Aircraft safety and Human Factors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Aircraft safety and Human Factors - Essay Example Aviation is basically a combination of four ingredients, viz. Man, Machine, Medium and Mission-the four Ms.Sucessful integration of all the four culminates in a safe flight. Safety In aviation is achieved by implementation of in stringent measures at various levels-be the production, training or operations. Great emphasis is given towards production of aircraft. Innumerable test sorties are flown on prototypes before clearing them for production. Once came into the service, maintaince schedules are laid down at various stages to ensure trouble free flying. Similarly the crew operating the aircraft undergoes rigorous training to hone their flying skills. Great emphasis is given towards training of ground crew too, which encompasses all crew not flying but directly or indirectly associated with flying operations. Varios checks are instituted to monitor the health of aircraft and the knowledge of aircrews and ground crews. Despite so much concern and effort however, accidents do take place due to varied reasons and it has been found that the man behind the machine causes almost 80% of the accidents in aviation due to omissions or commissions. Why is it so Why does the same specie, that gas designed and mastered the machine and understood its intricacies, cause an accident due to an error How is the man weakest link among Four Ms These are the questions that need to be answered in the interest of flight safety. Human factors Human factors includes studies human capabilities, system analysis and design, process control and automation, skill acquisition, information processing and display, operator workload, and task-induced stress, human-computer interaction, environmental effects on performance, and accident prevention. Human factors is concerned with the cognitive and interpersonal skills required to manage the flight within an organized aviation system. Cognitive skills are the mental processes required for gaining and maintaining situational awareness, for solving problems and for taking decisions. Interpersonal skills include effective communications and good teamwork. Good interpersonal skills encourage the creation of synergy and the development of successful teamwork. Both cognitive and interpersonal skills are enhanced by a good emotional climate amongst the crew, but they are also easily degraded by stress, so management of the emotional climate and stress becomes and integral and important elem ent of good human factors. Human factors play significant roles in more accidents than do mechanical failures. Accordingly, crew resource Aircraft safety and Human Factors 4 Management and other human factors-related training are emphasized in most flight training. Human factors often place demands on the pilot that contrast with those of technology. Pilots must integrate skillful operation of an aircraft with subtle but powerful factors within themselves. (Frank& Harry 112) Flight Deck Management reports:(