Pilots Rely Too Much on Automation Turbulence, lighting, stalls—these are all things that a pilot must deal with. However, some pilots deal with these problems too slowly due to a reliance on automation. If pilots do not react quickly, the plane may crash. From Switzerland to New York, pilots struggle with too much reliance on automation. This may cause many lives to be endangered. Many commercial airline pilots endanger passengers from many different nationalities. Even if the passengers reach their destination safely, they might not know that their pilot may lack basic flying skills. One pilot reported touching the controls only seven times during a flight. If pilots only touch the controls around seven times each flight, they don’t gain much experience with actually using the controls in case autopilot fails. 66% of pilots have these problems. In the past, pilots had to react quickly to life-threatening situations without the help of automation. Nowadays, pilots’ basic flying skills are deteriorating due to the over dependence on automation. The most effective way to help pilots refine their skills is a flight simulator. The Federal Aviation Administration has already tried using the flight simulators and has produced promising results. However, the reason why most companies don’t use these simulators is because of the immense cost. Even if the cost is large, it does not amount to the price of lives lost. Pilots Are Overusing Autopilot In the 1930s, autopilot was first placed in the cockpit of a plane. It aided pilots during WWII. The technology wasn’t that great, so pilots still struggled to fly the plane. Pilots encountered many life threatening situations in which they had to take control of the plane. Advances in tec... ... middle of paper ... ...depending on how realistic conditions can be generated. Another issue is pilots’ schedules. Between home, work, and personal duties, pilots have scarce free time. Incorporating simulator training in their busy schedules may cause even more fatigue. One simple solution is to have pilots who are inexperienced with flying a plane manually have a training session once a week with an experienced pilot to gradually improve with each lesson. As for the cost, nothing can amount to the number of lives lost in a plane crash due to delayed and improper reactions. Every 2 in 3 pilots suffer from an overreliance on automaton. Using flight simulators can help deal with that problem without the risk of crashing a real plane. A flight simulator does cost a bit of money, but costs less than a commercial airplane. In the end, it comes down to being proactive rather than reactive.
Comparative Analysis The power of blind obedience taints individuals’ ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in terms of obedience, or disobedience, to an unjust superior. In the article “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianne Szegedy-Maszak discusses the unwarranted murder of innocent individuals due to vague orders that did not survive with certainty. Szegedy-Maszak utilizes the tactics of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, respectively, to attempt to justify the soldiers’ heinous actions (Szegedy-Maszak 76-77). In addition, “Just Do What the Pilot Tells You” by Theodore Dalrymple distinguishes between blind disobedience and blind obedience to authority and stating that neither is superior;
nature of man, how he operates in the cockpit, and what must be done by
It is estimated that pilot fatigue contributes to 15-20% of all fatal air accidents related to human error. It is precisely at the moment when most people would feel ‘dead tired’ at the end of a long working day, that pilots must be fully alert to make critical decisions, concentrate and ensure a safe landing. In any case, getting to one’s destination in one piece is much more important than the price of one’s ticket
In the early industrial age, men lifted, placed, screwed, adjusted and quality checked hundreds of components that made up a final product. Now most of that is automated. Automation goes further than the tedious manual tasks of manufacturing. In his article “The Great Forgetting” Nicolas Carr examines how automation has contributed to plane crashes over the past few years. He noted that automation, has turned our pilots into computer operators. Because the pilots are not doing many of the manual tasks on a regular basis, they do not develop the deep skill required to deal with instrument malfunctions. Since their skills are not exercised; when a malfunction does occur the pilot often makes an error in response while trying to correct the situation. Carr also noted that automation in other fields can dull the skills of those who rely upon it. He pointed out the scenario of radiologist who do not scrutinize the areas that are not highlighted by the computer software, thereby possibly missing an opportunity to find an early tumor. Whether it is gender or automation, roles change. However, we must not allow our skills to be lost in the process. Hands on training and keeping skills fresh are an important part of life.
“Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible” (Brainyquote.com). Eddie Rickenbacker describes the ability of the human mind to achieve the impossible by creating the means to fly. This statement epitomizes David O. Swain –Aerospace Engineer and former Senior Vice President of Boeing- and the contributions to technology, aviation, and the world he helped provide. Without the revolutionary technology he was a part of today’s military would not be the same.
falling asleep at the controls as flying hours get longer. July 26, 2004 p02 The Christian Science Monitor, p.02. Retrieved November 04, 2011, from Custom Newspapers via Gale
On February 12, 2009, a Colgan Airlines flight operating as Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed two miles from the runway in Buffalo, New York, killing all fifty people aboard.. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation that followed stunned the American public and identified the need to closely examine the regulations governing pilot training and pilot rest requirements, with a strong focus on regional airlines (Berard, 2010, 2). Currently, the United States government has passed HR 5900, which was titled the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 and is now called Public Law 111-216 (Public Law 111-126, 2010, 3). The bill targets five focal points that will force the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to run an even safer operation. These focal points include creating a pilot record database, implementation of NTSB flight crewmember training recommendations, FAA rule making on training programs, pilot fatigue, and flight crewmember screening and qualifications (Berard, 2010, 4).
