Advances in computing technology have made today’s jetliners highly automated. From takeoff to landing computers are interacting constantly with the flight crew. While this technology is a very good thing, inadvertently it can lead to decrease in piloting skills, making pilots less aviators and more systems managers. The over reliance on automated systems has led to several well-known air crashes: Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic in June 2009. Ice crystals caused the autopilot to disconnect, and the crew reacted incorrectly which led to an unrecoverable stall and subsequent crash. AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea in December 2014. The plane’s rudder travel limiter malfunctioned and the autopilot pushed the aircraft went into an abnormally steep climb, where it stalled and fell. The pilots’ responses were inadequate and 162 people died. In this webinar, noted aviation safety expert and ERAU Professor William Waldock will look at the degradation of airmanship skills due to automation and what can be done to ensure pilots maintain the highest degree of concentration and control in an era of increasing automation.

1. Welcome!

2. Today’s Agenda
• Welcome and Introduction—Bill
Gibbs, Webinar Coordinator
• Presentation by Prof. Waldock
• Questions and Answers
• Upcoming Webinars and Degree
BriefingBill Gibbs
Director, Campus Outreach
Webinar Coordinator

3. Where are you today?

4. A few session pointers
• We will answer questions at the conclusion of the presentation.
At any time you can post a question and we will answer as
many as we can
• Slides are available for download at any time
• The recording link will be emailed to you
• A participation certificate is available upon request
• Be sure to complete our survey. The link will be sent to you in a
follow up email after the webinar

5. Are We Related?

6. Professor William “Bill” Waldock
• Professor of Behavioral and Safety Science at
ERAU-Prescott
• Creator of Aviation Safety programs at ERAU
• Retired Coast Guard officer and pilot
• Worked more than 200 aircraft investigations
• President of AZ Chapter of International Society of
Air Safety Investigators
• Author of numerous articles on aviation safety and
accidents
• Expert called upon by media

7. Aircraft Automation & the Degradation of Airmanship:
Keeping Our Skies Safe
William D. Waldock
Professor of Behavioral and Safety
Science
ERAU-Prescott, AZ

8. What IS “Airmanship?”
• Tony Kern: “Airmanship is the consistent use of good
judgement and well-developed skills to accomplish
flight objectives.”
• Key components: knowledge of aircraft, environment,
& risk; physical skills, cockpit management skills,
communication skills, cognitive skills, team skills. It
also includes: proper training, proficiency, good
judgement, situational awareness, manual flying skills,
interacting with automation and using it to the best
advantage, self-improvement, and in many ways most
importantly-professionalism

9. Where Are The Risks to Safe Flight?
• Any and all of the key components can provide opportunity
for error and failure. They all have to synergize for a pilot
to maintain his or her airmanship.
• The use of automation, particularly in the air carrier world,
has seen dramatic expansion as the available technologies
become more sophisticated and capable. It is possible
today for some newer aircraft to literally fly themselves
from the origin airport to the destination, without direct
human pilot involvement.
• Automation has improved safety and efficiency of flight
tremendously but it has also provided a new venue for
human error: the interface between the human and the
automation.

10. Apollo-The first use of fly-by-wire and computer control of a vehicle

11. Selected Prior Human-Automation Involved Accidents
• Eastern Airlines Flt 401, L-1011, Miami, 29 Dec 1972
• China Airlines Flt 006, B747SP, Eastern Pacific Ocean, 19 Feb 1985
• China Airlines Flt 140, A-300-600, Nagoya, Japan, 26 April, 1994
• Asiana Flt 214, B-777, SFO, 06 July 2013
• And many more

12. What the accident record says-case examples

13. TAM Airlines 3054, A-320
Sao Paulo, Brazil, 17 July 2007
landing Rwy 35L, 6,365’. Wx rain/thunderstorms

17. • Findings
• Conclusions
• Causation

18. Air France 447, A-330
01 June 2009, S. Atlantic Ocean

23. • Findings
• Conclusions
• Causation

24. AirAsia Flt 8501, A-320
28 Dec 2015, Java Sea

27. • Findings
• Conclusions
• Causation

28. Qantas 32, A-380
04 Nov 2010, Emergency Landing Singapore

36. • Findings
• Conclusions
• Causation

38. QUESTIONS?

39. Upcoming Webinars:
Apr. 14 Project Management Solutions to Help You Stay on
Schedule and on Budget--Dr. Jim Marion
May 12 Create Communications that Really Make the Point: Writing
Effective Emails, Reports, and Messages--Dr. Terri Muse
June 9 How to Write a Resume that Gets Results--Dr. Rose Opengart
webinars.erau.edu

40. Join us for a Degree Briefing!
Thursday, Feb. 18 (one week from today)
2 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern (USA)
Covering:
Bachelor of Aeronautics
Master of Science in Human Factors
webinars.erau.edu

41. Thank You!
This concludes today’s webinar.
Watch for a follow up email that contains:
1. How to get a Participation Certificate
2. Link to the recording
3. Link to the webinar survey
4. Registration info on the Degree Briefing
For questions about the webinar series:
Bill Gibbs, Webinar Series Coordinator
Bill.Gibbs@erau.edu