Human Factors play a significant role in the development and integration of avionic systems to ensure that they are trusted and can be used effectively. As Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology becomes increasingly important to the aviation domain this holds true. This study aims to gain an understanding of UAV operators’ trust requirements when piloting UAVs by utilising a popular aviation interview methodology (Schema World Action Research Method), in combination with key questions on trust identified from the literature. Interviews were conducted with six UAV operators, with a range of experience. This identified the importance of past experience to trust and the expectations that operators hold. Recommendations are made that target training to inform experience, in addition to the equipment, procedures and organisational standards that can aid in developing trustworthy systems. The methodology that was developed shows promise for capturing trust within human-automation interactions.

Engine failure events during critical phases of flight are a rare yet very real possibility on commercial aircraft. The response of the pilots to these events is vital to minimizing possible adversity. New technologies are in development that provide enhanced information on the status of the aircraft engine after sustaining engine damage in order to guide pilot’s decision making. It is important that this enhanced information is aligned with the requirements of the user. This paper describes how user input can effectively be incorporated early on in the design process of new technologies to understand how current systems may be improved. The Perceptual Cycle Model (PCM) is applied to in-depth interview reports from commercial airline pilots on their responses to different engine failure events caused by bird-strikes to the engine. Application of the PCM demonstrates where current processes may be better supported to enhance pilot decision making from such events. From this, areas where improvements could be made using future avionic systems are presented, with user-led design recommendations.

As flight deck touchscreen implementation continues to rise, more research is required to understand how task performance is impacted by turbulence. Previous work found that for basic dragging gestures on a touchscreen, performance and usability declined, and workload increased, with rising levels of turbulence. The current study extended on this work by examining common flight deck tasks using various gestures and input methods. Twenty-six participants completed two tasks (panning and number entry), in different formats, at four levels of turbulent vibration (control, light chop, light turbulence, and moderate turbulence). Performance was assessed objectively (time to completion and additional interactions with the screen), and subjectively (workload, usability, and comfort). Across the tasks, increased turbulence negatively impacted performance, overall workload, and usability. Design recommendations are made for how to best implement pan and number entry tasks on a touchscreen in the flight deck.