Designing a suitable utility helicopter cockpit for Turkish pilots is the main theme of this thesis. Helicopter cockpit is one of the ultimate human machine interface application. Consequences of pilot errors during flight in any helicopter cockpit can be catastrophic. Human errors can only be prevented by user-friendly cockpit design. In this thesis, reach compatibilities to controls in the cockpit are evaluated and the suitable positions of analogue indicators at front display panel are examined in order to obtain a user-friendly utility helicopter cockpit design. Human anthropometry is the most significant factor for evaluating cockpit reach compatibilities to controls / so all critical operational reach parameters of Turkish pilots are examined. The anthropometric study revealed vision problems and showed that the height of display panel is inappropriate for most pilots. Suitable positions of the indicators on pedestal are determined by using qualitative and quantitative approaches. As a quantitative approach Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) algorithms are employed. Card sorting methodology is used for the qualitative evaluation of the aforementioned display panel design. Although there are some approaches in literature for designing of displays, a specific design methodology related with the arrangement of indicators on display panel is not offered so far. In this thesis, MCDM and Card sorting approaches are adapted and used in the design of a display panel for the first time. There are lots of similarities between the results of MCDM and Card sorting approaches. The main similarity is to provide separate locations on display panel for engine and flight system indicators. Finally the findings of these techniques are compared with the existing layout of the display panel of a utility helicopter.

Detta arbete har som utgångspunkt att specificera, implementera och utvärdera ett verktyg som har som syfte att ta fram resultat från frågeställningar mot registrerade data från flygplanssimulator. Detta görs genom framtagning av kravspecifikation och en iterativ programutvecklingsmetod. Ett utvärderingstest i simulator utfördes för att samla data som sedan analyserades med verktyget. Detta för att undersöka om det går att hitta tillfällen där hög kognitiv belastning upplevdes.

Work Domain Analysis (WDA) and task analysis are methods that can be used to develop complex systems that support human operators. Task analysis can be used to describe the nominal tasks of many complex safety critical systems which are also highly proceduralized. However, complex systems may require human operators to have a greater understanding of the system's dynamics than can be obtained from procedures derived from a task analysis. This is particularly true when off-nominal events occur, for which there is no procedure. By concentrating on the constraints in the work domain instead of tasks, work domain analysis can complement task analysis by supporting operators during off-nominal events that do not have any predescribed procedures. The goal of this study was to use WDA and two forms of task analysis to derive interface and procedure modifications for a new aviation concept called interval management. Interval management is a new concept whose goal is to increase runway throughput by enabling aircraft to achieve a precise interval behind a lead aircraft. This study used data from a human-in-the-loop study conducted at NASA Langley Research Center to develop a Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Control Task Analysis (CTA), and WDA. The HTA was used to describe a nominal set or procedures, the CTA was used to describe strategies pilots could use to make decisions regarding the IM operation, and the WDA was used to determine representations and procedures that could convey complete and accurate knowledge of interval management to the flightcrew.

In the event of an onboard emergency, air transport pilots are remarkably adept at safely landing their aircraft. However, the tasks of selecting an alternate landing site and developing a safe path to land are very difficult in the high workload, high stress environment of a cockpit during an emergency. The purpose of this research was to develop an automated path planning aid which would assist the pilot in the completion of these tasks. A prototype was developed to test this concept experimentally. The experiment was also intended to gather further information about how pilots think about and accomplish this task as well as the best ways to assist them. In order to better understand the priorities and processes pilots use when dealing with emergency planning, a survey of airline pilots was conducted. The results of this survey highlighted the fact that each emergency is unique and has its own set of factors which are critically important. One factor which is important in many emergencies is the need to land quickly. The survey responses indicated that one of the most important characteristics of a useful tool is that it should provide pertinent information in an easy to use manner, and should not divert too much attention from their other tasks. A number of design goals drove the development of the prototype aid. First, the aid was to work within current aircraft, without requiring substantial redesign on the cockpit. Second, the aid was to help improve pilots' performance without increasing their workload. Finally, the aid was designed to assist pilots in obtaining and processing critical information which influences the site selection and path development tasks. One variation of the aid included a filter dial which allowed pilots to quickly reduce the number of options considered, another variation of the aid did not include such a dial. These two variations of the aid were tested in order to assess the impact of the addition of the filter dial to the system. Though many of the results did not prove to be statistically significant, they suggest that the addition of a filter dial improved the quality of the selected landing site; however, it also increased the time required for the selection. The results were obtained in both familiar and unfamiliar emergencies. The dial was shown to improve the time to complete the task in the case of unfamiliar emergencies. The experiment also compared an optimal ranking system to a non-optimal system, for which results showed no significant difference between the two. This may imply that while pilots did not tend to over rely on the ranking system, under-reliance may need to be addressed by training and a better understanding of the factors which impact the rankings. The participants found that the aid facilitates quick and easy access to critical information. The aid was also useful for processing this information by filtering out options which were inappropriate for a given scenario through the use of the filter dial. The participants also made recommendations about possible improvements which could be made to the system such as better filter settings which are more similar to the way that pilots think about their options.

