Automation in Risk Management - Murat Doğru

                                                            AUTOMATION

Automation is the single most important advance in aviation Technologies and important for risk management. Electronic flight displays  have made vast improvements in how information is displayed and what information is available to the pilot. Pilots can access onboard information electronically that includes databases containing approach information, primary instrument display, and moving maps that mirror sectional charts, or display modes that provide three-dimensional views of upcoming terrain. More pilots now rely on automated flight planning tools and electronic databases for flight planning rather than planning the flight by the traditional methods of laying out charts, drawing the course, identifying navigation points and using the pilot’s operating handbook to figure out the weight and balance and performance charts.No longer most of the aviation community believes automation has made flying safer, but there is a fear that pilots fail to see that automation is a double-edged sword. Pilots need to understand the advantages of automation while being aware of its limitations. Experience has shown that automated systems can make some errors more evident while sometimes hiding other errors or making them less obvious.

                                        

                                            COCKPIT AUTOMATION STUDY

Modern aircraft are increasingly reliant on automation for safe and efficient operation. However, Automation also has the potential to cause significant incidents when misunderstood or mishandled. Furthermore, automation may result in an aircraft developing an undesirable state from which it is difficult or impossible to recover using traditional hand flying techniques.There are many advantages and disadvantages in this situation; increases passenger comfort , improved flight path control and reduced weather minima,systems monitoring displays coupled with diagnostic assistance systems (ECAM/EICAS) support enhanced pilots’ and maintenance staff’s understanding of aircraft system states. However, when faced with a complex failure event, such as Airbus 380 engine break-up, the normally simple to understand’ failure information can swamp the crew and either hinder diagnosis or distract the crew from the principle task of fly the aircraft ; automation can relieve pilots from repetitive or non-rewarding tasks for which humans are less suited, though it invariably changes the pilots’ active involvement in operating the aircraft into a monitoring role, which humans are particularly poor at doing effectively or for long periods.Good automation reduces workload, frees attentional resources to focus on other tasks but the need to ‘manage’ the automation, particularly when involving data entry or retrieval through a key-pad, places addiiotnal tasks on the pilot that can also increase pilot workload. In contrast, poor automation can reduce the operators’ situational awareness and create significant workload challenges when systems fail.

                                 

 Flight Crew - Automation Interaction Issues

Basic manual and cognitive flying skills can decline because of lack of practice and feel for the aircraft can deteriorate. This is exacerbated if operators actively discourage flight crew from manual flying or limit the manual modes they may use – e.g. prohibiting manual flying with Auto-Throttle disengaged;unexpected automation behaviour: un-commanded disengagement caused by a system failure resulting in mode reversion or inappropriate mode engagement by the pilot may lead to adverse consequences;pilots interacting with automation can be distracted from flying the aircraft; selection of modes, annunciation of modes, flight director commands may be given more importance than value of pitch, power, roll and yaw and so distract the flight/crew pilots from flying the aircraft; flight crews may spend too much time trying to understand the origin, conditions, or causes of an alarm or of multiple alarms, which may distract them from other priority tasks and from flying the aircraft; short notice changes by ATC requiring reprogramming of a departure or landing runway are potentially hazardous due to the possibility of incorrect data entry and crosschecking in a time critical situation.

Improvement Paths

Improve basic airmanship and manual flying skills of pilots; improve recurrent training and testing practices with regard to automation management; improve the Multi Crew Cooperation (MCC) concept and training (instruction and testing) practices to better address automation management; improve the Competence Based Training (CBT) and Evidence Based Training (EBT) approaches to better address automation management; develop automation policies specific to aircraft types and variants to account for differences regarding automation and flight path management; improve the Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) programme to better address automation management; manufacturers are to publish automation philosophies and policies, generic and specific to aircraft types and variants, for communication to the training (instructors and trainees) and operations communities.

