Measuring the Seat of the Pants: Commercial Airline Pilot Turbulence Assessments in a Full-Motion Simulator

Abstract

There are significant costs associated with turbulence encounters; for example, turbulence can cause serious injuries for crew and passengers. These problems are exacerbated by the subjective and imprecise way in which turbulence is currently assessed and reported. To study this issue, 16 commercial airline pilots rated simulated turbulence in a full-motion Boeing 767-300ER simulator. We found interpilot variability in judgments of turbulence intensity. Compounding this issue was that pilots created nonstandard descriptions for turbulence. As these pilots, who fly the same aircraft type for one company, judged the same phenomena differently, we surmise that even larger differences will be found across other pilot populations.