Browsing by Author "Blundell, James"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Air rage from the sharp end: cabin crew perspectives on disruptive passenger behaviour in Europe and its impact on occupational safety and well-being
    (Taylor and Francis, 2024-09-12) Rösch, Alexander; Chernak, Erin; Blundell, James
    Disruptive passenger behaviour (DPB) incidents spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic period, compromising the safety of commercial flights on a daily basis. This qualitative semi-structured interview study examined the perceived triggering factors and motivations for DPB and the subsequent impact of DPB upon cabin crew well-being and safety. Twenty-four European cabin crew disclosed experiences, subjective observations of perpetrator traits, assessment of DPB development and information regarding their well-being and perceived safety. Thematic analysis revealed that the perceived frequency of DPB had increased, driven by an accumulation of pandemic-related factors–such as enforcing mask wearing amongst intoxicated passengers. DPB was found to decrease resilience and spur maladaptive coping strategies in crew. Suggested enhancements to current DPB mitigation consisted of stricter punishment for DPB as a deterrent, alcohol bans and higher quality training. These findings can inform decision-makers’ efforts to support cabin crew well-being and create safer cabin workplaces in the future.
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    Airline pilots’ perceived operational benefit of a startle and surprise management method: a qualitative study
    (SciTePress - Science and Technology Publications, 2024-05-16) Vlaskamp, Daan; Landman, Annemarie; van Rooij, Jeroen; Li, Wen-Chin; Blundell, James
    Startle and surprise can impair pilot performance and jeopardize flight safety. Self-management methods have been developed by the industry to address this acute source of stress, however, qualitative insights from pilots describing the quality of these methods are lacking. Ten semi-structured interviews with airline pilots, who had been taught a self-management method, were analyzed using thematic analysis). Pilots considered the method useful and reported positive effects (e.g., decrease in stress) when applying the method during operations. Pilots reported that the method was not often performed in full; specific steps were employed based on perceived benefit. Establishing fellow pilot status and situation awareness was considered most important, addressing own physical startle symptoms (e.g., muscle tension) were deemed less important. Pilots reported an urge to “act” rather than use the method, which is expected as the method aims to induce a pause and mitigate erroneous impulsi ve decisions. Barriers to applying the method included the difficult recognition of startle and surprise, and situational context. Suggested improvements for training dealt with recognition and sharing experiences from peers. The findings of the research provide directions for pilot training for startle and surprise. Future research will explore these pilot perceptions in a larger representative sample.
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    Comparative analysis of touchscreen inceptors and traditional sidesticks on flight decks: flight performance, visual behaviours and situation awareness
    (Taylor and Francis, 2025-02-12) Wang, Yifan; Korek, Wojciech Tomasz; Blundell, James; Li, Wen-Chin
    The concept of touchscreen primary control device is a novel approach of touchcreen implentation. The objective of this study is to investigate differences in flight performance and attention allocation between a touchscreen inceptor and a traditional sidestick. Twenty-one participants flew four simulated instrument landing system (ILS) approaches - with the touchscreen inceptor or traditional sidestick - during flight scenarios where an aircraft attitude disturbance was either present or absent. Results demonstrated that participant performance scores were worse with the touchscreen inceptor compared to the sidestick during attitude disturbance scenarios. Interestingly, participants exhibited reduced attention to external visual cues with the touchscreen inceptor compared to the sidestick. In addition, use of the touchscreen inceptor resulted in lower performance and lower self-reported situation awareness. Overall, the touchscreen inceptor demonstrated poorer performance compared to the traditional sidestick, highlighting limitations in its current design that warrant cautious consideration and further investigation.
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    Dataset "AR SUS & QUIS Hololens"
    (Cranfield University, 2024-08-09) Li, Wen-Chin; Zhang, Jingyi; Blundell, James; Court, Samuel
    AR system usability and user experience in flight operations
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    Developing a human-centric de-icing system to increase airport capacity and operational safety
    (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2024-04-24) Yaghi, Ahmed; Blundell, James; Li, Wen-Chin
    This research paper presents an innovative automated de-icing system designed to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability at airports during cold weather conditions. Traditional manual de-icing methods, which are labour intensive and pose significant safety risks and environmental concerns, are inefficient and costly. The proposed system incorporates human-centric design principles and advanced automation technologies, including predictive modelling and real-time data analytics, to facilitate safer and more efficient de-icing operations with reduced physical labour and improved aircraft turnaround times. Drawing upon interviews with Bucharest International Airport subject matter experts, the research identified key operational, safety, and environmental challenges in current de-icing processes in order to provide relevant human-centric design requirements. Subsequent system development focused on minimizing human error and physical strain, streamlining equipment preparation, and reducing environmental impact through sustainable practices. The research underscores the need for further empirical testing to validate the system's effectiveness in real-world settings, offering a significant step forward in achieving safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible airport de-icing operations.
