Human Systems Integration Division @ NASA Ames

A previous study of general aviation pilots using advanced cockpit systems demonstrated a link between pilots' attitudes and beliefs about advanced systems and their behavior and performance in the cockpit (Casner, 2005). To better understand pilot attitudes and beliefs about advanced cockpit systems, a survey was administered to 134 general aviation pilots. The survey explored topics such as pilots' general attitudes toward advanced cockpit systems, how pilots believe these systems affect workload and awareness in the cockpit, pilots' preferences for using advanced cockpit systems, pilots' perceptions of risk, long-term effects of advanced cockpit systems on pilot skill, and the likely effects of advanced cockpit systems on the number of errors pilots make as well as the overall safety record. Three survey items compared how pilots believe that advanced cockpit systems affect themselves vs. how they affect other pilots. Seven survey items were adopted from previous surveys of airline pilots who fly with advanced systems in commercial jet transport aircraft. The results show that general aviation pilots hold generally positive attitudes about advanced cockpit systems and exhibit a strong preference for using them. Pilots recognize potential pitfalls associated with advanced cockpit systems but are more likely to ascribe the problems to other pilots than they are to themselves. Overall, general aviation pilots' attitudes were mostly similar to those of airline pilots with a few notable exceptions. A number of contradictory attitudes point out the need for specific future studies to clarify the effect of attitudes and beliefs on pilot behavior and ultimate safety outcomes.