Digital Training to
Analog Flying:
Is There a Problem?
Western Michigan University,
College of Aviation
Geoff Whitehurst, Tom Grossman,
William Rantz
Great Lakes International Aviation
Conference 2011
Number of aircraft
1827
323
577
Glass equipment
Analog equipment
Light Glass equipment
Notes:
(1) Light Glass means EADI and EHSI
(2) Total aircraft includes part 121 regional airlines and part 135 charter
operators likely to hire WMU grads
(3) Part 91 operations are not included due to lack of reliable data.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Glass
Analog/light
glass
Date Frame (month/year)
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot
09/08 - 09/10
09/06 - 08/08
09/04 - 08/06
09/02 - 08/04
Leaving Aviation
09/00 - 08/02
Percentage
CFI’s Leaving WMU to Fly…
CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
43, 15%
134, 45%
118, 40%
To fly glass
To fly analog or light
glass
Aviation
Data represents years 1999 – present
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot
CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
5, 15%
16, 47%
13, 38%
To fly glass
To fly analog or light
glass
Aviation
Data represents years 09/2000 – 08/2002
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot
CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
11, 28%
7, 17%
To fly glass
22, 55%
To fly analog or light
glass
Aviation
Data represents years 09/2002 - 08/2004
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot
Conclusions
• Pilots hired into a 121 carrier will likely be
assigned a glass equipped aircraft.
• Industry trends indicate a shift toward entry
level positions requiring glass proficiency.
• Recent economic times has shifted entry
level positions from 121 to 135 & 91
operators, thereby maintaining the need for
analog skills.
CFI Survey
• WMU is considering the pros and cons of moving
to an all-glass training fleet. Please answer the
following questions.
CFI Survey
• What percentage of your multi engine students struggle with
situational awareness when initially transitioning to the
Seminole/Seneca?
• List the approximate percentage of students who have
experienced the following.
• The total of your responses should be close to 100%.
______ No struggle at all
______ Slight initial struggle but adapted well
______ Moderate struggle
______ Significant struggle to adjust to analog presentation
______ Still struggling at course completion
CFI Survey
• On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least important and
5 being the most, how important is it for WMU graduates
to have
– An all glass exposure
1
2
3
4
5
– An all analog exposure
1
2
3
4
5
– A mixed glass/analog exposure
1
2
3
4
5
How Well Do Students Transition to Analog?
What % struggle with SA?
34%
No struggles
5%
Slight initial struggle
33%
Moderate struggle
Significant struggle
7%
Still struggling at course completion
21%
Conclusions
• WMU MEIs indicate that the average student
experiences moderate difficulty with
Situational Awareness while flying aircraft
equipped with analog instrumentation.
• WMU MEIs have expressed an overwhelming
opinion that WMU graduates should have a
mixed exposure to both glass and analog
equipment.
Research
• Research into this potentially lethal problem
is obviously required.
• A study is being developed to determine if
there is flight performance degradation,
and/or situational awareness degradation for
pilots who have only experienced digital
flight instrumentation when exposed to
analog instrumentation for the first time.
Review of Existing Literature
• Numerous studies on transition from
traditional cockpit to a modern-glass
cockpit.
• No empirical research examining the
transition of pilots from a modern-glass
cockpit to a traditional analog cockpit and
the possible risks involved
• Anecdotal information about transition
challenges
Research Questions
• When pilots trained in digitally equipped
aircraft transition to analog equipped
aircraft, is there:
• A) technical skills degradation?
• B) situational awareness degradation?
Simulator vs PC-ATD
Simulator
Sim Photo
Sim Photo
Personal Computer – Aviation
Training Device (PC-ATD)
Cessna 182 Skylane Glass
Cessna 182 Skylane RG
PC-ATD Photo with Analog Instrumentation
Flight Profiles
• Four flights per session
• Each flight consists of
– Take-off
– Radar vectored instrument pattern
• Position check (situational awareness)
– ILS to land
• Assessed using practical test standards for
instrument flight
Experimental Design
• Two group control group design
• Participants randomly allocated to either the
control group or the treatment group
• Pre-test - Control and Treatment
– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass
• Post-test - Control
– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass
• Post-test - Treatment
– Cessna 182 Skylane RG
Analysis of Data
• Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)
• Pre-test scores as the covariate
Applied Research Outcomes
• If there are technical skills degradation. To
what extent is that degradation and can
those skills be brought to proficiency and
within what time period?
• If there is situational awareness
degradation. To what extent is that
degradation and can those skills be brought
to proficiency and within what time period?