Date of Award

7-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Aeronautics

First Advisor

Dr. Meredith Carroll

Second Advisor

Dr. Rian Mehta

Third Advisor

Dr. Brooke Wheeler

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Siddhartha Bhattacharyya

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the influence of levels of visual density (VD) and information density (ID) of an electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft pilot interface on pilot situation awareness (SA), workload, and search performance. An eVTOL aircraft is a novel aircraft design that is able to perform vertical take-off and landing similar to a rotorcraft and transition to a forward flight, similar to a fixed-wing aircraft. These aircraft are envisioned to operate in urban environments at lower altitudes, necessitating efficient, clear, and concise pilot interfaces to ensure safety and operational effectiveness. The study used a within subjects, quasi experimental design to determine the effect of varying levels of VD and ID on the pilot’s SA, workload, and search performance. The sample consisted of 26 instrument-rated student pilots, who performed four trials involving landing an eVTOL aircraft at four airports using varying levels of VD and ID. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that there was a significant effect of levels of VD and ID on SA, workload, and search performance. iv iv Further analysis also revealed a significant interaction between VD and ID on search performance. The findings of the study were consistent with the SEEV model (Wickens et al., 2001) and Broadbent's (1958) filter model of attention. The study’s findings align with research in the aviation domain and provide strong evidence that the levels of VD and ID can affect an eVTOL pilot's SA, workload, and search performance.

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