Flight deck operations and procedures

¶ … flight deck human-machine interface. In addition, a discussion concerning the positives as well as the possible hazards to this interface is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues in the conclusion.

The flight deck is one of the world's most hazardous working environments and the human-machine interface that is used to manage operations is therefore a critical element of the process. A positive aspect of the sophisticated human-machine interfaces on the flight deck is that these operations are facilitated in ways that would not be possible otherwise. Consequently, failures of the human-machine interface represent significant hazards that are reflective of the design challenges in high-stakes work settings where technology supports the work of expert practitioners such as in flight deck operations in aviation (Roesler, 2009). Personnel at the control interface require free access to significant amounts of low order (e.g., local) information concerning the current activity and state of the system, but they must also be provided with sufficient time to comprehend the importance and meanings of local information (Hancock & Flach, 1999). In other words, personnel manning the flight deck require a timely flow of information concerning what is taking place in their areas of responsibility in order to response appropriately (Hancock & Flach, 1999).

Likewise, supervisors require free and timely access to global information concerning flight deck operations as well as sufficient opportunities to comprehend the meaning and importance of this information (Hancock & Flach, 1999). According to Hancock and Flach, though, improving sensitivity to local or global information requires specialized training and experience. In this regard, Hancock and Flach advise that, "The workup period on a carrier flight deck can be viewed as an opportunity to build and to explore the (information) environment of the workspace. It develops a form of experiential knowledge through legitimate peripheral participation" (p. 441). Such training can be provided through on-the-job experiences or through specialized simulation scenarios (Hancock & Flach, 1999).