abstract: From 2001-2011, the General Aviation (GA) fatal accident rate remained unchanged (Duquette & Dorr, 2014) with an overall stagnant accident rate between 2004 and 2013. The leading cause, loss of control in flight (NTSB, 2015b & 2015c) due to pilot inability to recognize approach to stall/spin conditions (NTSB, 2015b & 2016b). In 2013, there were 1,224 GA accidents in the U.S., accounting for 94% of all U.S. aviation accidents and 90% of all U.S. aviation fatalities that year (NTSB, 2015c). Aviation entails multiple challenges for pilots related to task management, procedural errors, perceptual distortions, and cognitive discrepancies. While machine errors in airplanes have continued to decrease over the years, human error still has not (NTSB, 2013). A preliminary analysis of a PC-based, Garmin G1000 flight deck was conducted with 3 professional pilots. Analyses revealed increased task load, opportunities for distraction, confusing perceptual ques, and hindered cognitive performance. Complex usage problems were deeply ingrained in the functionality of the system, forcing pilots to use fallible work arounds, add unnecessary steps, and memorize knob turns or button pushes. Modern computing now has the potential to free GA cockpit designs from knobs, soft keys, or limited display options. Dynamic digital displays might include changes in instrumentation or menu structuring depending on the phase of flight. Airspeed indicators could increase in size to become more salient during landing, simultaneously highlighting pitch angle on Attitude Indicators and automatically decluttering unnecessary information for landing. Likewise, Angle-of-Attack indicators demonstrate a great safety and performance advantage for pilots (Duquette & Dorr, 2014; NTSB, 2015b & 2016b), an instrument typically found in military platforms and now the Icon A5, light-sport aircraft (Icon, 2016). How does the design of pilots’ environment—the cockpit—further influence their efficiency and effectiveness? To explore the possibilities for small aircraft displays, a participatory design investigation was conducted with 9 qualified instrument pilots. Aviators designed mock cockpits on a PC using pictorial cutouts of analog (e.g., mechanical dials) and digital (e.g., dynamic displays) controls. Data was analyzed qualitatively and compared to similar work. Finally, a template for GA displays was developed based on pilot input. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Applied Psychology 2016

I detta examensarbete har jag undersökt förmågan hos nautiker att ta fram och tillgodogöra sig information från radar och ARPA för sitt beslutsunderlag i trafiksituationer. Syftet var att få förståelse i om fartygsbefäl haft svårigheter att få fram denna mycket relevanta information. Detta gjordes med hjälp av förstudier i form av intervjuer med erfarna fartygsbefäl. Dessa intervjuer gav kriterier som möjliggjorde analyseringen av 13 olycksfallsrapporter, vilket utgjorde litteraturstudien. Dessa rapporter var författade av engelska Department of Transport, Marine Investigation Branch(MAIB), Statenshaverikommission(SHK) och  Sjöfartsverkets rapportserie(SjöfR). Dessutom användes både sjö- och luftfartsrelaterade artiklar för framtagning av fakta. Slutsatserna visade att man i hälften av fallen använt sig av väldigt låg nivå på funktionalitet för sitt beslutsunderlag, men att även i de fall man använt mer avancerad funktionalitet fann man brister i tolkning av informationen för att i tid ta beslut för att undvika olyckor. / This is a study about the Navigating Mariners ability to locate and use information from the Radar and ARPA, before taking important decisions in Trafic Situations. The purpose was to acquire an understanding if there are some difficulties in receiving this important information. This purpose was accomplished by a pre-investigation using two interviews with experienced deck officers. This pre-study produced criterias, that made it possible to compare 13 Accident Reports. These reports were used as a litterature for the investigation. The Department of Transport, Marine Investigation Branch(MAIB), The Swedish Accident Investigation Board(SHK) and The Swedish Maritime Safety Inspectorate(SjöfR) had produced these reports. In addition to these reports, the author used both maritime- and aeronautical based articles in order to find more facts about the issues around the investigation. The findings showed that in half of the investigated accidents the mariners involved had used a low level of functionality before making the final decisions. It was also shown, that the ones that had used a very high level of functionality, before the accident, misinterpreted the information and failed to take the right decision in ample time before the accident.