Flight Deck Human-Machine Interface - "What to Expect in the Future" This paper will analyze the issues associated with the flight deck human-machine interface. The data for this research will be collected through a number of secondary sources. Quantitative analysis of the collected data will be performed on the basis of frequency and types of accidents and the causes of accidents that occurred after the introduction of this technology. Qualitative analysis of the collected data will be performed on the basis of previous researches that were conducted on the issue under consideration. On the basis of the results obtained from this analysis, various recommendations will be proposed so that this technology can be further enhanced and the issues associated with it can be eliminated. The paper will also analyze aviation safety legislation and propose the changes that should be made in the legislation to make this technology safer and more efficient. Furthermore, the paper will also analyze the major aviation safety issues that the industry confronts, and propose ways in which these issues could be managed properly by authorities.

Flight Deck Human-Machine Interface - "What to Expect in the Future"

Statement of the Project

This project will provide an explanation of the issues and concerns associated with the flight deck human-machine interface. In addition, the paper will present a discussion concerning the positives of the interface, as well as the possible hazards to it, followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues. The project will analyze all potential issues and advantages, and will propose recommendations for further development of the flight deck human-machine interface. Even though flight deck automation has been well-received in an effective manner by the aviation industry, there has also been an increase in the identification of automation related human factor issues which are associated with the flight deck human-machine interface. (Funk, Niemczyk, Suroteguh & Owen, 1999). This is an individual project for the degree program of aviation, and will provide readers of it with strong information about what has been taking place in the field of human-machine interface on the flight deck, and what will be likely to take place in the future.

Introduction

In the present day, automation plays an important role in the aviation industry. The presence of automation and advanced technologies on airplanes contribute significantly to the improvement of skills and performance of pilots. In addition to that, these technologies also enhance the safety of flight operations, which can make a difference for everyone involved in working with or flying on the aircraft (Chialastri, 2012). It has also been indicated based on a number of issues that automation is often misused by the pilots. This fact can be established on the basis of a several variables, including human capabilities and limitations, along with poor ergonomics (Chialastri, 2012).

This paper aims at analyzing the benefits, issues, and concerns associated with the flight deck human-machine interface. It will also propose recommendations for the further enhancement of the manner in which this technology is deployed. The data for the purpose of this research will be gathered from secondary sources. The researcher, in order to get adequate results, will perform a qualitative as well as a quantitative analysis of the gathered information, resulting in a mixed-method study. The final results will then be communicated to the readers in a manner that will enable them to easily understand the meaning of this research and extract important information out of it. In that way, there can be more information provided that results in better human-machine interface options on the flight deck. The required data will be obtained from a number of peer reviewed journals, both online and printed, as well as books, including Flight deck automation and task management, and government publications, including Recommended Practices and Guidelines for Part 23 Cockpit/Flight Deck Design, Auto-flight Audit, and Human Factors Research Status Report and previously conducted researches

Program Outcomes to be addressed

Critical Thinking

"The student will apply knowledge at a synthesis level to define and solve problems within professional and personal environments" (ERAU, 2014).

Critical thinking is the key to success. For this project, that critical thinking involves effective demonstration of the collected information. It requires the researcher to analyze and present that data that is specific to the purpose of the research. Furthermore, it enables the researcher to contrast and compare critical variables and propose meaningful recommendations. By doing that, the researcher will be able to clearly show the focus of human-machine interface on the flight deck in the present day, and where it is headed in the future. There are many expected advances, and critical thinking is required to ensure that those advances...

For the purpose of this research, the student will perform a quantitative analysis, which will examine the basis of the accidents that have taken place before and after the implementation of the flight deck human-machine interface and the changes that occurred in the nature of these accidents. The student will also examine previous research on the topic under consideration in order to draw conclusions regarding how human-machine interface changes on the flight deck have impacted safety and reliability. Furthermore, the concepts of aviation sciences, including air traffic views, appropriate control structures, and communication between airlines and ground stations, and aviation safety legislations will also be examined, so changes can be recommended in this technology. Data regarding the accidents and safety records, aviation safety legislation, and the research that has been conducted previously will be required as information for an analysis that will provide insight into the above-mentioned objectives.
Quantitative Reasoning

"The student will demonstrate the use of digitally-enabled technology (including concepts, techniques and tools of computing), mathematics proficiency & analysis techniques to interpret data for the purpose of drawing valid conclusions and solving associated problems" (ERAU, 2014).

Quantitative reasoning will be used to provide charts and graphs detailing the problems with aviation and the human-machine interface. This will require that a statistical analysis of the type and frequency of accidents which have occurred from the year 2000 to the year 2013 be addressed. The sum of various categories of aviation accidents and the causalities that were caused by each of these accidents, and the causes of fatal accidents, which occurred over the time period ranging from the year 1950 to the year 2010 will all be addressed (Naranji, Mazzuchi & Sarkani, 2013).

Information Literacy

"The student will conduct meaningful research, including gathering information from primary and secondary sources and incorporating and documenting source material in his or her writing" (ERAU, 2014).

Research will be gathered from primary and secondary sources, and that research will be used as a basis for understanding the study and predicting future outcomes. A number of research studies have been conducted previously, detailing the issue under consideration. In order to delve into the issues associated with the flight deck human-machine interface, the researcher will use a number of both primary and secondary sources. This will enable the researcher to develop a better understanding of the topic under consideration, because it will provide insight into what has been done by other researchers in their own analyses of the issue. The sources that will be used for extracting secondary data include textbooks, flight journals, journal articles, peer-reviewed research, government publications, and news articles that address flight deck concerns (Staff Members of the College of Computer and Information Science, Northeastern University, 2012) In order to ensure the value of the selected sources, they will all be analyzed and considered in light of authenticity and validity (Staff Members of the University of New Mexico, 2010).

Communication

"The student will communicate concepts in written, digital, and oral forms to present technical and non-technical information" (ERAU, 2014).

Presenting information requires proper communication, generally offered in several forms. In order to effectively communicate the data to the reader, so that he or she might be facilitated to extract important information out of the research, the research will develop two separate strategies for the communication of the quantitative and qualitative data (Hox & Boeije, 2007). The quantitative data would be communicated by tables, charts, and graphs (Staff Members of the Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, 2011). The quantitative data will be presented in its natural form, and simplicity will be preferred over complexity. The order of the research will be preserved, facts will be compared, and case examples will be used (Staff Members of the Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, 2011). Communication will be done through email for ease and convenience, and the final paper will provide a detailed discussion of the information along with charts, graphs, and figures that back up the provided knowledge.

Scientific Literacy

"The student will be able to analyze scientific evidence as it relates to the physical world and its interrelationship with human values and interests" (ERAU, 2014).

Scientific evidence from primary and secondary sources will be…