In his seminal piece, Automation in Aviation, Chialastri asserted that automation in aviation should adapt to pre-existing conditions. The purpose of the article was four-fold: the definition and advantages of automation in safeguarding complex systems like aviation; history and reasons for aviation accidents and associated safety paradigms; ergonomics in complex and fast-paced flight situations; case studies related to human-machine interaction. Chialastri (2012) defined automation as the use of information technologies and control systems to reduce human effort in production. The safe landing of an aircraft is attributed to organizational effort with a complex system comprising technology, humans, and, the environment.
Automation on board airplanes profoundly contributes to the decline in accident rates but has caused new accidents that necessitate corrective actions. Further, the need to eliminate human error has primarily led to the adoption of onboard automation. Chialastri (2012) argued that the human component is the flawed link to aircraft-related accidents, making it imperative to substitute the tasks previously performed by pilots. Principally, automation is applicable in information acquisition, action implementation, information analysis, and decision and action selection. In addition to the four functions, automation corresponds to various interactions and uses with technology, which allows the operator to choose the optimum level to implement based on operational contexts.
Despite improved overall safety in aviation, automation can lead to complacency and reduce awareness and alertness. Generally, Chialastri succinctly emphasized the correlation between liability and pilots by highlighting the aspects related to automation in aviation. While automation saves on fuel consumption, selection, and training costs, maintenance costs and enhances operational flexibility, it must be determined if it is suitable based on ergonomics, human capabilities, instrument standardization, and cognitive suitability for improved performance.
References
Chialastri, A. (2012). Automation in aviation. INTECH Open Access Publisher. Web.
Peysakhovich, V., Lefrançois, O., Dehais, F., & Causse, M. (2018). The neuroeconomics of aircraft cockpits: The four stages of eye-tracking integration to enhance flight safety. Safety, 4(1), 8. Web.