the interfaces currently available. The decisions that pilots make often have to be made quickly and under time pressure, with the emphasis on avoiding critical situations from arising. To make the correct decisions, it is vital that pilots have accurate and up-to-date information available. However, interaction with flight deck interfaces may lead to error if they are not effectively designed. A hierarchical task analysis was conducted using evidence from pilot interview data to understand the pilots' typical response to a suspected engine oil leak scenario. This was used as the primary input into the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA). A total of 108 possible errors were identified. The most common error type was a retrieval error, in which flight crews may retrieve the wrong information about the engine. A number of remedial measures are proposed to try and overcome such issues. This analysis provides an initial starting point for identifying potential future design ideas that can assist the pilots in dealing with oil leaks. This work has identified the value of applying human error identification methodologies to the assessment of current flight deck processes surrounding engine oil leaks. The method presented permits the operational analysis of possible errors on the flight deck and facilitates the proposition of remedial measures to implement technological innovations that can mitigate error.

Linking Implementation of Public Policy and Pilot Airmanship to Flight Safety in Indonesia: A Structural Equation Model

Background: Although the flight accident rate in Indonesia has declined, several accidents still occur every year. In Indonesia, there are several major factors that can affect flight accidents, such as human error, policy aspect, limited facilities, and technological factors. Aims: The present study examines the relationship between the implementation of public policy and pilots’ airmanship and flight safety in Indonesia. Methods: Questionnaires with 171 questions about airmanship, flight safety, and public policy were distributed to 270 randomly selected Indonesian commercial pilots. A structural equation model was used to test the hypothesis model concerning the implementation of public policy, pilots’ airmanship, and flight safety. Results: The empirical results strongly support the hypothesis that there is a significant relationship between behavior, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy and airmanship; a significant relationship between pilots’ airmanship and the implementation of public policies; and a significant relationship between the implementation of public policy and aviation safety.

Interventions to support the management of work-related stress (WRS) and wellbeing/mental health issues for commercial pilots

Research indicates that sources of work-related stress (WRS) impact on the physical, social, and psychological health of pilots. Furthermore, specific features of the job can increase a pilot’s risk in relation to developing a mental health (MH) issue. It is impossible to remove all stress from the work life of pilots. A high stress situation may not necessarily be detrimental to the person, once they have learned to cope with it in a healthy manner. Nonetheless, risk pertaining to WRS need to be effectively managed by a pilot’s employer. Therefore, it is important to identify solutions at an airline and pilot self-management level. This paper reports on the findings of human factors research undertaken with commercial pilots pertaining to work-related stress (WRS) and its impact on wellbeing, performance, and safety. The findings of a series of co-design workshops and a follow-up anonymous survey were analysed to identify potential solutions at (1) an airline and (2) pilot self-management level. Potential solutions are framed in relation to six impact scenarios. Furthermore, they are located within the existing regulatory framework, including the latest implementation rules (IR), acceptable means of compliance (ACM), and guidance material (GM) as outlined by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA 2019). Proposed interventions should promote wellbeing and positive mental health while also addressing suffering and mental ill health. Airline interventions might focus on enhancing existing Safety Management System (SMS) approaches to better manage risks pertaining to WRS, advancing new tools to enable wellbeing briefing, risk assessment, and reporting, and training pilots in relation to MH awareness, risk identifying behaviour, and coping strategies. Furthermore, new role/functions might be introduced to support the implementation and management of WRS/wellbeing/MH safety/risk processes at an airline level. Requirements for new digital tools to support pilot awareness of WRS/wellbeing/MH, self-management of WRS/wellbeing/MH and risk identification both inside and outside the cockpit are also proposed. Some of recommendations arising in this research require changes to the existing rule-making and/or modification to existing AMC and GM.

