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Saturday, April 24, 2021

Plane Paradox: More Creativity for Complex Automation

 Operating complex automated systems needs more training to be creative, rather than more training about very the details complex systems.  Or do we just need more training to deal with surprises in automated systems?   Wordering.  

The Plane Paradox: More Automation Should Mean More Training   in Wired

Today's highly automated planes create surprises pilots aren't familiar with. The humans in the cockpit need to be better prepared for the machine's quirks.

SHORTLY AFTER A Smartlynx Estonian Airbus 320 took off on February 28, 2018, all four of the aircraft’s flight control computers stopped working. Each performed precisely as designed, taking themselves offline after (incorrectly) sensing a fault. The problem, later discovered, was an actuator that had been serviced with oil that was too viscous. A design created to prevent a problem created a problem. Only the skill of the instructor pilot on board prevented a fatal crash.

Now, as the Boeing 737 MAX returns to the skies worldwide following a 21-month grounding, flight training and design are in the crosshairs. Ensuring a safe future of aviation ultimately requires an entirely new approach to automation design using methods based on system theory, but planes with that technology are 10 to 15 years off. For now we need to train pilots how to better respond to automation’s many inevitable quirks.   ..." 

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