Aeronautical decision making: Experience, training and behaviour Richard Batt A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. 1 November 2005 Richard Batt 6 Bishop Place, Melba ACT 2615, Australia.
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] to Lincoln i Abstract Decision making is fundamental to all aspects of flying operations. The results that flow from poor aeronautical decision making can be both swift and devastating. The work of this thesis uses data from a variety of sources to investigate the following aspects of aeronautical decision making; • accident and incident case histories and pilot decision making • case-based versus rule-based pilot decision training • pilot behaviours in the face of adverse weather The first part of thesis uses survey data to gain a better understanding of the role of accident and incident case histories in aviation safety and training. Anecdotal evidence suggests that exposure to case-based information can leave a lasting impression on a pilot and significantly influence their flying behaviour. To investigate this aspect more formally, information was obtained from a survey of 138 pilots. A questionnaire was then distributed to pilots worldwide and responses were received from 409 pilots, from all areas of aviation. The combined experience of pilots who responded was over 700,000 hours flying time. The second part of the thesis uses experimental data to compare the effectiveness of aviation safety training using case-based material or rule- based material. Two experiments were carried out, based on the two areas that account for the majority of fatal general aviation accidents: flight into adverse weather and low flying.