Stress among ab-initio pilots: A model of contributing factors by AHP

Human error in the cockpit triggers a chain of incidences, which might lead in aviation to fatal consequences. Indeed, it is the highest contributor to aviation accidents, where stress is correlated positively. Despite the large research base for commercial or military pilots, there is no study related to the workplace stressors of ab-initio pilots. With these considerations in mind, the present study is set out to explore stress factors among ab-initio pilots in the university. For this purpose, stressors were isolated and assessed by interviews with flight instructors. Then, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to weigh those stressors among ab-initio pilots. A hierarchy was built with 3 criteria and 12 sub-criteria. Results showed that the most important criterion in stress among ab-initio pilots is personal factors, followed by organizational factors and environmental factors. Furthermore, the results revealed that the first four stressors within the global ranking were determined as the lack in body of knowledge, meteorological conditions, personality, and facilities and the fleet with the weights of 0.195, 0.154, 0.11 and 0.109. This work is unique due to its coverage of ab-initio pilots, and the results presented here may facilitate improvements in the evaluation of individual ab-initio pilots and the teaching environment for stress contributing factors.

What is color and how it is perceived?

The physical nature of color is well known and is based on its wavelength; however, the color perception in humans and animals is much less understood and is based mostly only on some assumptions and theories. We present the current knowledge on both of these topics, describe the anatomic basis for color vision, and discuss color vision deficiencies. Color vision disturbances can not only interfere with everyday activities but also impede performing specific professions. Commercial or military pilots, electricians, defense forces including paramilitary, food and art critics, and some physicians, scientists, and engineers may not be able to perform their professions to the full extent. Colors play an important role in the culture of various societies. The same color can have the opposite meaning in different cultures. Lack of knowledge of these meanings, when overcoming huge distances, is no longer a problem, but it can lead to unpleasant misunderstandings. Such cultural meanings of color are also discussed.

Insights into the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to investigate the behavior of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga

AbstractVertical take‐off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming invaluable data collection platforms for cetacean research. In particular, multi‐rotors can be used to measure whales and investigate their behavior. Moreover, VTOL UAVs are increasingly accessible for recreational and commercial pilots, and close encounters with whales are widely documented. Unfortunately, quantitative assessments of potential disturbance for the targeted animals are not yet published and guidelines for responsible use of UAVs around cetaceans are still under development. We conducted VTOL UAV surveys on humpback whales in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. Interestingly, whale behaviors such as socializing and nurturing were not detected by trained observers on board the research vessel, but were evident from the UAV. Nevertheless, no significant differences were detected in diving and swim parameters between absence and presence of UAV flying at 30 m altitude. These results suggest that VTOL UAVs can be a noninvasive tool to gather morphometric and behavioral data on baleen whales. However, further research is necessary to establish whether applications that require flight altitudes lower than 30 m and targeting different species may elicit behavioral responses.

Recruitment process and its impact on retention of commercial pilots in Indian aviation industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out the effect of recruitment practices on the retention of commercial pilots by the airlines in India. Often it is found that trained pilots pilfered by other airlines within/outside of India and Indian aviation industry have to rely on expatriate pilots to fly the aircrafts. Newly appointed pilots are required to be trained due to the lack of experience, which is a huge investment by the airlines. Therefore, the recruitment and retention of the commercial pilots create challenges for aviation industry in India. Design/methodology/approach Research design of the present study was exploratory and descriptive to evaluate the effect of recruitment practices on the retention of commercial pilots by airlines in India. All together, 225 commercial pilots from different Indian airlines participated in the present study. Instruments were designed to understand the practices related to recruitment, selection and retention strategies of commercial pilots used by these airlines, and how pilots perceive about recruitment practices and its relevance for retention strategies in the organization. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis Findings Results of data analysis have revealed five factors of retention and selection measures, which were encouraging and employee-friendly recruitment policy, impact of external factors, organizational internal factors, employment brand and organizational growth and self-advancement opportunities. Similarly, retention strategies measures had four factors, namely, positive work culture, opportunities for individual growth, development, and salary benefit package, and opportunity for self-achievement. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient result revealed significantly positive relationship between various dimensions of recruitment and selection to retention strategies. Further regression analysis revealed the effect of those recruitment policies on retention was positive. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study could be potential bias and prejudice of the people involved and responded. As information was collected only form Indian commercial pilots, the findings might have changed if study was to be applied to a different country or economy. Random sampling error could not be ruled out. Preferred, accepted and perceived recruitment strategies and retention polices of Indian aviation sectors might be different as compare to other countries aviation sectors policies. Influence of cultural, organizational internal and external factors result might be different as compared to result of present study. Practical implications This is an important study, which will help the aviation sector to design recruitment policies and retention strategies to retain pilots to deal with a high level of attrition. Furthermore, present study will help the aviation sector in designing their policies and strategies, which forces pilots to remain with particular air carrier for longer time. It will give the same direction to other organizations, in general. Social implications The concept of recruitment and retention is applicable to each and every service sector. There could be different parameters for the same. Social implication of the present study is the same as it is for the aviation sectors. It is implied that service sectors must have appropriate recruitment policies, i.e. encouraging and employee friendly recruitment policy, conscious and continuous evaluation organizations’ external as well as internal factor, efforts shall be made to create employment branding, always focus on growth and advancement opportunities for the employees and organization. Positive work culture, opportunities for individual growth and development, salary benefit package and opportunity for self-achievement will help employees to remain with the organization for longer time. Originality/value This is an original research in the area of understanding recruitment policies and retention practices of commercial pilots in Indian aviation industry. This study is related to practical and genuine problem of attrition. Not many studies are found in this particular area.

