VNAV Tutor: system knowledge training for improving pilots´ mode awareness

One of the major tasks of pilots in the modern glass cockpit is monitoring and understanding the status and behavior of the flight management (FM) system, i.e., mode awareness. Control modes of the FM system can change due to pilot commands (manually) or certain flight control events (automatically). The flexible and dynamic nature of the FM system increases both the functionality of the control system and the cognitive demands placed on the pilot. Without accurate and complete system knowledge the pilot is more likely to misunderstand the control modes. Vertical path navigation (VNAV) is often cited by pilots as an FM system function that surprises them. To address this problem a computer-based training system, called the VNAV Tutor, has been developed. This tutor was designed to improve the pilot´s understanding of VNAV control modes and the interaction of the mode control panel functions with the FM system during VNAV usage. The VNAV Tutor and empirical results of its evaluation using line pilots are presented