The document discusses alertness and monitoring in the context of aviation and defines alertness as sustained attention to detect unusual events, especially in relation to automated systems. It highlights that alertness declines significantly over time—known as vigilance decrement—even within 15 minutes, and that this is not due to boredom but rather high workload, frustration, and stress. The document distinguishes between alertness (general awareness) and monitoring (gathering and interpreting information), noting that monitoring can deteriorate independently of alertness decline. It emphasizes that training can teach pilots to understand vigilance decrement but cannot eliminate it, and suggests training exercises that focus on risks, solutions, and discussion rather than dictating what pilots should monitor. Finally, it notes that monitoring performance is closely linked to workload and situational awareness, making the latter difficult to assess based solely on observation of monitoring.
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6:39
Aeronautical Team Decision-Making: FOR-DEC and Beyond
The text examines the importance of structured decision-making processes in aviation, with a particular focus on the FOR-DEC model, which was developed by Lufthansa and the German Aerospace Center. The article highlights how inconsistent decision-making has been a contributing factor in aviation accidents, and how models like FOR-DEC help crews make better choices in complex situations where no predetermined procedures exist. Through a small survey among pilots and a workshop with experts, the authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of FOR-DEC, including the need to integrate experience and to more clearly define when the tool is most effective. New versions of the model, PRO FOR!DEC and FOReDEC, are proposed to address these criticisms and to enhance team involvement and consideration before and during the decision-making process.
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7:54
Pilot Cognition: Processing, Perception, and Attention
This document describes information processing in the brain, from sensation and perception to conscious and unconscious processing, reaction, and feedback. It also discusses perception in more detail, including how we perceive the world and the potential illusions that may arise, especially in relation to flying. Finally, the text addresses attention and its limitations, as well as how attention, perception, and information processing relate to pilot competencies and flight safety, including situation awareness, decision-making, and workload management. The text provides a theoretical basis for more applied chapters.
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7:30
CRM and TEM in Flight Crew Operations
This document introduces Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Threat and Error Management (TEM) in aviation, tracing the evolution of CRM from early, sometimes poorly received psychological or management-focused training to a broader scope incorporating concepts like situation awareness. The introduction of TEM in the 1990s provided a framework for proactively identifying and mitigating threats and managing errors, drawing on accident theory. It emphasizes that threats and errors are inevitable but must be effectively handled to prevent undesired aircraft states. The relationship between CRM and TEM is explored, highlighting how CRM behaviors act as countermeasures to errors at various levels, from avoidance to mitigation.
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9:35
Effective Flight Deck Communication
CAP 737 Chapter 16 focuses on the critical role of effective communication in flight deck operations, highlighting its link to workload distribution and error reduction. The chapter emphasizes that quality and timing surpass the quantity of communication, detailing how messages can fail at various stages. It explores the challenges posed by language differences and stresses the importance of clear, standardized phraseology. Furthermore, the text examines the significance of sharing information and mental models within the crew and with ATC, alongside the necessity of assertiveness and verbal intervention when safety is at stake, even addressing potential social dynamics. The chapter concludes by suggesting methods for improving communication skills through training and aligning these skills with relevant pilot competencies.
Denmark