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The easier that planes are made to fly, the greater the margin for error.

Sound like a paradox? Not really, says Daniel Garland, chairman of the department of human factors and systems, a new program for research and education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

"As aviation systems become more automated, the role of the user is becoming more passive," he explains. "This is a problem, because we humans are poor monitors. We want to be active and involved."

Mishaps put focus on human factor

Several aviation mishaps illustrate why the designers of products and systems are paying closer attention to the human factor.
  • Twelve years ago, when the autopilot disengaged in an Air China jet the crew failed to notice. The plane fell five miles before they recovered and landed it safely.
  • In Los Angeles, due to a controller error an airliner literally landed on top of a smaller commuter plane that was waiting on a runway to be cleared for takeoff.
  • After an indicator light for the landing gear didn't come on in an Eastern airliner, the crew put the plane on autopilot to try to figure out the problem. While they were momentarily distracted, the autopilot disengaged and the plane crashed in the Florida Everglades.

"Pilots go into aviation because they enjoy the thrill of actually flying the plane. Air traffic controllers are attracted to the excitement and stress of their jobs," Garland says. "Yet as pilots progress in their careers from a single-engine aircraft to a Boeing 777 jetliner, they 'fly' less and less. You become less a hands-on pilot and more a computer monitor."

'The best things we do'

While human error is usually given as the major justification for the human factors field, the reason for a mishap may be a design problem or management oversight rather than the fault of an operator.

Garland's department at Embry-Riddle focuses on human-centered design. "We take the best things we do as humans and make sure they are accounted for in the design of machines, tasks, systems, and work places," he says.

Dan Garland"For example, humans are able to be flexible, adapt to unique situations, and employ higher reasoning skills in unpredictable situations," he says. "Yet the more you automate a system, the more you take out this flexibility and responsiveness. People also need to be involved, in control, and informed in order to be effective. But as systems become more automated, they're less of each." Garland says the ideal level of automation is one that keeps the operator involved.

"Designing with the human in mind requires asking a lot of questions," he says. "For example, what does the person need to do to perform the task? What information does he need to have? What is the best way to present it - as text or graphics, or both? How intuitive is a new software package? What are the team dynamics of a cockpit crew?"

Two degrees are offered

The Embry-Riddle department grants two degrees, a bachelor's degree in applied experimental psychology and a master's degree in human factors and systems. The bachelor's is the only undergraduate human factors degree program in the nation that is focused on designing products and systems for aviation. The master's program will graduate human factors experts who are qualified to run design teams and conduct human factors investigations.

Students can focus on areas such as human senses in flight, information processing, human workload, group interaction and flight crew performance, flight training and simulation, human error, and aircrew fatigue and circadian rhythm.

Garland says students also are given opportunities to help faculty with human factors research. In the past five years, Embry-Riddle faculty have received more than $4 million in corporate and government contracts and grants to solve a variety of human factors problems.

'The public wants safe products'

Head/Eye Tracking DeviceResearchers at the University have benefitted from growing public concern about human performance problems in aviation, which led the Congress in 1988 to direct the Federal Aviation Administration to increase its funding and support of research on the relationship between human factors and aviation safety. "The public wants safe products," Garland says.

Major human factors research at Embry-Riddle:

  • For the FAA, Garland is looking into ways to integrate and display information used in managing the flow of air traffic across the United States. Assisting him are Massood Towhidnejad, associate professor of computer science, and Donald Tilden, senior research associate in human factors.
  • With John Wise, professor of human factors and systems, Garland is involved in a McDonnell Douglas-funded project to measure the situational awareness of pilots.
  • For McDonnell Douglas, Wise is developing and evaluating cockpit displays for free-flight, in which pilots set their own course and fly with little or no guidance from air traffic contollers.
  • Gerry Gibb, associate professor of human factors and systems, is developing procedures to select, train, and certify airport security personnel and to train screeners to detect explosives.
  • Gibb is advising Lockheed Martin and Galaxy Scientific on the integration of sophisticated CAT scanners in airports for use in detecting explosives.
  • James Blanchard, associate professor of human factors and systems, is studying pilot error in order to develop training systems that reduce error. He is funded by the FAA, Department of Defense, and several airlines.
  • Blanchard is collecting audio, video, and other data from training aircraft to improve standards for pilot training programs.
  • Faculty and students are evaluating new products developed by Flyte Comm of Florida, which include custom delay, arrival, and weather products and satellite-transmitted aircraft activity information that is available on the Internet.
"We're exploring additional research opportunities with industry and government agencies," Garland says. "The research gives our students valuable real-world, team-oriented experiences, as well as financial support. The availability of quality students is attractive to companies seeking applied research solutions."

Job outlook is good

Citing a forecast by the National Research Council that the demand for human factors experts will exceed the supply of qualified candidates for several years, Garland is confident students will find plenty of opportunities. He says the software and aviation industries are probably the two biggest employers of human factors professionals.

Graduates find jobs in several major areas. For example, as ergonomists, they design products, physical environments, and work areas. As human factors specialists, they assess performance, evaluate workloads, and select and train personnel, as well as design products and environments. As safety engineers, they develop safety programs for employees and evaluate workplace safety.

By Robert Ross
Air Traffic Control Tower