TY - JOUR
T1 - Improving the tactical scanning of student pilots
T2 - A gaze-based training intervention for transition from visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions
AU - Ahmadi, Nima
AU - Romoser, Matthew
AU - Salmon, Christian
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Dr. Richard B. Mindek and Derek Schwalenberg at 43rd Aviation Flying Club, Professor Michael Farley at Bridgewater State University, Rich MacIsaac at Northampton Aeronautics, Stephen Smith at Future Flyers of CT LLC, and Kevin Norby at Norby Aviation LLC for their help with recruiting pilots. The authors thank Jacob M. Kolman, MA, Senior Scientific Writer of the Houston Methodist Center for Outcomes Research, for editing and providing feedback on writing style.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Eye tracking has been applied to train novice drivers and clinicians; however, such applications in aviation are limited. This study develops a gaze-based intervention using video-based, expert commentary, and 3M (Mistake, Mitigation, Mastery) training to instruct visual flight rule student pilots on an instrument cross-check to mitigate the risk of losing aircraft control when they inadvertently enter instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Twenty general aviation student pilots were randomized into control and experimental groups. Dwell time, return time, entropy, Kullback-Leibler divergence, and deviations from flight paths were compared before and after training to straight-and-level-flight (LF) and standard left level turn (LT) scenarios. After the training, the experimental pilots significantly increased dwell time on primary instruments (PIs), reduced randomness in visual search, and fixated on the PIs in shorter times (in the scenario of LT). In terms of piloting, all experimental pilots successfully kept the aircraft control while five control pilots lost control in IMC; significant differences in altitude and rate of climb deviations were observed between groups (in the scenario of LF).
AB - Eye tracking has been applied to train novice drivers and clinicians; however, such applications in aviation are limited. This study develops a gaze-based intervention using video-based, expert commentary, and 3M (Mistake, Mitigation, Mastery) training to instruct visual flight rule student pilots on an instrument cross-check to mitigate the risk of losing aircraft control when they inadvertently enter instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Twenty general aviation student pilots were randomized into control and experimental groups. Dwell time, return time, entropy, Kullback-Leibler divergence, and deviations from flight paths were compared before and after training to straight-and-level-flight (LF) and standard left level turn (LT) scenarios. After the training, the experimental pilots significantly increased dwell time on primary instruments (PIs), reduced randomness in visual search, and fixated on the PIs in shorter times (in the scenario of LT). In terms of piloting, all experimental pilots successfully kept the aircraft control while five control pilots lost control in IMC; significant differences in altitude and rate of climb deviations were observed between groups (in the scenario of LF).
KW - Eye tracking technology
KW - Gaze-based training intervention
KW - General aviation pilots
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120464733&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103642
DO - 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103642
M3 - Article
C2 - 34871832
AN - SCOPUS:85120464733
VL - 100
JO - Applied Ergonomics
JF - Applied Ergonomics
SN - 0003-6870
M1 - 103642
ER -