FY 2017Human Factors and Aircraft Safety Subcommittees

By: Kathy Abbott

Date: February 24, 2015

BLI  A11.G  Flight Deck/ Maintenance/ Systems Integration Human Factors

          - *

Flight Deck/Maintenance/System Integration Human Factors Overview
        - Human error continues to be a major factor to aircraft accidents and incidents in commercial and general aviation. 
        - Research focuses on pilots, inspectors, aircraft maintainers
        - Revolution in digital avionics technology, operations, and procedures
        - AIR & AFS guidance needed based on objective research data
        - Human factors implications must be understood to develop appropriate policy, procedures, operations, and training

*

Why is this program necessary? 

Purpose
        - Provides the research foundation for FAA guidelines, handbooks, orders, advisory circulars (ACs), Technical Standards Orders (TSOs), and regulations.
        - Develops human performance information that FAA provides to the aviation industry for use in designing and operating aircraft, and training pilots and maintenance personnel.

Benefits 
        - The program’s major goal is to improve pilot, inspector, and maintenance technician task performance.
        - Helps ensure the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations. 
        - Supports enhanced methods for training and evaluating performance, especially associated with new technologies and aircraft systems.  
        - Improves understanding and application of risk and error management strategies in flight and maintenance operations.

*

Flight Deck/Maintenance/System Integration Human Factors Overview

What is this program? 

*

Flight Deck/Maintenance/System Integration Human Factors Program Capabilities

People

Government

CAMI

Volpe (US DOT)

NASA

Universities

Industry

Laboratories

CAMI Simulators

Volpe Simulators

Partnerships

Enhancing Aviation Safety Through Advanced Procedures, Training & Checking Methods, to include Loss of Control Detection, Avoidance, and Recovery (A11G.HF.1)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Contract Funding ($K)
        - Define and validate data for training guidance and evaluation criteria for FAA Flight Standards personnel. Research areas include:
        - Mitigations for startle, surprise, and distraction for loss of control,
        - Flight path management, including manual flight ops
        - Crew Resource Management 
        - Distance learning, and 
        - Alternative paths to ATP.
        - Experimental validation of training recommendations for flight path management, including manual flight ops.
        - Scientific and technical data to support CRM training and checking guidance, especially pilot monitoring, task management, and other tasks to prevent and mitigate loss of control.
        - Scientific and technical data to support recommendations for distance learning.
        - Reduction in loss of control inflight accidents.
        - Reduced accidents and serious incidents due to lack of knowledge and skills for manual flight operations.
        - Updates to guidance for CRM training
        - Identification of effectiveness and appropriateness of distance learning.
        - Guidance for whether training can supplant experience and to what degree.

Research Requirement

*
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $0     | $1,200  | $1,650  | $1,300 | $600   |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

Avionics & New Technologies (A11G.HF.2)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Research Requirement

Contract Funding ($K)
        - FAA needs development and update of human factors regulatory and guidance material on evolving flight deck technologies including ADS-B, Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), and moving maps.
        - Focus is on human factors/pilot interface issues such as colors, symbols, fonts, labels, workload, situation awareness, errors, etc. as technology changes.
        - Develop and update regulatory and guidance material (i.e., specific rules, ACs, TSOs, Handbooks, etc.) for specific systems (e.g., ADS-B, Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs), moving maps) and documents that provide more general guidance for all flight deck displays (e.g., AC 25-11, AC 23.1311).
        - Research plan to investigate the effects of CDTI/airport moving map display compellingness on pilot attention, alerting, field of view and workload.
        - Analysis of safety reports for EFBs/PEDs/tablets to discover issues and trends.
        - Update the Human Factors Considerations in the Design and Evaluation of Flight Deck Displays and Controls.

*
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $880   | $1,000  | $800    | $550   | $500   |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

Advanced Vision Systems – EFVS, EVS, SVS, and CVS, HUD, HMD – Cert and Ops Approval Criteria (A11G. HF.4)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Research Requirement

Contract Funding ($K)
        - Human factors research is needed to provide a basis for Flight Standards to evaluate and issue operational approvals for Advanced Vision Systems, HUD, and HMD as a part of the FAA's existing approval process.
        - Increase safety, efficiency, capacity, and throughput during low visibility conditions using advanced vision systems, head-up displays, and head-mounted displays.
        - Enable more flight operations to occur in low visibility conditions with less ground infrastructure while maintaining an appropriate level of safety during approach, landing, taxi, and takeoff operations.
        - SVS simulation measuring baseline performance.
        - Identification of minimum training and currency requirements for SVS proficiency.
        - Simulation to evaluate the performance contribution of HUD use.
        - Research plan for pilot performance with CVS.

