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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

General aviation IFR operational problems

Operational problems of general aviation IFR operators (particularly single pilot operators) were studied. Several statistical bases were assembled and utilized to identify the more serious problems and to demonstrate their magnitude. These bases include official activity projections, historical accident data and delay data, among others. The GA operating environment and cockpit environment were analyzed in detail. Solutions proposed for each of the problem areas identified are based on direct consideration of currently planned enhancements to the ATC system, and on a realistic assessment of the present and future limitations of general aviation avionics. A coordinated set of research program is suggested which would provide the developments necessary to implement the proposed solutions.

Bolz, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Reduced Crew/Single Pilot Operations for Commercial Aircraft - Concept of Operations and Technology Needs

In 2012, NASA began exploring the feasibility of single pilot operations (SPO) and reduced crew operations (RCO) in the context of scheduled passenger air carrier operations (i.e., Parts 121 and 125). Technology and automation, especially aircraft automation, have significantly advanced in the 21st century and may be enabling to SPO. However, a move to SPO also has significant challenges. The purpose of a three-year NASA effort was to identify those challenges through workshops, analytic studies, and human-in-the-loop simulations assessing promising concepts and prototype solutions. This presentation will describe the progress that has been made in that three year effort.

reduced crew operations↗
NASA NTRS1982

Development of flying qualities criteria for single pilot instrument flight operations

Flying qualities criteria for Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations were investigated. The ARA aircraft was modified and adapted for SPIFR operations. Aircraft configurations to be flight-tested were chosen and matched on the ARA in-flight simulator, implementing modern control theory algorithms. Mission planning and experimental matrix design were completed. Microprocessor software for the onboard data acquisition system was debugged and flight-tested. Flight-path reconstruction procedure and the associated FORTRAN program were developed. Algorithms associated with the statistical analysis of flight test results and the SPIFR flying qualities criteria deduction are discussed.

Bar-Gill, A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Single pilot IFR operating problems determined from accidental data analysis

The accident reports examined were restricted to instrument rated pilots flying in IFR weather. A brief examination was made of accidents which occurred during all phases of flight and which were due to all causes. A detailed examination was made of those accidents which involved a single pilot which occurred during the landing phases of flight, and were due to pilot error. Problem areas found include: (1) landing phase operations especially final approach, (2) pilot weather briefings, (3) night approaches in low IFR weather, (4) below minimum approaches, (5) aircraft icing, (6) imprecise navigation, (7) descending below minimum IFR altitudes, (8) fuel mismanagement, (9) pilot overconfidence, and (10) high pilot workload especially in twins. Some suggested areas of research included: (1) low cost deicing systems, (2) standardized navigation displays, (3) low cost low-altitude warning systems, (4) improved fuel management systems, (5) improved ATC communications, (6) more effective pilot training and experience acquisition methods, and (7) better weather data dissemination techniques.

Forsyth, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Flying qualities criteria for GA single pilot IFR operations

The flying qualities criteria in general aviation (GA) to decrease accidents are discussed. The following in-flight research is discussed: (1) identification of key aerodynamic configurations; (2) implementation of an in-flight simulator; (3) mission matrix design; (4) experimental systems; (5) data reduction; (6) optimal flight path reconstruction. Some of the accomplished work is reported: an integrated flight testing and flight path reconstruction methodology was developd, high accuracy in trajectory estimation was achieved with an experimental setup, and a part of the flight test series was flown.

Bar-Gill, A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Task Analytic Process to Define Future Concepts in Aviation

A necessary step when developing next generation systems is to understand the tasks that operators will perform. One NextGen concept under evaluation termed Single Pilot Operations (SPO) is designed to improve the efficiency of airline operations. One SPO concept includes a Pilot on Board (PoB), a Ground Station Operator (GSO), and automation. A number of procedural changes are likely to result when such changes in roles and responsibilities are undertaken. Automation is expected to relieve the PoB and GSO of some tasks (e.g. radio frequency changes, loading expected arrival information). A major difference in the SPO environment is the shift to communication-cued crosschecks (verbal / automated) rather than movement-cued crosschecks that occur in a shared cockpit. The current article highlights a task analytic process of the roles and responsibilities between a PoB, an approach-phase GSO, and automation.

single pilot operations↗
NASA NTRS2015

An Approach to Quantify Workload in a System of Agents

The role of humans in aviation and other domains continues to shift from manual control to automation monitoring. Studies have found that humans are often poorly suited for monitoring roles, and workload can easily spike in off-nominal situations. Current workload measurement tools, like NASA TLX, use human operators to assess their own workload after using a prototype system. Such measures are used late in the design process and can result in ex- pensive alterations when problems are discovered. Our goal in this work is to provide a quantitative workload measure for use early in the design process. We leverage research in human cognition to de ne metrics that can measure workload on belief-desire-intentions based multi-agent systems. These measures can alert designers to potential workload issues early in design. We demonstrate the utility of our approach by characterizing quantitative differences in the workload for a single pilot operations model compared to a traditional two pilot model.

