Mission Adaptive Display Technologies and Operational Decision Making in Aviation

Avionics often serves as the tip of the spear for research into user-interface and systems usability in aviation. However, this emphasis on flashy, technology-driven design can come with a cost: the sacrifice of practical utility, which, in the high-stakes environment of military aviation, can lead directly to catastrophe. Mission Adaptive Display Technologies and Operational Decision Making in Aviation explores the use of adaptive and assistive technologies in aviation to establish clear guidelines for the design and implementation of such technologies to better serve the needs of both military and civilian pilots. Benefiting from the authors’ combined experience of more than 40 years in the aviation industry and over 25,000 flight-hours, this volume targets a wide audience of engineers and business professionals. This premier reference source covers topics of interest to aviators and engineers, including aerodynamic systems design, operational decision theory, user interface design, avionics, and concepts and cases in flight operations, mission performance, and pilot training.

Kevin M. Smith is an aviator, author and speaker and a recognized expert in the field of critical thinking. Captain Smiths distinguished military career included holding the positions of squadron commander deployed in the USS Constellation, senior instructor pilot, top gun instructor, and recognized expert in air combat operations. Captain Smith has over four thousand hours of military flight time, mostly in supersonic front-line fighters. During his airline career Captain Smith attained captain qualifications in all modern Boeing airliners, including the ultra-modern B-777. He was a line check captain in the B-767 Fleet. Over the course of a forty-year flying career, Captain Smith accumulated more than twenty-five thousand flight hours. Assigned as the chairman of a government sponsored blue ribbon task force, Captain Smith was directly responsible for the top-down redesign of airline pilot training programs for all U.S. airline carriers. This effort represented the first successful attempt to develop targeted training programs designed to improve the critical thinking skills for airline pilots. Captain Smith is the author of the Commitment to Reason four-book series which addresses critical thinking in new and innovative ways. Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, book one is available nationally, book two is in press and will be available in the spring of 2015. A companion workbook is also in production, and books three and four will be available in 2016. Captain Smith has received numerous military awards including the prestigious Meritorious Unit Commendation recognizing his exceptional performance as squadron commander. He holds degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics, and is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Aviation Academy. Captain Smith is currently the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Aviation Systems, Operations, and Training, published by IGI-Global.

Stéphane Larrieu is the founder and president of Aero Research, an aerospace consulting firm specializing in advanced pilot training products and mission adaptive displays.