Interpretability of Aviation Weather Information Displays for General Aviation.

BACKGROUND: General Aviation (GA) pilots who encounter hazardous weather inflight have a high probability of incurring fatal accidents. To mitigate this problem, previous research investigated pilot decision making and the effects of new technology. Limited investigations have examined usability and interpretability of observation and forecast weather products available to pilots. Therefore, this study examined the interpretability of weather observation and forecast reports that GA pilots use for preflight weather planning and the impact of pilot certification level on the interpretability of these displays.METHOD: There were 204 GA pilots (Mean age = 22.50 yr; Median flight hours = 131.0) who completed a 90-item multiple choice Aviation Weather Product Test. The questions portrayed static weather displays available on the NOAA/National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center website. The questions were designed to have high cognitive fidelity in comparison with preflight weather planning tasks.RESULTS: The results revealed overall low mean interpretability scores (Mean percent correct= 59.29%, SD = 16.01%). The scores for observation products and product attributes were lower for student pilots than experienced pilots. Forecast product scores for student and private pilots did not differ, however, student pilot scores were significantly lower than instrument rated private and commercial pilots.DISCUSSION: The low interpretability scores indicate that GA pilots misinterpret weather information provided by most weather observation and forecast products. Possible contributing factors to the low product interpretation scores include poor usability and a lack of training. Future research should measure the usability of weather displays designed for pilots.Blickensderfer BL, Guinn TA, Lanicci JM, Ortiz Y, King JM, Thomas RL, DeFilippis N. Interpretability of aviation weather information displays for general aviation. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(4):318-325.

Training General Aviation Pilots for Convective Weather Situations.

BACKGROUND: Over the past 10-15 yr, considerable research has occurred for the development, testing, and fielding of real-time Datalink weather products for general aviation (GA) pilots to use before and during flight. As is the case with the implementation of most new technologies, work is needed to ensure that the users (in this case, the pilots) understand both the capabilities and limitations of the new technologies as well as how to use the new systems to improve their task performance. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend a previous study on training pilots how and when to use these new weather technologies. METHOD: This field study used a quasi-experimental design (pre- vs. post-test with a control group). There were 91 GA pilots from the Midwest, Northeastern, and Southeastern United States who participated in a 2-h short course or a control activity. The lecture-based short course covered radar basics, Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), NEXRAD specifics/limitations, thunderstorm basics, radar products, and decision making. RESULTS: The pilots who participated in the course earned higher knowledge test scores, improved at applying the concepts in paper-based flight scenarios, had higher self-efficacy in post-training assessments as compared to pre-training assessments, and also performed better than did control subjects on post-test knowledge and skills assessments. DISCUSSION: GA pilots lack knowledge about real-time Datalink weather technology. This study indicates that a relatively short training program was effective for fostering Datalink weather-related knowledge and skills in GA pilots.