Cockpit design impact to improve human performance and flight safety

Humanities

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According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2016, an estimated 3.8 billion people traveled via air. By 2035, at least 7.6 billion people will travel by air every year, and with this figure growing at that rate, air safety cannot be underestimated. Consequently, in the near future, airplanes will use the best technology to ensure that pilots operate most effectively and efficiently. Some of the most significant advancements that have helped improve the safety of people include cockpit automation and use of touchscreens to control the plane.

Modern aircraft have increased their reliance on automation and technologies. But even though these machines rely largely on technology, they still require human capacity and more so the pilots.Tasks such as data entry and retrieval into the system mostly require human beings. The advantages of advances in cockpit designs fall both to the pilots and to the passengers. The passenger gets more comfortable during the flight because he/she is at least 98% sure of safe arrive. The pilots enjoy improved flight control and a reduction in weather-related complications. The cockpit systems used currently have diagnostic assistance systems and system monitoring displays which support and enhance the performance of the pilots and the staff involved in craft maintenance, However, the systems still pose a threat when faced with complex failure events therefore, the cockpit designers still need to identify the systems that have better analysis and control routines. Sometimes the crew gets hindered by information over swamp when diagnosing a problem, thus the need for systems that are simpler to interpret. Automation and technological advancements relieve pilots from tasks that would be considered none rewarding and repeated and those interpretations that are not fitted for human beings. Good cockpit designs reduce workloads for the pilots and therefore giving them time to follow up the necessary human cockpit tasks.

Pilots act as a crucial part of air travel, However, as aircraft automation increases, the roles of pilots and maintenance team changes to managing and maintaining more than flying. For the managing and maintenance role to be effective, the pilots need to have an awareness of what is happening in the flight deck and how the aircraft is behaving in the different airspaces and weather conditions, that is situational awareness (Salas, Prince, Baker & Shrestha, 2017).

One way of ensuring that human performance in the cockpit is improved in all operational conditions and maximized involves creating a cockpit that represents better situational awareness. The future cockpit designs look to the reduction of crew workload and better assessment of situations. One challenge that has posed threats to pilots and the maintenance crew for a long time involves a large number of switches and buttons for control and displays and instrumentals for indications. In the conventional cockpit design, these controls and indicators not integrated, therefore; the pilot has to divide his/her attention among the vast independent variables (LI, Yu, Greaves & Braithwaite, 2015).For example, when a pilot needs to change the speed of the plane, he/she must access the control button in one area of the cockpit and still check the speed indicators on another side.The pilot then has to divide the attention between the indicators, controls, tasks and the individual needs of the passengers.

Leading avionic manufacturers have proposed a number of new cockpit designs, and many of these concepts make suggestions about replacing the old designs with multiple touchscreen displays (Wang Wang & Chen, 2081). The current touchscreen concepts allow for proper interaction between humans and the systems as they pilots access a variety of information within an area of the cockpit. Instead of having a spread out a number of controls, the pilots use a single seamless, integrated system of tools located in one place. One of the touchscreen designs invented can be placed on a table in front of the pilots whereby they can easily access. The setup allows the flight deck crew to fly a plane comfortably even in situations with mild turbulence.

Some of the benefits accruing from the advanced designs can be seen as a necessity and more so if the pilots get involved in the process of creating these designs. The crew faces challenges on a day to day basis. Therefore, they are best positioned to identify where adjustments should be made and what should be left as it is.If a company creates a system without involving the pilots and the people who will use it, the company may have a hard time convincing people of the benefits of the system. Experienced pilots would be harder to convince because they know the conventional way in and out.

Avionic companies have taken the future of cockpits to a new level as they add gesture and voice recognition technology to automated touchscreen technology. The use of voice and gesture recognition in the cockpit presents a number of benefits; for instance, the pilot will have more time to keep their heads up, looking at the situation around and outside. They do not have to look around for controls and indicators placed all over the cockpit. Therefore, they can concentrate on other tasks. Better still, the voice recognition ability enhances the touchscreen design such that, a pilot does not have to navigate through an extensive list of menus on the screen because he/she can verbally command the system.

In the near future, companies will implement these advancements of a large extent, and the cockpit will be more comfortable to operate. A number of laws should be followed as companies produce cockpits that enhance the cockpit functionality (Baldwin, 2017).These technological developments will enhance the effectiveness of the human aspect of the cockpit. The systems might present a challenge in terms of cost and training, but the benefits outweigh the costs. The advantages that will accrue from cockpit design advancements will include, reduced manual work for the pilot, therefore, less fatigue. Second, the cockpit crew will get relief from small human errors that cause catastrophic losses primarily in the case of conventional cockpits. Third, the new cockpits will reduce the costs and space required for a sufficient human-plane interface. For instance, a single touchscreen in place of the current extensive controls and indicators would reduce the space needed and the cost of diagnosing and maintaining the conventional model. Smaller interfaces result in precision as the pilots engage in routine tasks, therefore, fewer mishaps and increased productivity.

The new cockpits might have both positive and negative impacts on the pilots. For instance, the experienced pilots who have served in the planes for long might see these advancements as unnecessary and as a waste of money. They have already captured the routine of conventional cockpits, therefore; they face little to no challenges. However, some of the older pilots and the future ones who have used technology such as touchscreens on their phones might prefer the new models of cockpits as they relate well with them. The best option in handling the pilot that will most likely rebel against the new designs is to involve them in the design process, ask for their contributions and make them feel comfortable with the advancements.