The Role of Pilots and Automation in Future Transport Flight Stations

The aviation community is preparing to cope with large increases in air traffic and operating costs projected during the next decade, while continuing to maintain safe operating procedures and methods. To do this the Federal Aviation Administration is updating and improving air traffic control systems, while the airframers and operators are developing methods to reduce aircraft weight, fly fuel efficient profiles, and optimize crew complements. New technologies are being exploited, efficient crew systems are being designed, and full-mission flight simulators are being constructed to test the systems in a near-real-world environment. One primary concern of the designers, operators, and certifiers is the determination of the proper amount and type of automation in crew systems.

Lockheed-Georgia Company, in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has developed a candidate conceptual design for a 1995 flight station. Research flight simulation facilities are being constructed in which that and other conceptual designs can be evaluated in a full mission context. This paper briefly describes the design and several crew systems where trade-offs can be made between increasing automation and/or keeping the pilot in the loop.