Gaze-based interactions in the cockpit of the future: a survey

Flying an aircraft is a mentally demanding task where pilots must process a vast amount of visual, auditory and vestibular information. They have to control the aircraft by pulling, pushing and turning different knobs and levers, while knowing that mistakes in doing so can have fatal outcomes. Therefore, attempts to improve and optimize these interactions should not increase pilots’ mental workload. By utilizing pilots’ visual attention, gaze-based interactions provide an unobtrusive solution to this. This research is the first to actively involve pilots in the exploration of gaze-based interactions in the cockpit. By distributing a survey among 20 active commercial aviation pilots working for an internationally operating airline, the paper investigates pilots’ perception and needs concerning gaze-based interactions. The results build the foundation for future research, because they not only reflect pilots’ attitudes towards this novel technology, but also provide an overview of situations in which pilots need gaze-based interactions.

Alzheimer's disease biomarkers: another tool for FAA pilot screening?

Research advancements to improve the accuracy of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) have altered clinicians and researchers’ understanding of the disease process. The discovery of amyloid and tau biomarkers as measures of disease pathology supports early identification of disease risk that precedes symptom onset. As a result, AD is now understood to be an underlying pathology that causes a spectrum of clinical syndromes, beginning with preclinical AD. Future clinical implementation of biomarkers will raise novel employment and professional licensure discrimination risks based on AD biomarker status. This article evaluates the potential consequences of biomarker status for commercial pilots within Federal Aviation Administration pilot licensing procedures. The article argues for a careful implementation of AD biomarker status in licensing procedures to emphasize public safety, integrate accurate scientific knowledge, and limit unjustified and adverse consequences for individual pilots.

IN-FLIGHT BARODONTALGIA AMONG COMMERCIAL AND MILITARY PILOTS OF PAKISTANI ORIGIN

Background: Barodontalgia is defined as oral pain occurring due to changes in ambient pressure. It can be severe enough to cause inflight incapacitation and has a tendency to go undiagnosed in regular sickbays. There is a large variation in incidence of Barodontalgia in the literature and major fraction of epidemiological data on Barodontalgia has been compiled from military flight simulations. The aim of this study was to document the frequency of in-flight Barodontalgia in Pakistani military and civilian aircrew. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on (non- patient) civilian as well as military pilots. Subjects were given standardized and anonymous questionnaires to complete regarding demographic and professional characteristics, occurrence of oral pain during flying, character of pain, treatment seeking and recurrence of the pain. Results: Out of the 100 subjects, 51 responded (response rate of 51%), with mean age 30.31 ± 5.634 Years; 17.6% (09) of these participants (All Civilian) reported at least one event of barodontalgia during their career. A total of 88 %( 8/9) of pilots visited their dentists after they had oral pain. The diagnosis rendered by their dental surgeons was always dental pain. None of the patients reported recurrence of the disease or premature mission termination due to dental pain. None of the military Pilots reported a n y e v e n t o f Barodontalgia. Conclusion: Barodontalgia was reported exclusively by commercial pilots, which was of a minor non-recurrent nature and did not disrupt their health or flight routines.

