Prolonged Use of Automation Dulls Pilots’ Edge

Too much time spent immersed in a cockpit’s technology can dull an aviator’s ability to perform some key tasks, according to a study published last week in Human Factors. Steve Casner, a pilot and research psychologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, coauthored “The Retention of Manual Flying Skills in the Automated Cockpit” with Richard Geven, Matthias Recker and Jonathan Schooler. The group studied 16 experienced pilots in both routine and non-routine flights using a Boeing 747-100 simulator; the pilots also shared their thoughts as they flew with varying levels of automation.

Results showed that while “stick and rudder” skills remained relatively intact, the pilots who relied more heavily on computers while allowing their thoughts to drift during flight were more likely to have rusty cognitive skills.

“Our results suggest that we might be a bit less concerned about things that pilots do by hand in the cockpit and a bit more concerned about those things that they do by mind,” Casner said. “Pilots’ ability to remain mindful and engaged as they now watch computers do most of the flying may be a key challenge to keeping their cognitive skills fresh,” he added.