Single Pilot Operations↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Airspace Integration Considerations for Increasingly Autonomous Flight and Operations

There is much interest in autonomous systems and their operations. When it comes to autonomous systems, it is critical to understand various levels of proposed autonomy, reasons for selecting autonomous capabilities, certification approaches and various challenges or research needs associated with the integration of autonomous systems in the National Airspace System (NAS). Furthermore, there are levels of autonomous systems proposed for different types of aircraft including: single pilot operations, remotely piloted operations, fully autonomous operations, and multiple aircraft managed by a single, remote pilot. This preliminary article aims to provide a broad overview rather than concentrate on a specific element of autonomous flight. Hence, the focus of this article is on enabling various types of increasingly autonomous aircraft and their operations routinely within the next five to ten years, consistent with the FAA’s Info-Centric NAS (ICN) vision. Under ICN, a fully integrated information environment supports collaboration across diverse traffic management services and shifts decision-making to the most appropriate actor supported by automation. However, the roles and responsibilities of Air Traffic Services (ATS) personnel providing traditional services are likely to be very similar to today in that humans will still be responsible for majority of decision making. There is another NASA research effort beyond ICN is underway called Sky For All which is not covered in this article as it is in the planning stages.

autonomy↗
NASA NTRS2013

Single Pilot Workload Management During Cruise in Entry Level Jets

Advanced technologies and automation are important facilitators of single pilot operations, but they also contribute to the workload management challenges faced by the pilot. We examined task completion, workload management, and automation use in an entry level jet (ELJ) flown by single pilots. Thirteen certificated Cessna Citation Mustang (C510-S) pilots flew an instrument flight rules (IFR) experimental flight in a Cessna Citation Mustang simulator. At one point participants had to descend to meet a crossing restriction prior to a waypoint and prepare for an instrument approach into an un-towered field while facilitating communication from a lost pilot who was flying too low for ATC to hear. Four participants experienced some sort of difficulty with regard to meeting the crossing restriction and almost half (n=6) had problems associated with the instrument approach. Additional errors were also observed including eight participants landing at the airport with an incorrect altimeter setting.

Burian, Barbara K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Longitudinal flying qualities criteria for single-pilot instrument flight operations

Modern estimation and control theory, flight testing, and statistical analysis were used to deduce flying qualities criteria for General Aviation Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations. The principal concern is that unsatisfactory aircraft dynamic response combined with high navigation/communication workload can produce problems of safety and efficiency. To alleviate these problems. The relative importance of these factors must be determined. This objective was achieved by flying SPIFR tasks with different aircraft dynamic configurations and assessing the effects of such variations under these conditions. The experimental results yielded quantitative indicators of pilot's performance and workload, and for each of them, multivariate regression was applied to evaluate several candidate flying qualities criteria.

Stengel, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Longitudinal flying qualitites criteria for single-pilot instrument flight operations

Modern estimation and control theory, flight testing, and statistical analysis were used to deduce flying qualities criteria for General Aviation Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations. The principal concern is that unsatisfactory aircraft dynamic response combined with high navigation/communication workload can produce problems of safety and efficiency. To alleviate these problems, the relative importance of these factors must be determined. This objective was achieved by flying SPIFR tasks with different aircraft dynamic configurations and assessing the effects of such variations under these conditions. The experimental results yielded quantitative indicators of pilot's performance and workload, and for each of them, multivariate regression was applied to evaluate several candidate flying qualities criteria.

