Less-skilled pilot decision support

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to overview the systems and their elements developing for supporting the less-skilled pi-lots.Design/methodology/approachSeveral European (like EPATS, SAT-Rdmp, Pplane, Esposa, Clean Sky2) and national projects (NASA SATS, Hungarian SafeFly) develop the personal/small aircraft and personal/small aircraft transportation systems. The projects had analysed the safety aspects, too, and they underlined the aircraft will be controlled by so-called less-skilled pilots (owners, renters), having less experiences. The paper defines the cross-connected controls, introduces the methods of subjective analysis in pilot decision processes, improves the pilot workload model, defines the possible workload management and describes the developing pilot decision support system.FindingsAnalysing the personal/small aircraft safety aspects, a unique and important safety problem induced by less-skilled pilots has been identified. The considerable simplification of the air-craft control system, supporting the pilot subjective decisions and introducing the pilot work-load management, may eliminate this problem.Research limitations/implicationsOnly the system elements have been used in concept validation tests.Practical implicationsThe developing pilot supporting system in its general form has on - board and ground sub-systems, too, except a series of elements integrated into the pilot cockpit environment and control system. Several system elements (sensors, integrated controls, etc.) might be implement now, but the total system need further studies. The subjective decision process needs further development of the methodology and concept validation.Social implicationsThe system may catalyse the society acceptance of the personal aircraft and their safer piloting, applicability.Originality/valueThe paper introduces an original supporting system for less-skilled pilots.