Opinion: Planes, Glass, Cockpits and Automobiles

Automotive 

Our older car, a 2008 VW, is digitally minimalistic, with an analogue dashboard showing speed and revs, and physical controls to adjust the climate control and the sound system. I was looking forward to the modern digital controls and customisation our new Volvo has, including a HUD that shows speed, GPS directions, and other information directly in my line of sight. It is an incredibly advanced car, especially when compared with our older car: a Cirrus SR22 versus a Cessna 172. 

I spent most of our first long drive in “pilot mode”, as my better half told me. Focused on driving and adjusting controls, becoming familiar with the Swedish cockpit, and not talking much. Basically, work cycle driving: attitude – lookout – attitude – performance, where ‘performance’ consisted of checking settings and displays. In terms of driving, the fundamentals are the same, but in terms of cockpit management and settings it is very different. 

When I drove our 2008 car solo, I would habitually cycle through the radio stations by feeling for the stored station button, and adjust the volume by feeling for the rotating knob nearby. The same for climate control. In our new car, I can’t do that as familiarly. There are digital menus and sub-menus to navigate, and it takes noticeably longer to identify a function and then watch my finger select it, rather than having eyes up almost the entire time while using my fingers to feel for the dials. Paradoxically, the HUD allows me to keep my eyes on the road entirely, but the digital touchscreen requires attention to be diverted from the road. 

There are also all sorts of warnings and alerts that the new car activates, such as collision detection warning, cross-traffic alerting, proximity parking alerting, etc. Most of the time these are helpful, but occasionally they are out of context or not correct, so they can be distracting or even startling. 

These observations relate to aviation generally, and also more specifically to business aviation, in terms of human-machine interface, single-pilot operations, and automation and warnings. 

Aviation 

Looking at cockpits throughout history, critical switches and controls always have different textures, sizes, shapes, and heights. Flap levers resemble a flap; landing gear handles resemble a wheel. Safety critical switches are often caged or protected to prevent inadvertent selection. This design helps pilots develop muscle memory, and not have cognitive capacity consumed by searching for and identifying controls when they can be felt tactilely. In turbulence, where touchscreens can be difficult to accurately use, tactile controls are even more important. 

From a cautions, warnings, and alerts perspective, older cars really only alerted for critical system failures or problems. I.e. engine, oil pressure/quantity, fuel, temperature, etc. – systems that can shut down a vehicle. Over time, additional alerts have been introduced, such as for tyre pressure, doors being latched, seatbelts, parking hazards, pedestrians, etc – that aren’t mission-critical, but are important safety or operating systems. This is relatable to the traditional red, amber, yellow caution and warning panel common in the aircraft in which most pilots learned, which warned of critical system issues. Digital cockpits now offer a suite of systems monitoring and alerting that is designed to improve decision-making and situational awareness. But, with so many audible and visual alerts, some of which are only potential alerts, driver and pilot distraction away from critical systems is a possibility. 

A final point is the decreased visibility that larger cars have, but the increased augmented vision available. I found it disarmingly easy to rely on the camera-based augmented vision system for parking and reversing after only a few drives, and realised I was increasingly less likely to physically look outside or do a head check. Jumping back into the 2008 car I feel myself needing to consciously focus more on non-augmented skills, such as parallel parking, reversing, and changing lanes. This is relatable to relying on autopilot, a HUD, or any automated system – they’re incredibly helpful, but at the potential expense of manual flying skills and proficiency.

Airmanship/Drivemanship 

Proficiency comes from practice and training. While at first I felt myself consciously focusing on driving, several months later and I have adapted to a new way of driving. This occurred over three distinct phases:

1. Aviate-navigate-communicate-administrate. My first adaptation was to focus on driving, and essentially stop driving to adjust settings or to focus my attention elsewhere. This was safe, but inefficient, and difficult if on a highway, for instance.
2. Crew resource management. My second evolution was to utilise a co-pilot. While I focused on driving, I’d ask my better half to adjust a setting.
3. Effective automation. My third and current phase is to use the car’s automation features to my benefit. Active cruise control, for example, permits me to shift attention away from driving (as I’m reliant on the ‘autopilot’) while I adjust a setting. This obviously relieves my workload, but a potential risk is my overreliance on automated systems.

The aviation industry is changing rapidly, for pilots, operators, service providers, and business owners: automation, digitisation, electrification, and innovation. 

Focusing on the above fundamentals, whether they are related to driving, flying, or running a business, can help us focus on elements within our control, and provide us with the greatest probability of achieving our objectives, safely.

“DIGITAL COCKPITS NOW OFFER A SUITE OF SYSTEMS MONITORING AND ALERTING”