*
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $213   | $1,000  | $1,400  | $750   | $300   |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

Fatigue Mitigation in Flight Operations (A11G.HF.8)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Research Requirement

Contract Funding ($K)
        - Determine and develop information/measures/data criteria for on-going evaluation of the effectiveness of both Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) and Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) OpSpecs (A317 and A318) to mitigate flightcrew member fatigue and for the evaluation of improvements offered by the new regulation. 
        - Develop data to support recommendations for updating fatigue mitigation guidance and educational materials.
        - Reduced accident rate with pilot fatigue in flight operations as a causal or contributing factor. Flight Standards Service will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of fatigue risk management approaches used by certificate holders under CFR parts 121 and 117 to mitigate fatigue and improve flightcrew member alertness. 
        - Revisions to Advisory Circulars (e.g., AC 120-103 A) associated with the flightcrew member duty and rest regulations as determined by the continuous monitoring and analysis of the FRMS and FRMP databases.
        - Analyses of the FRMP databases on day to day operational fatigue evaluating the effectiveness of fatigue mitigation outcomes both before and after implementation of the new rule.
        - Draft report documenting the effectiveness of fatigue mitigation of day to day operations of the new rule. 
        - Provide recommendations for updating relevant AC guidance and/or educational materials.

*
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $0     | $350    | $100    | $100   | $0     |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

Maintenance Human Factors to Support Risk-Based Decision Making (RBDM) and Maintenance Safety Culture (A11G.HF.10)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Research Requirement

Contract Funding ($K)

The requirement is structured into five complementary phases to support effective risk-based decision making in maintenance.

Methods for inspectors, to support evaluation and enhancement of safety culture in maintenance (Safety Culture).

Methods for Inspectors that operationalize risk-based decision making (including usability assessments and human factors design for the interface of real time data collection) (Risk-based Decision Making (RBDM)).

Methods that support integration of SMS and HF by improved collection and use of HF- related voluntary data (SMS-Human Factors Integration).

Methods for analyzing human error in General Aviation maintenance (GA Maintenance Error); and Continuing evaluation of the impact of AFS R&D (R&D Impact).

The research supports the regulation requiring Part 121 airlines and others to implement a Safety Management System. 

The R&D also supports top AVS and AFS priorities to deliver outputs including:
        - Focus attention and resources to interventions that pose the highest risk
        - Increased integration of mx human factors-related risk into comprehensive SMS programs and
        - Methods to analyze and address maintenance human factors error in GA.
        - Report documenting methods used to develop, evaluate, and enhance safety culture in aviation and other industries.
        - Report documenting review and categorization of support tools for risk-based decision making.
        - Report recommending the mx human factors issues that should be integrated into SMS.
        - Report documenting the types of HF errors involved in general aviation accidents and incidents.

*
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $0     | $0      | $800    | $400   | $1,200 |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

UAS Human Factors Control Station Design Standards (A11L.UAS.24)

Critical Milestones

Sponsor  Outcome

Research Requirement

Contract Funding ($K)

This research will address gaps in knowledge that are currently a barrier to the safe, efficient, and timely integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS).  Four separate, but highly interdependent, research areas need to be addressed

1.  Control Station Standards and Guidelines 

2.  Control Station Ergonomics, Safety, and Security 

3.  Crewmember Training and Certification

4.  UAS Pilot & Crewmember Procedures and Operational Requirements 
        - Establish minimum primary flight display layout, crew station layout, and crew training minimum standards
        - Achieving this outcome would permit UAS pilots to transition from one Control Station to another with a sense of familiarity and help prevent negative habit transfer, and to also safely execute DAA functions with proper, timely information provided to them.
        - Development of control station and crewmember standards and guidelines. (10/2017-09/2019)
        - Development of recommended crewmember training and certification requirements. (09/2019)
| Funded | Request | Planned | Target | Target |
|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| FY15   | FY16    | FY17    | FY18   | FY19   |
| $-     | $-      | $1,200  | $1,500 | $200   |

          - *

DRAFT TEMPLATE

FY14-FY17 Core Flight Deck Research Requirements Overview

*
| FY 2014                                                                                                                                                 | FY 2015 | FY 2016 | FY 2017 |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|---------|---------|
| Enhancing Aviation Safety Through Advanced Procedures, Training & Checking Methods, to Include Loss of Control Detection, Avoidance, and Recovery   |        | TBD     |        |  |
| Avionics & New Technologies                                                                                                                         |        |        |        |
| Advanced Vision Systems (EFVS, EVS, SVS, and CVS), Head Up Displays (HUD), Head Mounted Displays (HMD): Certification and Operational Approval Criteria |        |        |        |
| Fatigue Mitigation in Flight Operations                                                                                                                 |        |        |
| Maintenance Human Factors to Support Risk-Based Decision Making and Maintenance Safety Culture                                                          |        |
| Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Human Factors Considerations                                                                                            |        |        |        |
| General Aviation Safety Improvement Research – A Multi-Method Approach to Accident Reduction                                                            |        |
| Human Factors Maintenance Risk Management                                                                                                               | TBD     |