An agent-based cockpit task management system: a task-oriented pilot-vehicle interface

In today's highly automated aircraft, the role of the pilot has changed from an airplane controller to a system manager. As a system manager in a cockpit, today's pilot is in charge of a management-level activity called cockpit task management( CTM). According to earlier studies, pilot errors in performing CTM activities were significant factors in a large number of aircraft accidents and incidents. The primary objective of this research was to reduce CTM-related pilot errors. A prototype pilot- vehicle interface called the cockpit task management system (CTMS) was developed and its effectiveness in improving CTM performance was evaluated. After the CTMS was implemented, it was integrated into a PC-based flight simulator to perform an experiment to evaluate its effectiveness. Eight volunteer subjects were used to collect performance data. The results of the experiment indicated that a statistically significant improvement was observed when the subjects flew with the assistance of the CTMS.