How different would our lives be if you couldn’t fly at night or through fog? Would you want to fly if 80% of daily flights were delayed or cancelled? The modern aviation industry owes its existence to Jimmy Doolittle. He was a visionary leader, seeing past the greatest aviation challenges of the twentieth century; he was an ethical leader, making tough decisions during the darkest days of World War 2. This paper will discuss how he leveraged his visionary leadership skills, creating an inclusive environment for a diverse team of professionals solving the impossible challenge of taking off and landing blind. Additionally, Jimmy Doolittle encountered critical instrumentation problems that could have hindered his progress; instead, he used
Several military robotic automation systems already operate at the level where the human is still in charge and responsible for the deployment of lethal force, but not in a directly supervisory manner. The Phalanx system for Aegis-class cruisers in the Navy is designed to be the last line of defense against anti-ship missiles. The gun mount moves with rapid precision. The system takes a low amount of input from the ship, making it capable of functioning despite potential damage to the ship. There are several settings for the Phalanx system, with the final fail safe setting of “casualty” that will defend the ship from air attacks without human selection of targets. The MK 69 encapsulated torpedo (CAPTOR) sea mine system was the U.S. Navy's standard anti-submarine mine during the Cold War, having enough computer power t...
Automotive executives touting self-driving cars as a way to make commuting more productive or relaxing may want to consider another potential marketing pitch: safety (Hirschauge, 2016). The biggest reason why these cars will make a safer world is that accident rates will enormously drop. There is a lot of bad behavior a driver exhibit behind the wheel, and a computer is actually an ideal motorist. Since 81 percent of car crashes are the result of human error, computers would take a lot of danger out of the equation entirely. Also, some of the major causes of accidents are drivers who become ill at the time of driving. Some of the examples of this would be a seizure, heart attack, diabetic reactions, fainting, and high or low blood pressure. Autonomous cars will surely remedy these types of occurrences making us
Throughout the history of aviation, accidents have and will continue to occur. With the introduction of larger and more complex aircraft, the number of humans required to operate these complex machines has increased as well as, some say, the probability of human error. There are studies upon studies of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting from breakdowns in crew coordination and, more specifically, crew communication. These topics are the driving force behind crew resource management. This paper will attempt to present the concept of crew resource management (CRM) and its impact on aviation safety in modern commercial and military aviation. The concept is not a new one, but is continually evolving and can even include non-human elements such as computer-controlled limitations on aircraft maneuvers and the conflicts that result in the airline industry.
This term paper reviews the three most common catagories of aviation accident causes and factors. The causes and factors that will be discussed are human performance, environmental, and the aircraft itself. Although flying is one of the safest means of transportation, accidents do happen. It is the investigators job to determine why the accident happened, and who or what was at fault. In the event of an accident, either one or all of these factors will be determined as the cause of the accident. Also discussed will be one of the most tradgic plane crashes in aviation history and the human factors involved.
Today the technological world has developed and has continued to innovate to provide an easier lifestyle. This is the main focus of automation. Automation has gained more recognition from people in the business and industrial sectors. The purpose of this report is to discuss and inform the overview knowledge in the automation field. “Automation is the system of manufacture designed to extend the capacity of machines to perform certain tasks formerly done by humans, and to control sequences of operations without human intervention” (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2017, p. 1). Humans are capable of such incredible things and have improved throughout time even develop automated technology to do those tasks. Automation and the technology
Machine learning and automation has played a large role in the ever changing labor market with new industries gaining momentum and old industries becoming obsolete. With the increasing amount of research and improvements in automation, feelings of anxiety and disdain towards automation have become normal for workers. Jobs are lost to machines due to the convenience and efficiency that machines offer, however, not all types of jobs are replaced. In a study done by a professor of economics at MIT, David Autor, the impact of automation has actually shown to complement labor by increasing the demand for other jobs that require the use of a computer (Autor). The common anxiety and fear of total job loss is a clear misconception;
In order to further decrease the number of airplane accidents stricter measures of evaluating an aircrafts operability prior to take off need to be implemented. Additionally, better training of pilots can also lead to a more preferable outcome should a problem arise as the pilot will be better equipped to handle an emergency.