Evaluation of an Alternate Airport Assistant Prototype by Means of an Online Pilot Study

The project Next generation Intelligent Cockpit (NICo) of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) aimed at developing assistance systems in the context of single pilot operations (SiPO). Failure management is one challenge of SiPO because it places the highest demands on the crew. In order to make an informed decision, the effects of a failure must be determined quickly. Automated provision of relevant facts in the respective situation can relieve the pilots of bothersome tasks like gathering data and combining information. In previous studies DLR investigated criteria pilots apply when considering options for alternate airports in case of diversion from the planned destination. Criteria including distance to airport, fuel on arrival, stop margin and crosswind were identified as relevant for pilots deciding where to divert. Based on the findings, DLR designed a prototypical graphical user interface (GUI) that should assist pilots with finding suitable airports. It was tested during a pilot study carried out remotely in scope of a master’s thesis. The aims of this study were to assess the feasibility of the GUI’s various features by gaining pilot feedback on its usability and improvement possibilities. 14 pilots with current or past Airbus A320 type rating performed two online exercises and completed associated questionnaires. The pilots made use of different GUI features when considering their options to divert after encountering malfunctions that were not time-critical. In an analysis of results, it became evident that pilots rated the prototype overall favourably, although they approved of the functionalities to varying degree. The feedback is valuable for the ongoing development of the application and encourages to consider the duration of the mission, i.e. short-range or long-range flights.