Pilot’s Perspective on Single Pilot Operation: Challenges or Showstoppers

Abstract

Single Pilot Operation (SPO) in civil aviation is an increasingly discussed top-ic. An implementation would and had to change the conditions for pilots and other professionals in aviation considerably. Therefore, SPO raises many questions and thus opens important areas of research. This study focusses on anticipated problems of SPO. A set of possible problems with SPO was de-veloped beforehand by reviewing current literature and interviews with air-line pilots. In an online questionnaire 136 pilots evaluated these potential problems regarding their severity. A factor-analysis revealed the structure of safety relevant concern about SPO, five factors could be identified: (1) inter-action and responsibility, (2) overload of single pilot, (3) health of single pi-lot, (4) over-automation, and (5) data connection. The questionnaire was ap-plied a second time after presenting a realistic and supportive concept of SPO. Perception of severity decreased significantly but remained at a high level. Willingness to pilot SPO was low before and after presenting the con-cept, although it increased significantly. In order to implement SPO one day these problems have to be solved; solu-tions must be found; a safe and secure concept has to be developed together with pilots and other professionals in aviation and communication has to be open and transparent. The presented study was part of the research project Next Generation Intelligent Cockpit (NICo) executed by the German Aero-space Center.