published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-151).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2009. / A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, School of Psychology, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographies.

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1994. / "December 1994." Thesis advisor(s): Lyn R. Whitaker, Frank C. Petho. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-110). Also available online.

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Between 1994 and 2003 spatial disorientation resulted in at least 202 aircraft accidents, 184 of them resulting in fatalities. Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) provides a cost effective and safe way to simulate spatial disorientation and potentially test pilot’s vestibular system prior to aircraft operation. This experiment investigates the use of GVS as an indicator of motion sensitivity and explores the effects of GVS on flight simulation performance. Bilateral bipolar rectangular pulse electrical stimulations were given to subjects via skin-mounted electrodes placed over each mastoid process to stimulate the vestibular system with roll and yaw sensations. Two studies were conducted in this work: one on motion sensitivity and one to examine the effects of GVS during flight simulator use. The motion sensitivity test consisted of an alternating GVS sequence to simulate rolling back and forth. The sequence did generate motion sickness in two out of 12 subjects. Results show no correlation to motion history scores calculated from Kennedy’s Motion Sickness Questionnaire (MSQ). The flight simulator test coupled automatically generated congruent, conflicting, and sham orientation sensations to the roll angles of the aircraft. The stimulations used in this test did not indicate any effect on the simulator flight performance of the subjects. Feedback from subjects during this test raised concern over the delay between left- and right-side stimuli. Further testing to reduce the surface skin sensation showed that a ramp or increasing exponential waveform not only reduced the sensation of current entering the body but significantly increased the orientation sensations resulting from the stimulation. Increasing the orientation response and decreasing the sensation of current breaking the surface of the skin provides a much more desired stimulation for each of the tests in this experiment and any other future tests related to GVS.

<p>Flying an airplane is a complex operation. Pilots must be able to manipulate the three-dimensional flight characteristics, maintain situational awareness, aircraft configurations, interpret charts, and handle communications with air traffic control. This requires maximum cognitive and psychomotor skills. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has added reducing fatigue-related accidents is on their top ten most wanted list. According to the NTSB (2019), fatigue “degrades a person’s ability to stay awake, alert, and attentive to the demands of safely controlling a vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or train” (p.18). Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has called on stakeholders, including the academic community, to reduce the number of accidents in the general aviation sector (Federal Aviation Administration, 2018). After a review of extant literature, most fatigue research in aviation pertains to airline and military operations (Keller, Mendonca, & Cutter, 2019; Levin, Mendonca, Keller, & Teo, 2019; Mendonca, Keller, Lu, 2019). However, collegiate aviation students have differences such as class scheduling, maturity, and regulations. Thus, making collegiate aviation pilots a unique population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was threefold: 1) To investigate the causes and symptoms of fatigue among collegiate aviation students. 2) To investigate whether there is a statistically significant association between enrollment status and a participant’s willingness to fly fatigued. 3) To investigate whether a participant’s age and flight hours predict their willingness to fly while fatigued. The researcher used a mixed-methods online-based survey to answer the research questions. The researcher used convenience and judgment sampling to distribute the survey to eight collegiate aviation programs in the United States. A total of 248 (n = 248) participants participated in the survey. The results of the survey indicated that participants cited excessive workload, stress, and sleep-related issues (disturbances and poor quantity) as the most common causes of fatigue. Participants cited drowsiness, loss of concentration, and physical/mental discomfort, including irritation, as symptoms of fatigue. The results also indicated that there was a statistically significant association between enrollment status and a participant’s willingness to fly while fatigued; students from higher enrollment statuses are more willing to fly fatigued. Lastly, the results indicated that age might be used as a predictor for a participant’s willingness to fly while fatigued. Conversely, flight hours cannot be used as a predictor for a participant’s willingness to fly while fatigued.</p>

The use of Extended Reality(XR) technologies for training is gaining popularity, and flight training is one field that has begun experimenting with the best implementation for their needs. Both Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) have been used in flight simulators, but it is unclear which is the better fit. The research question is: Which implementation (VR, MR) fits better regarding psychological and ergonomic fidelity for flight training simulation? A fidelity/validity framework is used to measure and compare VR and MR in a prototype flight training simulation. Participants from the Swedish Air Force Combat Simulation Center (FLSC) with experience in extended reality (XR) and flight training simulations took part in the study. The results showed that participants performed better and reported a preference for mixed reality (MR) over virtual reality (VR), citing factors such as ease of adaptation, movements, and concentration. The thematic analysis identified three themes: naturalness, intuitiveness, and precision. Based on these findings, MR is deemed a better fit for flight training, offering a higher level of psychological and ergonomic fidelity than VR. This study can inform future research on XR and flight training simulations and inform the incorporation of XR technologies in the design of training simulations.

<p dir="ltr">The interactive computer-generated simulation, virtual reality (VR), is growing as an educational and training tool. The primary objective of this research is to explore the effectiveness of VR in teaching in-flight engine failures to beginner flight students, with the intention of integrating it for Purdue University’s curriculum. The methodology for this study is a quantitative descriptive data analysis method. Participant progression and test scores were monitored and translated to statistical data to represent the findings. From the nationwide Flight Academy program, 30 Purdue University JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) and ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) cadets with little to no flight experience were selected to participate. The population flew a C172S at Purdue Aviation through the Flight Academy program and were tested on in-flight engine failure knowledge to measure student comprehension. Experimental participants practiced in the TakeFlight Interactive flight training program in a virtual C172R and were able to interact and control the simulated aircraft with the use of the HP Reverb G2 head mount display (HMD), Logitech joystick, and Logitech rudder pedals. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in comprehension between the VR and control groups, challenging the initial hypothesis.</p>

Rating scale techniques have been recommended for mental workload assessment. The Modified Cooper-Harper (MCH) Scale is a decision tree scale which has proven to be a reliable indicator of workload. Five additional rating scales were developed to examine rating scale features including a) number of rating scale alternatives, b) decision tree format, c) decision tree hierarchy, and d) (two) computer-implementation(s). The purpose of this study was to improve the sensitivity of the MCH Scale and to try to identify what aspects of the scale contribute to its effectiveness. A simulated flight task emphasizing mediational (cognitive) behavior was used to present low, medium, and high levels of loading to 6 student and thirty licensed pilots. In a Singer-Link GAT-1B flight simulator, the pilots performed three counterbalanced load level flights. After each simulated flight, a rating scale and questionnaire was administered. The results indicated that the paper rating scale having 15 response alternatives and the original decision tree was the most sensitive to load. Both 10-point modifications, the computerized version of the MCH Scale and the version with the decision tree format removed, were somewhat superior to the original MCH Scale, which was also sensitive to load. These findings, however, are not consistent with those obtained in a companion study of communications tasks, indicating that these rating scale measures are task dependent. Use of the MCH Scale is recommended since it alone has consistently demonstrated sensitivity to load across tasks and across studies. / M.S.