The Psychology Of Flight

This book has been put back into print after many years of absence because "The Psychology of Flight" can provide modern pilots - everyone from new students to seasoned professionals - what's needed to continuously make themselves ready for whatever the piloting tasks ahead might be. In essence, it's nothing less than an exquisitely written 'Checklist for the Self'. While it's important to study and understand the rules, the procedures and the particulars of each airplane that a pilot gets into, it is even more important to have a good understanding of the inner workings of the flesh and blood person who will be pushing the levers, pressing the switches, turning the wheels and making the decisions that affect the course of these technological marvels that are airplanes. You. This is not the sort of book that you should read only once, not just because there is so much inside, but also because we need refresher training now and again in this most important of all aviation related subjects: basically, a pilot's inner workings. Keep this book on a convenient shelf to be pulled down periodically for recurrent proficiency in the area that is ultimately most important to a pilot: before we can control an airplane with the necessary skills and consistency, we also need to understand how to control ourselves as well as humanly possible.

Covering field history and discussing actual modern-day pilot actions and tasks, the editors of this volume have integrated contributions from leaders in aviation to present psychological principles and research pertinent to the interface between a pilot and the cockpit. The book addresses the pilot‘s cognitive demands, capabilities, and limitations, which have important implications for operator selection and training as well as display/control designs in the cockpit. It emphasizes scientific methods of achieving this understanding and implies that theories and principles of human behavior are shaped and improved by practical problems and applied studies.

This book seeks to extend the boundaries of aviation psychology in two interrelated ways: by broadening the focus of aviation psychology beyond the flight deck to the whole aviation system; and by discussing new theoretical developments which are shaping this applied discipline. A key feature of these theoretical advances is that they are grounded in a more developed, ecologically valid, understanding of practice. Among the issues addressed in this new integration of theory and practice are the following: what goes on in the flight deck is dependent on the wider organisational context; human factors issues in aircraft maintenance and grounding are critical to aviation safety; our capacity to learn from aviation accidents and incidents needs to be supported by more systematic human factors investigation and research; we must also develop our understanding of the human factors of accident survival as well as accident prevention; theories of crew coordination and decision making must be supported by an analysis of how decisions are actually made in the real world with all its stresses and constraints; training should be grounded in a thoroughgoing analysis of the complexity of the job and a full understanding of the training process itself. The text will be of interest to human factors researchers and practitioners in aviation and related areas. It will be of particular relevance to those who have a role in training, management or regulation throughout the aviation system.

This book covers the application of psychological principles and techniques to situations and problems of aviation. It offers an overview of the role psychology plays in aviation, system design, selection and training of pilots, characteristics of pilots, safety, and passenger behavior. It covers concepts of psychological research and data analysis and shows how these tools are used in the development of new psychological knowledge. The new edition offers material on physiological effects on pilot performance, a new chapter on aviation physiology, more material on fatigue, safety culture, mental health and safety, as well as practical examples and exercises after each chapter.

Aviation remains one of the most active and challenging domains for human factors and applied psychology. Since 1981, the biennial International Symposium on Aviation Psychology (ISAP) has been convened for the purposes of (a) presenting the latest research on human performance problems and opportunities within aviation systems, (b) envisioning design solutions that best utilize human capabilities for creating safe and efficient aviation systems, and (c) bringing together scientists, research sponsors, and operators in an effort to bridge the gap between research and application. Though rooted in the presentations of the 17th ISAP, held in 2013 in Dayton, Ohio, Advances in Aviation Psychology is not simply a collection of selected proceeding papers. Based upon the potential impact on emerging trends, current debates or enduring issues present in their work, select authors were invited to expand on their work following the benefit of interactions at the symposium. The invited authors include the featured keynote and plenary speakers who are all leading scientists and prominent researchers that were selected to participate at the symposium. These contributions are supplemented by additional contributors whose work best reflects significant developments in aviation psychology. Consequently the volume includes visions for the next generation of air management and air traffic control, the integration of unmanned (i.e. remotely piloted vehicles) into operational air spaces, and the use of advanced information technologies (e.g. synthetic task environments) for research and training. This book is the first in a series of volumes to be published in conjunction with each subsequent ISAP. The aim of each volume is not only to report the latest findings in aviation psychology but also to suggest new directions for advancing the field.

Learn about the latest key applied psychological methods and techniques in aviation:Expert guidance from academia and industryBased on the latest researchPractice orientedThis collection of chapters on the latest methods and tools for applied research in aviation psychology guides the diverse range of professionals working within aviation on how to adapt flexibly to the continuously evolving requirements of the aeronautical landscape. Experts from the industry and academia explore selected applications, ranging from aviation system engineering to bridging the gap between research and industrialization, safety culture, training and examination. Psychological tools are explored, including designing biocybernetic adaptive systems, predictive automation, and support for designing the human role in future human-machine teaming concepts. Special chapters are dedicated to spatial disorientation, reactivity, stress, eye-tracking, electrodermal and cardiac assessment under the influence of G forces.This is essential reading for aviation psychologists, human factors practitioners, engineers, designers, operational specialists, students and researchers in academia, industry, and government. The practitioners and researchers working in other safety critical domains (e.g., medicine, automotive) will also find the handbook valuable.

Aeromedical psychology is that branch of psychology pertaining to the assessment, selection and evaluation of aviation personnel. This book, Aeromedical Psychology, is designed to provide the means for a variety of clinicians to carry out sound assessment and selection procedures, perform informed evaluations and make subsequent recommendations regarding flight status and treatment strategies geared to the aviation environment. To facilitate a dynamic understanding of the field, the book emphasizes an integration of applications and theory, case examples and research. The book is divided into three parts. The first presents assessment and selection procedures for aviation personnel (i.e. air traffic controllers, flight officers and pilots) and astronauts and the many ways in which both psychologists and psychiatrists are involved in these roles. In the second part, the waiver standards put forth by both the FAA and the various branches of the military are presented, as well as the waiver decision process. Clinical issues unique to aviation - notably fear of flying, motivation to fly and airsickness - are addressed, as well as possible courses of intervention, treatment and disposition. In the final part, more specialized issues pertaining to aeromedical psychology are dealt with, namely the psychopharmacological research and regulations applicable to recreational pilots and aviation personnel, managing the aftermath of aviation mishaps and the psychologist's role in accident investigations.