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    The impacts of systematic false alarms on air traffic controllers’ situation awareness
    (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2024-04-24) Diack, Ousmane; Blundell, James; Li, Wen-Chin
    The safety net, made of a set of alarms, is considered the final Air Traffic Management (ATM) protection to prevent an accident. The prevalence and causes of false Short-term Conflict Alerts (STCA), an alarm intended to represent one of the final safety barriers, was investigated based on the occurrence of 315 STCA events generated by a Western African Upper Airspace ATM system over an 11-month time period. Based on subject matter expert review, 313 STCA events (99.9%) were classified as false alarms. False STCA were caused by a combination of technical (aircraft position sensor fusion misalignment) and human attributes within the system. Furthermore, a survey with 26 ATCOs on the cognitive and behaviour effects elicited by the experience of false STCAs revealed that 73.08% of ATCOs experienced increased workload. Whilst 38.46% reported a reduction in situation awareness. Results of the analysis of the retrieved data on the STCA suggest that implementing efficient system integration of different sensors and reducing human error will reduce workload, and improve ATCO’s situation awareness and overall ATM system efficiency.
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    Practice effects of a breathing technique on pilots’ cognitive and stress associated heart rate variability during flight operations
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024-06-10) Zhang, Jingyi; Li, Wen-Chin; Braithwaite, Graham; Blundell, James
    Commercial pilots endure multiple stressors in their daily and occupational lives which are detrimental to psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. The Quick coherence technique (QCT) is an effective intervention tool to improve stress resilience and psychophysiological balance based on a five-minute paced breathing exercise with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. The current research reports on the application of QCT training within an international airline to improve commercial pilots’ psychological health and support cognitive functions. Forty-four commercial pilots volunteered in a one-month training programme to practise self-regulated QCT in day-to-day life and flight operations. Pilots’ stress index, HRV time-domain and frequency-domain parameters were collected to examine the influence of QCT practice on the stress resilience process. The results demonstrated that the QCT improved psychophysiological indicators associated with stress resilience and cognitive functions, in both day-to-day life and flight operation settings. HRV fluctuations, as measured through changes in RMSSD and LF/HF, revealed that the resilience processes were primarily controlled by the sympathetic nervous system activities that are important in promoting pilots’ energy mobilization and cognitive functions, thus QCT has huge potential in facilitating flight performance and aviation safety. These findings provide scientific evidence for implementing QCT as an effective mental support programme and controlled rest strategy to improve pilots’ psychological health, stress management, and operational performance.
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    Recovery from startle and surprise: a survey of airline pilots' operational experience using a startle and surprise management method
    (Elsevier, 2025-05-01) Vlaskamp, Daan; Landman, Annemarie; van Rooij, Jeroen; Blundell, James
    A significant safety challenge airline pilots contend with is the possibility of experiencing startle and surprise. These are cognitive-emotional responses that may temporarily impair performance and that have contributed to multiple fatal loss of control events. Several self-management methods exist that are intended to facilitate recovery from startle and surprise, but these have only been tested in simulator experiments. The current study addresses this research gap by surveying the perceptions of 239 airline pilots on the utility and benefit of a method which they use in operational practice– the “Reset Method”. Overall, the survey results revealed that pilots felt the method improved mental preparedness, and reduced stress. A reported reason for not applying the method was the urge to act quickly. In addition, not all steps of the method were applied equally, and some pilots found the method difficult to fit into the existing procedures of several time-critical scenarios (e.g., aircraft upsets and emergency landings). We recommend training self-management methods in scenarios which carry the most risk of negative effects of startle and surprise. We also recommend instilling awareness of the ‘startle paradox': self-management techniques are most difficult to apply in situations where they are most beneficial. Method shortening and simplification may facilitate application. Future research should focus on refining the method's implementation, addressing the startle paradox, and understanding the transferability of startle and surprise management methods to other safety critical industries defined by complex sociotechnical interactions.
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    Subjective measures on task complexity using touchscreens in flight operations
    (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2024-04-24) Wright, Ben; Blundell, James; Korek, Wojciech Tomasz; Li, Wen-Chin
    The following preliminary study uses subjective measures of situational awareness, workload, and system usability to assess the effect of touchscreen flight deck displays in simple and complex flying environments during a simulated flight task. Eighteen participants were evaluated whilst flying a simulated aircraft, conducting both simple and complex flight operations. Results showed that situational awareness improved, and perceived workload was maintained, when task complexity was increased during touchscreen interaction on the flight deck. This was likely driven by touchscreens providing increased attentional supply. This improves the flight deck human-machine interface (HMI) from a pilot-centred perspective by improving access to task-relevant information. There was no significant change in levels of touchscreen usability as flight task complexity increased, once again ratifying the use of touchscreens in assisting cognitive function in some task types. The application and limitations of these findings is discussed.