An experiment was conducted to investigate the incidence of inversion errors in the control of airspeed. Sixteen pilots were tested in a laboratory task that required them to make speed control decisions similar to those made during flight for the purpose of achieving a preplanned time of arrival. The results showed that pilots had little difficulty in deciding whether or not a change in speed was necessary, but frequently made errors in deciding which direction to change it. That is, pilots often decided to decrease speed when the correct response was to increase speed, and vice versa. The question of whether or not inversion errors in speed control occur during actual flight is discussed, and some of the factors that may influence the occurrence of such errors are examined. (Author)
Geographic Orientation in Aircraft Pilots: Speed Control Inversion
1966
2 pages
Report
No indication
English