Measured effects of workload and auditory feedback on remote pilot task performance.

Absent or reduced sensory cueing can deprive pilots operating remotely piloted aircraft beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of vital information necessary for safe flight. The present study tested the effects of real-time auditory feedback on remote pilot perception and decision-making task performance in an automated BVLOS flight, under three levels of workload (Low, Moderate and High). Results from 36 participants revealed workload and auditory feedback influenced perception task performance in terms of error type count, with misses more frequent than wrong identifications. In terms of performance in the decision-making task, under low and moderate levels of workload, auditory feedback was found to improve performance. Conversely, under high workloads, an inflexion or tipping point occurred whereby auditory feedback became detrimental to task performance. These results correspond with the expected behavioural responses to external stressors as predicted by the Arousal and Maximal Adaptability theory, and build upon previous findings related to workload, auditory feedback and remote pilot task performance. Practitioner summary: This study tested the effect of real-time auditory feedback and dynamic workloads on remote pilots' task performance. Auditory feedback and workload each influenced the perception tasks in terms of error types committed. Auditory feedback improved decision-making task performance under low and moderate workloads, and reduced performance under high workloads. These results may benefit practitioners by considering the nuanced effects of auditory feedback on human task performance within sensory deprived working environments, including those utilising teleoperated systems.

Effects of auditory and visual feedback on remote pilot manual flying performance.

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have facilitated new growth in civil aviation. Unlike manned aircraft, however, they are operated without auditory feedback and normally flown under two visual conditions: in direct visual-line-of-sight to the remote pilot (VLOS) and beyond VLOS with first-person-view imagery transmitted via onboard cameras (BVLOS). The present research examined the effectiveness of audiovisual cueing on remote pilot manual flying performance. Eighteen pilots (three female) completed six navigation and 12 spotting tasks. Their flying performance (horizontal accuracy, vertical accuracy and timeliness) was examined under three different visual display types (VLOS (Control), BVLOS-Monitor & BVLOS-Goggles), with and without real-time auditory feedback, and two wind component (no wind and wind) conditions. Horizontal deviation and timeliness improved in the BVLOS-Monitor condition navigation task, while auditory feedback produced nuanced examples of improved and degraded pilot performance. These results indicate how the specificity of the task, combined with different levels of audiovisual feedback influences remote pilot performance. These findings support the rationalisation for the provision of multimodal dynamic sensory cueing in future RPAS. Practitioner summary: Accuracy and timeliness of remote pilot manual flying performance was measured under a combination of audiovisual feedback in calm and wind shear conditions. The inclusion of real-time auditory feedback as an additional sensory cue is uncommon; this study demonstrated nuanced examples of improved and degraded manual flying performance. The provision of dynamic sensory cueing made available to remote pilots in future RPAS should be considered.