In the newsletter, you will learn about:

1. ASTG Online Town Hall
2. Competencies for aviation human factors practitioners
3. Member spotlight – Yining (Elena) Zhang
4. Paper pre-access: Perception of Risk – The Terra Firma Effect
5. Get in touch

ASTG Online Town Hall

Kick off the HFES ASPIRE conference by joining your fellow ASTG members for a warm and friendly online chat. Get a sneak peek of what to expect at ASPIRE and connect with other members who will be attending. 

If your schedule prevents attendance, rest assured—we’ll record the discussion and make it accessible on our website. Whether you’re going to ASPIRE or not, your presence is encouraged. Join us, pose questions, and contribute to the ASTG community.

ASTG Virtual Town Hall Details:
Date: August 30th
Time: 1:00 PM EST
Platform: Zoom
Link: https://polymtl-ca.zoom.us/j/89491767581?pwd=5uOJ6vPL5uIvk2abuBENbX1PPi8007.1

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Competencies for aviation human factors practitioners

What are the main competencies aviation human factors specialists should have? Gernot Konrad, Ratan Khatwa, Thea Feyereisen and Alexandra Kemp developed and validated a preliminary competency taxonomy for flight deck human factors design and certification.

They grouped the 62 competencies into four domains:

1. Knowledge in human factors: fundamentals, design, analysis and evaluation
2. Knowledge in aircraft design and flight operations
3. Systems engineering
4. Certification

Then, they surveyed 14 aviation human factors specialists to rate the importance of each competency. 

Competencies found the most important for aircraft operations and systems engineering put the emphasis on mastering the pilot’s mission, whereas being skilled with the certification plan and producing certification reports were most important for the certification domain.

Member spotlight – Yining (Elena) Zhang

Meet Yining (Elena) Zhang, PhD student at Rice University, who is researching multi-drone operations for package delivery. In this engaging interview, discover how her research aims to streamline operator’s workload and trust in automation for efficient package delivery. Elena also discusses her involvement in HFES, her upcoming presentations at ASPIRE, and her surprising findings on the rapid evolution of drone technology. Plus, learn about her hobbies, including running and kickboxing!

Paper pre-access: Perception of Risk – The Terra Firma Effect

Valerie Gawron shares to ASTG members a pre-access paper on the perception of risk (attached). This work is the results of the author’s extensive literature review, interviews and observation of decision makers in medical, military, and safety occupations. She argues that the perception of risk to safety of life impacts the quality of decisions through the following factors:

1. Individual risk target
2. Organizational locus of control
3. Organizational factor training and preparation
4. Situational need for speed
5. And external influences domain

We hope this paper can trigger a conversation on the perception of risks in aviation. You can react in the ASTG User forum or by contacting us hfesaerospacesystems@gmail.com

Get in touch

Want to share a pre-access paper? Or you know of interesting researchers in aviation human factors to interview? Drop us a line! hfesaerospacesystems@gmail.com

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