Mental Workload in Aircraft and Simulator During Basic Civil Aviation Training

This study investigated mental workload in basic civil aviation training. Heart rate, eye movement, and subjective ratings from 11 students were collected during simulator and aircraft sessions. Results show high correspondence in psychophysiological reactions between the sessions. For some flight segments, heart rate was consistently lower in the simulator, suggesting higher mental workload in the aircraft. Differences in heart rate during rejected takeoff and engine failure indicate that the increase of workload starts in advance of an “unexpected” event in the simulator where it seems to be of preparatory nature, whereas in the aircraft it is more connected to management of the situation.