The Airline Pilot's View of Flight Deck Workload: A Preliminary Study Using a Questionnaire

摘要

The term 'pilot workload' is associated with much confusion and controversy despite the important role played by this parameter in the flight evaluation of new systems and techniques. Subjective ratings--still the most common and probably the most reliable method for assessing workload in flight--are made mainly by test pilots. But they must relate their experience to the pilot community as a whole, and so it is important that any definition of workload--for the purpose of subjective assessment--should reflect the opinion of pilots in general. This study, using a self-administered questionnaire, was designed to find out what pilots think about workload both as a concept and also from the view-point of their own particular flying task. Answers to the questionnaire show that some 80% of pilots think of workload as being related to effort. It is also evident that a considerable diversity of opinion exists between pilots regarding workload levels associated with different aspects of their flying. (Author)