Priority and Organization of Information Accessed by Pilots in Various Phases of Flight

In 1 project, 27 pilots rated the priority of information required for flight. These pilots were divided by flight experience into novices (65 - 820 hrs) and experienced pilots (1,600 to 17,000 hrs). Participants rated 29 information elements across 7 phases of flight. These data show the shifting priorities of information across phases of flight, and some clear differences in priority assignments appeared between the novices and the experienced pilots. In another project, 34 pilots, some the same as before, participated in the collection of relatedness data for 231 pairs of information elements. Pathfinder analysis and hierarchical clustering were conducted showing connections among these elements and grouping of the elements. Pilot experience had little influence on the form of the network of associations. The discussion explores the potential of these data for instrumentation layout and integration of cockpit information systems, datalink design, and development of flight instruction curricula.