Pilots' Risk Perception Regarding Automation

In aviation, each decision made, no matter how big or small, is a life-or-death decision. Small mistakes could lead to large miscalculations which end in less-than-ideal situations. This study was designed to research the impact that automation has on mainly in-flight scenarios and decisions to determine how pilots’ risk perceptions change depending on various circumstances. A survey was developed and distributed to licensed pilots, who rated their perceived risk of 8 scenarios. The scenarios were designed to follow four conditions which included first person vs. third person perspective as well as automation vs no automation involved in the scenario. Results indicate that the designed inclusion of automation did not substantially affect the participants’ risk perception but mean risk ratings were higher for the third person scenarios than for the first-person scenarios. While the automation condition was non-significant, further research including larger sample sizes and increased diversity in the automation considered in the scenarios could provide additional data and better support conclusions made on this topic.