Recent Experiences of Helicopter Main Rotor Blade Damage

Results of a survey investigating commonly occurring minor rotor blade damage incidents are presented in this paper. Over 100 participants worldwide ranging from test pilots to commercial pilots and licensed engineers answered the survey. The focus of this work was to provide a user-oriented context that can inform the decision-making process for integrating state-of-the-art instrumentation systems for rotor blade health monitoring onboard operational helicopters. This paper highlights the dichotomy faced by designers who have a choice to follow either a reactive strategy based on operational experience or a preventative approach based on technological trends.

Melanoma incidence in Australian commercial pilots, 2011–2016

ObjectivesOccupational exposure to cosmic and ultraviolet radiation may increase airline pilots’ risk of cutaneous melanoma. Meta-analyses of available data show a higher than average incidence of melanoma in airline pilots,...

Physicians Should Play a Role in Ensuring Safe Firearm Ownership.

The USA is unique among industrialized nations in its dramatic rate of firearm violence. Unfortunately, firearm-related issues in America are politically divisive and fraught with controversy, thus impeding the study and implementation of safety strategies. Despite the lack of consensus, there is agreement that firearms should be kept away from individuals with criminal intent and those who are dangerous due to medical impairment. While predicting criminal intent remains challenging, assessment of medical impairment remains a viable target. One approach in which physicians could contribute their expertise includes training a subset of doctors to perform specialized medical evaluations as a prerequisite for gun ownership. Such a process is not unprecedented, as physicians currently have a role in protecting the public's safety through assessments for commercial drivers, pilots, and train operators. Certified physician examiners could conduct these evaluations with a focus on evaluating objective, skill-based metrics to limit potential evaluator bias. The results of the medical evaluation would then be considered by an existing regulatory body to determine if disqualifying criteria are present. This proposal provides a mechanism for trained physicians to meaningfully participate in addressing an alarming public health issue, while still working within existing legal frameworks.

Visual scan patterns reflect to human-computer interactions on processing different types of messages in the flight deck

The flight deck of commercial aircraft is sophisticated and searching for the necessary information at the right time is sometimes challenging. This research investigates pilot's visual parameters while interacted with two different designs of crew alerting system by eye tracking technology. There are 24 aviation professionals that participated in this experiment including commercial pilots, private pilots and avionic engineers. Compared with traditional design, the new integrated design applied proximity compatibility principles to assist pilots in searching necessary information to deal with urgent situations. The results demonstrated that the integrated design is superior to traditional design in providing accurate instructions as determined by visual behaviors. However, the integrated design increases pilot's situation awareness by redirecting attention from current task to the most critical task with the cost of a longer total fixation duration time. Pilot's visual parameters demonstrated significant differences while interacting with PFD mainly numeric, ND mostly by symbols and EICAS with presented text messages. Therefore, flight deck design has to adopt a holistic approach as pilot's visual attentions is shifting among all types of different displays to gain situation awareness rather than focus on only one display. The design of integrated EICAS can provide detailed instructions to deal with urgent situations which induced higher cognitive loads as pilot's pupil dilation is significant bigger than interacted with traditional design. By eye tracking technology, it is applicable to design human-centred flight decks to improve safety and human performance in aviation.

An Investigation into the Factors that Affect Miscommunication between Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers in Commercial Aviation

ABSTRACTObjective: The present research sought to investigate the communication performance of both native English sounding pilots and accented commercial pilots in two different phases of flight, the approach and departure phase of flight.Background: English language proficiency requirements, standardized phraseology, and readbacks are some of the proactive measures which the aviation industry employs to ensure effective communication. However, despite these efforts, errors in communication still occur, and anecdotal evidence suggests that factors such as language background and phase of flight increase the likelihood of communication errors.Method: Eighteen hours of air-ground communications at Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney, Australia, were analyzed.Results: The results revealed that accented pilots committed more communication errors than native English sounding pilots and more specifically that these errors were mistakes rather than omissions, and involved words rather than numbers. Communication performance was similar in the approach and departure phases of flight regardless of language background.Conclusion: These results provide detailed information about the type of communication errors which occur in commercial aviation, their prevalence and the context in which they occur, which helps guide where resources should be directed to further improve safety.