                                   ENHANCED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Enhanced situational awareness is integral to risk management and response evaluation. Dynamic systems that incorporate both hard and soft data sources allow for comprehensive situational frameworks which can supplement physical models with conceptual notions of risk. The processing of widely available semi-structured textual data sources can produce soft information that is readily consumable by such a framework.

                                                    AUTOPILOT SYSTEMS

An autopilot is a system used to control the trajectory of a vehicle without constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator being required. Autopilots do not replace a human operator, but assist them in controlling the vehicle, allowing them to focus on broader aspects of operation, such as monitoring the trajectory, weather and systems.Autopilots are used in aircraft, boats (known as self-steering gear), spacecraft, missiles, and others. Autopilots have evolved significantly over time, from early autopilots that merely held an attitude to modern autopilots capable of performing automated landings under the supervision of a pilot.

Familiarity

As previously discussed, pilot familiarity with all equipment is critical in optimizing both safety and efficiency. A pilot’s being unfamiliar with any aircraft system will add to workload

and may contribute to a loss of situational awareness.

Respect For Onboard Systems

Automation can assist the pilot in many ways, but a thorough understanding of the system(s) in use is essential to gaining the benefits it can offer. Understanding leads to respect, which

is achieved through discipline and the mastery of the onboard systems.

Reinforcement of Onboard Suites

The use of an electronic flight display (EFD) may not seem intuitive, but competency becomes better with understanding and practice. Computer-based software and incremental

training help the pilot become comfortable with the onboard suites.

Getting Beyond Rote Workmanship

The key to working effectively with automation is getting beyond the sequential process of executing an action. If a pilot has to analyze what key to push next, or always uses the same sequence of keystrokes when others are available, he or she may be trapped in a rote process. This mechanical process indicates a shallow understanding of the system.

Understand the Platform

Contrary to popular belief, flight in aircraft equipped with different electronic management suites requires the same attention as aircraft equipped with analog instrumentation and a conventional suite of avionics.

                                         FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Automation Management

Automation Management provides the skills to properly manage an automated flight deck to increase level of customer safety, passenger comfort and on time performance. Pilots will become familiar with Auto Pilot, Flight Director, Flight Management Systems and other associated equipment. Thus, pilot skills for normal and emergency operations hinge not only on mechanical manipulation of the stick and rudder, but also include the mental mastery. Three key flight management skills are needed to fly the advanced avionics safely: information, automation, and risk.

Information Management

The management of risk data and information is key to the success of any risk management effort regardless of an organization's size or industry sector. Risk management information systems/services (RMIS) are used to support expert advice and cost-effective information management solutions around key processes such as:risk identification and assessment , risk control , risk financing typically, RMIS facilitates the consolidation of information related to insurance, such as claims from multiple sources,property values, policy information, and exposure information, into one system. Often, RMIS applies primarily to “casualty” claims/loss data systems. Such casualty coverages include auto liability, auto physical damage, workers' compensation, general liability and products liability.

RMIS products are designed to provide their insured organizations and their brokers with basic policy and claim information via electronic access, and most recently, via the Internet. This information is essential for managing individual claims, identifying trends, marketing an insurance program, loss forecasting, actuarial studies and internal loss data communication within a client organization. They may also provide the tracking and management reporting capabilities to enable one to monitor and control overall cost of risk in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Risk Management

Risk management is the last of the three flight management skills needed for mastery of the advanced avionics aircraft. The enhanced situational awareness and automation capabilities offered by a glass flight deck vastly expand its safety and utility, especially for personal transportation use.At the same time, there is some risk that lighter work loads could lead to complacency.In addition , It is important to remember that EFDs do not replace basic flight knowledge and skills. They are a tool for improving flight safety. Risk increases when the pilot believes the gadgets compensate for lack of skill and knowledge.As a conclusion,pilot management of risk is improved with practice andconsistent use of basic and practical risk management tools.

Conclusion

Automation statistics is very important to explain accident data situational and for awareness