Experts explore human factors at WATS

By Shane Klestinski, Associate Writer

 

Industry and academic experts in human performance from the aviation training community participated in the “Human Factors” session during the World Aviation Training Summit (WATS) in Orlando, Florida, April 8.

 

WATS brings together leaders from throughout the airline training community. Its organizer, Halldale Group, describes WATS as “the world’s largest gathering of aviation training professionals, serving airlines, aircraft manufacturers, regulators, training providers and the training industry, designed by and for aviation professionals.”

 

Presenting content and taking questions were: Samantha Brown, pilot and vice chair for the United Airlines Master Executive Council’s training committee; Florian Jentsch, Ph.D., professor and chair for the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Department of Psychology, who also has an appointment to UCF’s Institute of Simulation and Training; and Dino Garner, two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, whose book, “Aeromasters,” is nominated for a 2025 Pulitzer Prize.

 

During Brown’s presentation, “Human Factors in Pilot Monitoring,” she shared a recent experience, wherein effective pilot monitoring and cockpit communication took a potentially unstable landing approach, and made it the boring, everyday landing that airline pilots and passengers much prefer.

 

“This is just a small example of what pilot monitoring is supposed to do,” Brown said. “[That is,] identify and alleviate deviations before they become larger issues. It’s not just about checking boxes or meeting regulatory requirements – it’s about safety, awareness, teamwork and training.”

 

She explained that pilot monitoring, while a normal aspect of safe operations, is not always as intuitive or as easy as it may seem. It needs reinforcement with specific pilot-monitoring training because, according to Brown, many factors can cause monitoring breakdown, like task saturation, communication disconnects, or other small errors that can quickly escalate in high-stress environments or unfamiliar situations. She went on to outline common human factors that can cause pilot monitoring breakdown and jeopardize safety.

 

“Cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias, occur when we unconsciously look for information that supports what we already think is happening, and we bypass signals that are contrary to our thinking – this impacts pilot monitoring by limiting the pilot’s ability to accurately perceive deviations from standard procedures or the aircraft’s state,” Brown said. “Immersive simulation [such as] full-motion simulators allow pilots to practice highly realistic scenarios while still operating in a safe and controlled environment. These sessions expose crews to fluid, high-fidelity conditions that reinforce the importance of continuous situational awareness.”

 

Jentsch explained the basics and outlined the relevance of extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) during “Key Thoughts on the Use of XR & AI in Aviation Training.” He said XR was an “umbrella term” that encompasses everything on the “reality” technology spectrum. With virtual reality (VR), all the content is virtual, and it is generated and projected in a display. Mixed reality (MR) uses elements of cameras, see-through technology and image merging wherein certain visuals are real and others are computer-generated. Augmented reality (AR) features overlayed information generated by the computer onto the real world using some form of display visor.

 

“People are excited about XR – that is palpable – and it has been so for the last three or four years,” Jentsh said. “When we came to [WATS] right after the pandemic, maybe three smaller vendors had VR devices. Today, anything and everything you see on the exhibition floor, you can probably also get in XR, if not exclusively in an extended reality webvest, or a VR headset, or an AR device, or some other form of projection system.”

 

He outlined a variety of reasons that explain why XR tech and applications have grown in popularity, which include efficacy (especially for training that includes a motor component requiring that users reach out to push buttons or throw switches), efficiency (obtaining training that is faster, better and less expensive), and scalability (to execute training anywhere, anytime and potentially with trainees located offsite, but who are still active participants). This different paradigm can also alleviate training coordinators from administrative hassles, like finding a last-minute replacement student to fill a seat if an expected student fails to show for a class.

 

Jentsch went on to describe three functions AI provides in aviation training. The first is analysis and assessment, which takes incoming data and combines it with the training footprint that allows trainers to track individuals and programs for training success. The second involves the design and development of training materials, up to and including scripts, visuals, virtual environments and communications, which can be AI-infused and AI-driven. The third centers on the idea of adaptive training in delivery and personalization wherein “everybody gets what they need and not what they don’t need.”

 

Despite the promise XR offers the future of aviation training, Jentsch warned of potential downsides. For example, “cybersickness” is a nauseous feeling that can occur as the result of XR exposure. Not only is it obviously unpleasant, but as a practical consideration, it can interrupt training. Jentsch noted that theme park architects may intentionally design the entrances, queues and exits of roller coasters to force guests to walk around and wait in line for a period of time between one roller coaster ride and the next. This practice helps guard against long, cumulative exposure times.

 

“We know that people who are more susceptible to motion sickness are also more susceptible to cybersickness, but it’s not a one-to-one relationship,” Jentsch said. “Many other factors also play a role, including how a person happens to feel that day, as well as exposure time, so keep it short at about 20 minutes. There’s a big difference between riding a roller coaster three times in an hour and riding it three times without getting off.”

 

Garner began “Elevating Aviation Training Through the Power of Storytelling,” by describing a scenario in which a pilot is dealing with difficult circumstances in flight, but they successfully manage the situation by recalling the training they received from a trainer in the room through a story. He emphasized different genres of storytelling and their relevance in a student’s retention of training as the result of instructors sharing personal experiences of success and failure, especially failure.

 

“Storytelling, we learn from birth,” Garner said. “We hear stories from mom and dad, and we tell them at a very early age. We’re natural storytellers and we learn just about everything about life from stories. If you analyze it, you’ll find that everything in life boils down to stories that you heard from somebody, or stories you told yourself. The human brain is designed to be a transponder of story. We’re wired that way.”

 

He explained that when we recall information from a story, multiple parts of the brain activate and converge at the moment the person needs it to reproduce that story. According to Garner, it’s possible that we become carriers of our own stories, and when we do, it actually becomes a simulation.

 

“When we see those simulations in our minds, we go over them repeatedly, and they seem to become part of us – and that’s great for aviation training,” Gardner said. “Stories are rehearsals for life. They are the most neurobiologically efficient and effective means of transmitting information from the instructor to the student, especially in the dangerous, high-stakes field of aviation [and] we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. [Through stories,] we learn what not to do.”