Army Aviators' Perceptions of Advanced Cockpit Aircraft.

Perceptions of features of automation, such as its safety and effects on basic flying skills, can shape how someone uses automation and accepts newly developed technology. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate current U.S. Army rotary-wing aviators' perspectives of cockpit automation in terms of safety features and effects on the retention of basic flying skills. In doing so, future lines of research can utilize this information to develop programs for the transitioning and training of advanced aircraft into the Army. An anonymous, 125-item questionnaire was completed by 214 U.S. Army aviators. A subset of five items related to perceptions of automation were examined based on experience level and are reported here. The majority of subjects were male aviators with a mean age of 33 yr. Results suggest a difference in perceptions of some of the safety features, with 8 and 12% more of the experienced pilots reporting safety concerns on two items. A 13% difference in the perceptions of effects of automation on skills retention items were found based on experience level. More experienced aviators' responses identified possible distrust of several automation features. The findings of this survey identified perspectives of automation which differed based on experience level. Specifically, more experienced individuals indicated some distrust of automation features and a possible overconfidence in basic flying skills. This can be used to further develop research aimed at the transition of advanced technology to aviators.