Flight safety level improvement methodology based on the pilot model

Abstract

Despite the regular efforts on the part of national regulators, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association (ICAO and IATA), as well as on the developers of aeronautical equipment, the vast majority of accidents and incidents continue to occur due to the human factor. With the course of time, aircraft design and reliability are steadily and significantly improving, nevertheless, the number of aviation accidents is happening more and more frequently, including accidents with serviceable aircraft. Considerable evidence is the fact that a Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) remains one of the most common causes of aviation accidents. This is specified by a wide variety of problems that require the search for complex, interconnected solutions. Among these issues it is necessary to highlight the increasing sophistication of the aircraft as a technical system, as well as practically unchanged for more than half a century approaches to pilots training for the type and maintaining their qualifications based on pre-defined scenarios taking into consideration the previous experience of aircraft operation. One of the possible ways out of the situation may be the introduction of so-called concept of personnel training relying on the evidence-based training analysis (EBT) based not on the pursue to memorize a certain list of exercises but to develop each particular pilot’s skills and competences that could help him cope with any unpredictable situation. The key feature of EBT lies in refocusing on the analysis of original causes of unsuccessful maneuvers (actions of the pilot) primarily in order to correct the wrong actions instead of repeatedly complying with the "correct sequence of actions". In this regard, the tools providing a continuous analysis of the pilot's actions to identify errors for the purpose of realigning (forming) the pilot's professional competencies in due time, are of paramount importance. The article describes the content of the methodology representing an ultimate goal to develop recommendations aimed at improving pilot’s expertise based on generalized and personalized models of the pilot, as well as solving the inverse problem of flight dynamics using a comparative assessment of a particular pilot piloting quality.

Keywords

• flight safety
• human factor
• personnel training
• evidence analysis
• flight dynamics
• pilot model