Resources

This article, by LCol Colin Keiver, provides an overview of the main conclusions of the APPD report as applied to the Air Force's current operations and the future end-state that is envisioned in the ASTRA project. The article is written in the context of the Tusker 914 tragedy, and is a useful overview of the principles of automation airmanship.

Read this article

The Canadian Air Force has begun a modernization program that is unprecedented in its history. The findings and conclusions in this paper as they relate to the synthetic environment and the optimization of human performance are a means to ensure the Air Force is able to fully exploit the potential of not only the systems it possesses or will possess in the future but also the potential of its personnel. This paper proposes a road map to operational success and safety that fully exploits the synthetic environment to build upon what has always been one of the fundamental strengths of the Air Force – its people. To achieve these goals, it recommends the creation of behavioural performance markers within the Air Force that are taught and evaluated to the same level as technical skills. Once created, these skills are best taught in the synthetic environment in what the aviation industry refers to as Line Operations Simulation (LOS).

While there are no quick answers to the human factors issues that the Air Force is wrestling with, this paper concludes that solving them is not difficult. It will take deliberate effort and resources. Once that effort is begun, and a common language of aviation human factors is established across the Air Force, other areas such as Human Performance in Military Aviation (HPMA) and the Human Factors Analysis Classification System (HFACS) used by Flight Safety will also begin to deliver promised results that have yet to be achieved. There is significant potential to adopt other industry solutions, such as Line Operations Safety Audits (LOSA), once human factors are fully integrated into Air Force training and operations. Implementing LOS and maximizing the use of the synthetic environment across all fleets within the Canadian Air Force is a critical first step in that transformation.

Download this article

In a June 2008 appearance before the Senate Defence Committee, the Chief of the Air Staff stated that the Air Force was developing initiatives to resolve pilot production and absorption deficiencies, including the increased use of flight simulators. Most would agree that the increased use of flight simulators can increase pilot production and, more importantly, significantly assist trained pilots in maintaining learned skills through simulator continuation training. However, few can agree on the type of flight simulator required to achieve this effective continuation training. Namely, is full motion required to achieve effective training in Canadian Forces Air Mobility fixed-wing aircraft full flight simulators? This paper argues that it is not.

This analysis examines how humans process motion and applies that knowledge to the modern use of the Stewart-Gough simulator motion platform. Although pilots appear to prefer full motion in transport aircraft flight simulators, science indicates that the motion is not required. The military and civilian professional aviation communities are expending a significant amount of money on full motion platforms when there is no need. The future of flight simulators for continuation flight training requires a change in the status quo and an investment in alternative technologies, such as immersive simulators with dynamic motion seats.

Download this article

The reports describing the findings of the APPD project are located within the Canadian Forces intranet. If you are viewing this page from a Canadian Forces workstation, you can download the two sections of the report by visiting this web page.

If you are currently viewing this page from a workstation outside of DND, please make a request for the report on the feedback page. Please note that we can only send copies of the report to Canadian Forces email addresses.