Aircrew Performance as a Function of Automation and Crew Composition: A Simulator Study

Abstract

In an experiment designed to examine the effect of crew composition and automation level on flight performance, fifty pilot-copilot crews flew a simulated instrument flight mission between three Michigan cities. Half of the crews were of homogeneous composition (both low or both high time), while half were heterogeneous consisting of one senior high time member and one junior low time member. Within each group, roughly half flew xxx with automated flight control and the other half flew manually. The flight was disrupted by periodic instrument failures. Results indicated that automation improved flight performance and lowered workload. While there was no overall difference in performance between homogeneous and heterogeneous crews, the latter group appeared to benefit more from the advantages that automation had to offer. The results are discussed in terms of the effect of automation on cockpit authority gradients, the role of flight experience, and of crew communications.