A pilot-centered autoflight system concept

Abstract

Ease of use has become a primary concern in avionics recently. Pilot training time represents a significant cost to aircraft operators, and the importance of human factors considerations in safety has been highlighted by the FAA, who note that human error is a cause in roughly 70% of aircraft accidents. These concerns have led to a new focus on human centered design, which seeks to define system functionality based on the user's perspective rather than that of the designer. We have used the principles of user centered design to develop a new autoflight system concept that integrates the autopilot and flight management system functions into a single user interface that most pilots can learn to use within about fifteen minutes. This is in contrast to the weeks required to learn a typical flight management system.