Bar-Gill, A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A flight investigation of simulated data link communications during single-pilot IFR flight

A Flight Data Console (FDC) was developed to allow simulation of a digital communications link to replace the current voice communication system used in air traffic control (ATC). The voice system requires manipulation of radio equipment, read-back of clearances, and mental storage of critical information items, all contributing to high workload, particularly during single-pilot operations. This was an inflight study to determine how a digital communications system might reduce cockpit workload, improve flight proficiency, and be accepted by general aviation pilots. Results show that instrument flight, including approach and landing, can be accomplished quite effectively using a digital data link system for ATC communications. All pilots expressed a need for a back-up voice channel. When included, this channel was used sparingly and principally to confirm any item of information about which there might be uncertainty.

Parker, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluation of a Head-Worn Display with Ambient Vision Cues for Unusual Attitude Recovery

A Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) study of 18 loss-of-control events determined that a lack of external visual references was a contributing factor in 17 of these events. CAST recommended that manufacturers should develop and implement virtual day-VMC display systems, such as synthetic vision (SV) or equivalent systems (CAST Safety Enhancement, SE-200). In support of this recommended action, CAST has requested studies to define minimum requirements for virtual day-visual meteorological conditions (VMC) displays to improve flight crew awareness of airplane attitude. NASA’s research in Virtual day-VMC displays, known as synthetic vision systems, are intended to support intuitive flight crew attitude awareness similar to a day-VMC-like environment, especially if they could be designed to create visual dominance. A study was conducted to evaluate the utility of ambient vision (AV) cues paired with virtual Head-Up Display (HUD) symbology on a prototype head-worn display (HWD) during recovery from unusual attitudes in a simulated environment. The virtual-HUD component meets the requirement that the HWD may be used as an equivalent display to the HUD. The presence of AV cueing leverages the potential that a HWD has over the HUD for spatial disorientation prevention. The simulation study was conducted as a single-pilot operation, under realistic flight scenarios, with off-nominal events occurring that were capable of inducing unusual attitudes. Independent variables of the experiment included: 1) AV capability (on vs off) 2) AV display opaqueness (transparent vs opaque) and display location (HWD vs traditional head- down displays); AV cues were only present when the HWD was being worn by the subject pilot.

Nicholas, Stephanie N.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Control/display trade-off study for single-pilot instrument flight rule operations

The objectives were to determine minimum autopilot functions and displays required to keep pilot workload at an acceptable level; to determine what constitutes an acceptable level of workload; to identify critical tasks; and to suggest specific experiments required to refine conclusions. It was determined that workload relief is derived from basic stability augmentation; that complex autopilots can lead to serious blunders; and that displays need to enhance positional awareness and minimize the likelihood of false hypothesis.

Hoh, R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The effects of display and autopilot functions on pilot workload for Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations

An analytical and experimental research program was conducted to develop criteria for pilot interaction with advanced controls and displays in single pilot instrument flight rules (SPIFR) operations. The analytic phase reviewed fundamental considerations for pilot workload taking into account existing data, and using that data to develop a divided attention SPIFR pilot workload model. The pilot model was utilized to interpret the two experimental phases. The first experimental phase was a flight test program that evaluated pilot workload in the presence of current and near-term displays and autopilot functions. The second experiment was conducted on a King Air simulator, investigating the effects of co-pilot functions in the presence of very high SPIFR workload. The results indicate that the simplest displays tested were marginal for SPIFR operations. A moving map display aided the most in mental orientation, but had inherent deficiencies as a stand alone replacement for an HSI. Autopilot functions were highly effective for reducing pilot workload. The simulator tests showed that extremely high workload situations can be adequately handled when co-pilot functions are provided.

Hoh, Roger H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Analysis of general aviation accidents during operations under instrument flight rules

A report is presented to describe some of the errors that pilots make during flight under IFR. The data indicate that there is less risk during the approach and landing phase of IFR flights, as compared to VFR operations. Single-pilot IFR accident rates continue to be higher than two-pilot IFR incident rates, reflecting the high work load of IFR operations.

Bennett, C. T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Reduced Crew Operations Research at NASA Ames Research Center

In 2012, NASA began exploring the feasibility of single pilot reduced crew operations (SPORCO) in the context of scheduled passenger air carrier operations (i.e., Parts 121 and 135). This research was spurred by two trends in aviation research: the trend toward reducing costs and a shortage of pilots. A series of simulations were conducted to develop tools and a concept of operations to support RCO. This slide deck is a summary of the NASA Ames RCO research prepared for an R T team at Airbus. Airbus is considering moving forward with reducing crew during the cruise phase of flight with long-haul flights and is interested in the work we have completed.

reduced crew operations↗