Western Michigan University,
College of Aviation
Geoff Whitehurst, Tom Grossman,
William Rantz
Great Lakes International Aviation
Conference 2011

1827
323
577
Glass equipment
Analog equipment
Light Glass equipment
Notes:
(1) Light Glass means EADI and EHSI
(2) Total aircraft includes part 121 regional airlines and part 135 charter operators likely to hire WMU grads
(3) Part 91 operations are not included due to lack of reliable data.

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Glass
Analog/light glass
Leaving Aviation
Date Frame (month/year)
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
43, 15%
134, 45%
118, 40%
To fly glass
To fly analog or light glass
Aviation
Data represents years 1999 – present
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
5, 15%
16, 47%
13, 38%
To fly glass
To fly analog or light glass
Aviation
Data represents years 09/2000 – 08/2002
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

CFI's leaving…..
# of individuals, percentage of total
11, 28%
7, 17%
22, 55%
To fly glass
To fly analog or light glass
Aviation
Data represents years 09/2002 - 08/2004
Notes:
Based on exit interview data kept by the WMU chief pilot

• Pilots hired into a 121 carrier will likely be assigned a glass equipped aircraft.
• Industry trends indicate a shift toward entry level positions requiring glass proficiency.
• Recent economic times has shifted entry level positions from 121 to 135 & 91 operators, thereby maintaining the need for analog skills.

• WMU is considering the pros and cons of moving to an all-glass training fleet. Please answer the following questions.

• What percentage of your multi engine students struggle with situational awareness when initially transitioning to the
Seminole/Seneca?
• List the approximate percentage of students who have experienced the following.
• The total of your responses should be close to 100%.
______ No struggle at all
______ Slight initial struggle but adapted well
______ Moderate struggle
______ Significant struggle to adjust to analog presentation
______ Still struggling at course completion

• On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least important and
5 being the most, how important is it for WMU graduates to have
– An all glass exposure
– An all analog exposure
– A mixed glass/analog exposure
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
5

5%
7%
How Well Do Students Transition to Analog?
What % struggle with SA?
34%
No struggles
33%
Slight initial struggle
Moderate struggle
Significant struggle
Still struggling at course completion
21%

• WMU MEIs indicate that the average student experiences moderate difficulty with
Situational Awareness while flying aircraft equipped with analog instrumentation.
• WMU MEIs have expressed an overwhelming opinion that WMU graduates should have a mixed exposure to both glass and analog equipment.

• Research into this potentially lethal problem is obviously required.
• A study is being developed to determine if there is flight performance degradation, and/or situational awareness degradation for pilots who have only experienced digital flight instrumentation when exposed to analog instrumentation for the first time.

• Numerous studies on transition from traditional cockpit to a modern-glass cockpit.
• No empirical research examining the transition of pilots from a modern-glass cockpit to a traditional analog cockpit and the possible risks involved
• Anecdotal information about transition challenges

• When pilots trained in digitally equipped aircraft transition to analog equipped aircraft, is there:
• A) technical skills degradation?
• B) situational awareness degradation?

Sim Photo

Sim Photo

Cessna 182 Skylane Glass

Cessna 182 Skylane RG
PC-ATD Photo with Analog Instrumentation

• Four flights per session
• Each flight consists of
– Take-off
– Radar vectored instrument pattern
• Position check (situational awareness)
– ILS to land
• Assessed using practical test standards for instrument flight

• Two group control group design
• Participants randomly allocated to either the control group or the treatment group

• Pre-test - Control and Treatment
– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass
• Post-test - Control
– Cessna 182 Skylane Glass
• Post-test - Treatment
– Cessna 182 Skylane RG

• Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)
• Pre-test scores as the covariate

• If there are technical skills degradation. To what extent is that degradation and can those skills be brought to proficiency and within what time period?
• If there is situational awareness degradation. To what extent is that degradation and can those skills be brought to proficiency and within what time period?