A Systems Perspective on Enhancing Operator Workload and Situational Awareness in Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Through First-Person View Integration

The safe and efficient integration of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) requires a systems-based understanding of the interrelations among human, technological, and regulatory components. Existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines restrict most operations to visual line of sight (VLOS), which constrains operational scalability and underscores the need for system-level innovations supporting beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations. This study adopted a socio-technical systems approach to evaluate how first-person view (FPV) technologies influence operator workload and situational awareness (SA), key human performance elements within the broader sUAS safety system. Participants meeting FAA Part 107 eligibility criteria were assigned to one of three visual configurations: (a) traditional VLOS, (b) FPV using a 21-inch monitor, or (c) FPV with immersive goggles. Workload was measured with the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and Level 1 SA was assessed via post-task recall. ANOVA results revealed no statistically significant differences across visual conditions, indicating no evidence that FPV integration either increased cognitive load or impaired perceptual awareness compared to traditional methods. Complementary analysis of NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) identified SA as the most recurrent human-factor issue, suggesting system-level implications for human–machine interaction and training design. These findings contribute to the systemic understanding of human factors in UAS operations, supporting FPV’s potential as a viable subsystem for achieving safe and effective BVLOS integration within complex socio-technical aviation systems.