Date of Award
Fall 2024
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Aviation
Department
College of Aviation
Committee Chair
Andrew R. Dattel
College Dean
Alan J. Stolzer
Abstract
The widespread adoption of Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) among general aviation pilots prompts safety concerns regarding transitioning from traditional, heavily loaded paper-based flight bags. However, studies evaluating the impact of EFBs on general aviation pilots’ situation awareness are limited. This study aimed to determine whether EFBs enhanced or hindered general aviation pilots’ situation awareness.
The research compared EFBs with traditional paper-based flight bags to investigate pilots’ situation awareness in a single-pilot flight deck under visual flight rules, normal and emergency flight scenarios, and different mounting positions. A sample of 38 participants was recruited, including flight students, flight instructors, and retired military aviators from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Situation Present Assessment Method was used to measure situation awareness, which probed participants with pre-recorded questions and recorded their response time and number of correct answers. Performance data exported from the simulator were also collected to evaluate potential flight performance degradation.
The results indicated no significant differences in response time when answering situation awareness questions across EFB and paper products, flight scenarios, and mounting positions, and no interaction effect was observed. Participants who utilized EFBs demonstrated higher accuracy in correctly answering situation awareness questions than those who used paper documents. However, participants’ performance was affected by the flight scenarios and display devices, and an interaction effect in airspeed control was found between scenarios and mounting positions.
This study revealed that EFBs did not significantly affect general aviation pilots’ situation awareness. The findings suggest that pilots can choose between traditional paper-based flight bags or EFBs without fear of affecting their situation awareness. However, the study’s internal validity was limited because many participants had more experience with EFBs than paper documents. Future research should include a larger sample size, including pilots who exclude using paper-based flight bags during flight.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Yu, Dongguang, "Assessing the Influences of Electronic Flight Bags on General Aviation Single Pilots’ Situation Awareness in Various Conditions" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 852.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/852
