Dual pilot and single pilot operations – hierarchical task decomposition analysis of doing more with less

Abstract

An operational concept for single pilot operations is being developed as part of the work of the Future Flight Deck Technologies project. The underpinning construct is that multiple single-pilot aircraft will be supported by a ground-based team using one or more ground stations to interact with the pilots and their aircraft. Concept development required detailed analysis of two-pilot operations to identify the functions and interactions that the second pilot engages in, to facilitate their reallocation or adaptation within the new system architecture. The application of Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) in this context revealed a number of issues related to the representation and interpretation of sequencing information in plans in HTAs presented in graphical form. This paper identifies these issues and presents a new graphical notation, derived from software design notations, for presenting hierarchical task decompositions. The use of the notation is illustrated with analysis examples from different phases of flight.