APES: the approach plate expert system

The Approach Plate Expert System (APES) is a knowledge-based decision aid prototype designed to help pilots fly approaches. During the various phases of an approach, pilots must make many decisions and perform diverse tasks in short periods of time, while simultaneously controlling aircraft heading, airspeed, and altitude. This high workload environment contributes to a disproportionate number of aircraft incidents. To reduce pilot workload the APES performs calculations, displays approach-critical target values, and uses voice messaging and standard textual output to provide timely information to the pilot. The APES simultaneously monitors aircraft performance, and informs the pilot of appropriate corrective actions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of the APES can significantly improve the situational awareness of pilots by reducing their cognitive workload, and consequently reduce the number of incidents during approach Phase I of this study focused on capturing the expertise of experienced pilots in the rules of the APES. This paper provides an overview of the design and implementation of the APES prototype, summarizes preliminary results of this study, and presents conclusions and recommendations based on these results