Attention, Workload, Situational Awareness

Attention

Selective — one task is chosen, others suppressed (cocktail-party effect). Divided — two or more tasks simultaneously; works only when tasks are in different modalities (visual + auditory) or one is highly automated. Sustained — over long time (cruise, holding); very error-prone in monotony ("vigilance decrement").

Cockpit bottleneck: the eye. Only a few degrees of central vision carry sharp information; everything else is peripheral motion/brightness image (see [[aufbau-des-auges]], [[visuelles-scannen]]).

Visual scanning — sector method

The most effective scan method (per FAA AC 90-48E Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance):

→ Saccadic eye movements without fixation produce no sharp image — hence the 1-second pause per sector.

→ Collision-traffic detection: between recognition and initiation of an avoidance manoeuvre typically 5–10 seconds pass (reaction time + decision + control input).

Workload

Workload = ratio of task demand to available cognitive capacity. Both change in flight:

    High ┐                              ┌── Departure / Approach
Workload│        Cruise               ╱
         │                            ╱
         │     ──────────────────────╱
         │
    Low  ┘
         0 ────── Time ───────────────────

Underload (cruise, autopilot engaged, clear weather) leads to vigilance decline, microsleep. Overload (multiple frequency changes + approach + traffic) leads to task shedding (= dropping tasks): typical case is radio is noticed, altitude is not.

Measures: NASA TLX questionnaire, heart rate variability, eye-tracking.

Situational Awareness (SA) — Endsley 1995

Endsley (Human Factors 37(1), 1995) defines SA in three levels:

1. Perception — what elements are in my environment? (e.g. traffic 11 o'clock 500 ft below, cloud base 1,200 ft)
2. Comprehension — what do they mean together? (Conflict vector? Cloud trend?)
3. Projection — what will happen in next minutes? (Does traffic cross us in 30 s? Will base drop below VFR minima?)

Loss already at level 1 is the most common cause of VFR-into-IMC. Level 3 is the hardest — requires mental model of the situation.

Maintaining SA

• Actively scan rather than wait.
• Speak out loud ("Altitude is 3,500 ft, clear to descend to 2,500") uses auditory.
• Trend monitoring — every 5 min once check briefing position.
• Checklists offload working memory and free SA capacity.

Pilot personality and behaviour

Optimal pilot traits

Psychological research (NASA, aeromedical studies) identifies a preferred personality profile in airline pilots and safety-oriented GA pilots:

→ Best combination: extroverted + (emotionally) stable.

Hazardous attitudes (5 dangerous mindsets)

The FAA in the 1980s (based on NTSB accident analysis) identified 5 typical pilot-hazardous attitudes. Documented in FAA-H-8083-25B Chapter 2 and AC 60-22 Aeronautical Decision Making:

Important observations:

• Macho and invulnerability often appear in combination — the pilot who "can do it" often also believes that "nothing will happen to them". This combination is particularly accident-prone.
• Show-off risk: some pilots tend to take unnecessary risks when they feel observed and admired (e.g. low passes in front of friends, low flyover of family).

Conflict resolution — active listening

In interpersonal conflicts in the cockpit or with ATC, active listening and reacting to arguments is demonstrably the best method:

• Truly understand the other's standpoint, not just wait until you can respond.
• Address concrete arguments, don't react emotionally.
• Keep the factual level — separation person/issue.

Flying skills — permanent behaviour change

Flying skills arise from a permanent behaviour change — i.e. through practice and experience. There is no "shortcut":

→ Skill decay: without regular practice, skills decline — even in experienced pilots. Hence EASA recommendation: 12 take-offs / landings per 90 days for currency.

Mental training

Mental training — deliberate mental walk-through of procedures without physical practice — improves flying skills at all levels:

Effectiveness: mental practice activates similar neural pathways as actual flying (sports psychology: Feltz & Landers 1983 meta-analysis). Especially effective before new procedures (e.g. first crosswind landing) or before demanding flights (e.g. new airfield).