EVALUATION ON FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SKILL OF JET AIRLINER PILOTS - A CASE OF GO-AROUND

摘要

In this paper the "Flight Management Skill" of jet airliner pilots is discussed. "Flight Management Skill" is one of many Crew Resource Management skills and is an experience-based skill that airline pilots should manage for flight safety, for economic fuel saving expenditure, for punctual flight operation and for passenger comfort. To evaluate this experience-based skill, the authors performed experiments using a full-flight simulator. The examinees who attended the experiment included 2 experienced captains and 2 novice co-pilots. The scenario used is one in which the pilots have to make a difficult decision during normal flight, I.e. going around due to a sudden runway closure by an earthquake. The measured items were their utterance, flight path, and the amount of remaining fuel. Interviews were also conducted with the pilots after the experiments. We analyzed their decision making in the form of a timeline, using decision trees. We also analyzed the test subjects' rationale and opinions for making the decisions they did. From these results, we compare the differences in "Flight Management Skill" between experienced captains and novice co-pilots. The results indicated the following conclusions; 1) Novice co-pilots try to minimize risk as soon as possible. Experienced captains are able to evaluate risks thoroughly and try to complete the original flight plan. 2) Novice co-pilots tend to obtain all the information which is related to the situation. Conversely, experienced captains obtain only the information which is necessary. Hence, the workload placed on experienced pilots is lower than that of the novice pilots.