Steam Gauges Are Safer

Technically advanced aircraft (TAA)-those with a primary flight display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD), and GPS-are sexy. Pilots are drawn to them like Pooh Bear to honey. Besides being eye-catching, TAA attempt to address some of the biggest problems in aviation by providing pilots with a lot of supplementary safety information. Moving maps designed to improve situational awareness make it almost impossible to get lost. Databases store more information at the touch of a button than…

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA), despite offering significant safety features and being flown by more experienced pilots, exhibit a fatal accident rate nearly double that of traditional "steam gauge" aircraft.
This paradox is largely due to pilots' imperfect mental models of complex "black box" avionics, leading to "automation confusion" or "surprise" and difficulty troubleshooting system failures.
Contributing factors include insufficient training tailored to TAA's unique complexities and the human tendency for "risk compensation," where perceived safety gains lead pilots to take greater risks.
To enhance safety, pilots must receive better training on potential automation pitfalls, learn to identify and handle automation misbehavior by taking control, and actively counteract the effects of risk compensation.

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Technically advanced aircraft (TAA)—those with a primary flight display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD), and GPS—are sexy. Pilots are drawn to them like Pooh Bear to honey. Besides being eye-catching, TAA attempt to address some of the biggest problems in aviation by providing pilots with a lot of supplementary safety information. Moving maps designed to improve situational awareness make it almost impossible to get lost. Databases store more information at the touch of a button than a thirty pound chart case. We can display more weather information in the cockpit than was even available 30 years ago. Combine all that with an autopilot that provides time to gather and interpret, and you’d think we’d be a lot safer.