Visual scanning strategies according to aircraft automation level

Abstract

The growing role of automation in modern cockpits allowed a drastic diminution of aircraft accidents and permitted to lower crews’ workload. At the same time, it introduced new challenges that necessitate new research, particularly on error management, and vigilance (Wickens et al., 1998). High level of automation is suspected to provoke a loss of hand-flying capabilities, an increased complacency, and a reduction of the situation awareness (Endsley et al., 1995). Loss of hand-flying capabilities is observed when automation takes on the tasks previously assigned to the operator. In this situation crew skills may atrophy as they go unexercised (Haslbeck et al., 2016). Crews tend to be “automation addict”, further reducing hand flying capacities. Thus, the ability to face a sudden breakdown of automation or an unexpected situation can be alleviated (e.g., Haslbeck et al., 2012). On the other side, complacency effects (e.g., Parasuraman et al., 2010) can promote the occurrence of a particularly prominent typology of error: the failure of the crew to properly monitor the flight instruments, particularly when using highest levels of automation.