I hope you're enjoying the summer and finding some time to recharge. While many of us may be taking a well-deserved break, aviation human factors certainly is not. Since our last newsletter, we identified more than 11 new publications, underscoring the continued momentum of research in our field.
This edition also highlights several news items from across the aerospace community, from progress on the Boeing 777-9 flight deck certification with their behind-the-scenes video, and an unexpectedly successful FAA recruitment campaign targeting gamers. And this wouldn't be summer without the excitement surrounding Oshkosh and the Farnborough International Airshow.
We hope you enjoy this summer edition of the ASTG Newsletter!
Research
Comprehensive Evaluation of Explanation Types in a Spaceflight-Relevant Human–Autonomy Teaming Task
Mark Boyer, Adrian Robinson, Torin K. Clark and Zachary Sunberg
Human Factors
Eye Movement Patterns Under Exposure to Spatial Disorientation Illusions During Simulated Flight
Maya Harel, Idan Nakdimon, Alon Itzkovich, Oded Ben-Ari and Tom Schonberg
Human Factors
Rough Auditory Alarms Mitigate Inattentional Deafness During Piloting-Like Task
Florine Riedinger, Clara Suied, Ronan Keane, Jean-François Sciabica and Frédéric Dehais
Human Factors
Calibrating Pilot Awareness in Autonomous Combat Aircraft
Kyle Smith and Thomas Schnell
Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making
Enhancing Readback Verification in ATCOs-Pilot Communication Using Audio-Visual Interaction: Insights from fNIRS and Eye-Tracking
Yanjie Zhang, Fan Li, Siu Shing Man & Su Han
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
Toward Safer Human–AI Teaming: Phase-Specific Recognition and Interpretation of Automation Trust in Air Traffic Control
Yao, X., Chen, C. H., Liu, B., Zhou, Y., & Yu, X.
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
Are Single-Pilot Operations An Advantage Or A Disadvantage?
Ezgi Berte Erme
International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace
Principles for 'intelligent assistant' systems in future flight deck design: autonomous action integration to reduce pilot workload
Saunders D, Blundell J, Li W-C, et al.
The Aeronautical Journal
The effects of aeroplane seat width, load factor and demographics on the spatial sufficiency, acceptability and comfort of passengers
Zoe V. Marazita & Matthew B. Parkinson
Ergonomics
Underload in sky: reducing the passive fatigue of pilots during cruise through an attention guided - active interactive seating system
Haixin Xu, Lijing Wang, Runhao Li, Jun Zhang, Jiaying Zou & others
Ergonomics
A Comparison of 3D Models and Photographs in Augmented Reality for Assembly Procedures in Space
Debra Schreckenghost, Kritina Holden, Ian Robertson, Khalid Adil, Tod Milam
News
Aviation
As the Boeing 777-9 flight deck is coming to the end of its certification process, Boeing shared details on their latest human factors testings. They invited crews from 5 customer airlines to complete challenging, yet realistic gate-to-gate scenarios in their flight simulator. Having customer pilots take part in certification testing increases the reliability of the findings made, as they represent more closely the crew reaction expected during operations. The webpage also includes a 2-min video explaining the process in which you can see our very-own Arjun Rao, flight deck engineering manager, and Yoslin Herrera, flight test engineer, along with pictures from the Human factors team at Boeing.
Former Air Canada captain charged after allegedly flying hundreds of flights without proper licence. Geoffrey Wall was arrested on June 1 following a fraud investigation. George Wall was promoted to captain in 2009, at which point he required an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL), which he allegedly did not have, police said. He held a Commercial pilot licence (CPL) and would complete his recurrent training every 6 months on the various aircraft he flew (Boeing 767, 777, 787). Wall retired from Air Canada in 2025.
New Report Urges Closer Scrutiny of Crew Radiation Risk - A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is calling on the FAA to classify atmospheric radiation as an occupational hazard and to install more cohesive testing, monitoring, and education for flight crews.
Canada Could Keep Gripen Engine Work at Home - In yet another signal that Canada could be preparing for a mixed fighter fleet, a new memorandum of understanding has pledged to support the Saab Gripen E's engine in-country. GE Aerospace and Magellan Aerospace Corporation announced that they would provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities for the Gripen E's F414-GE-39E powerplant should the type be selected by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
How Hydrogen Can Generate Electricity To Power Aircraft - During the Aero Friedrichshafen show, an engineering student from the Cellsius team at the ETH Zurich university explains the process of using fuel cell technology to power electric motors for aircraft from hydrogen.
Landing Gear Awareness Displays on iFly EFB App - Electronic flight bag (EFB) developer iFly EFB is developing a landing gear indicating system that displays the position of the gear on the app. The system works with sensors mounted on the landing gear and indicates whether the gear is up or down.
Defence
AFRL, newly reorganized, seeks to take more risk 'smartly' to speed development - The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, which reorganized in late April, wants to take more risk and better integrate to move faster, according to the chief scientist of its new air warfare directorate.
Air Force picks General Atomics, Anduril to build first CCA drone wingmen - Shield AI, Andural and Collins continue the selection process for the software development of the drones. The article also includes a video summarizing the recent CCA work and its positioning for air superiority.
ATM
FAA seeks potential in the gaming community - On April 10, 2026, the FAA launched a targeted video campaign aimed at the 18–30 demographic within the 200-million Americans regularly playing video games.
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Gaming and ATC Overlap: The FAA identified a strong operational overlap between high-level gaming and ATC demands. The campaign specifically sought players who already exhibit rapid visual processing, spatial awareness, multitasking, and the ability to track multiple moving objects under time pressure without freezing.
FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau recently provided a progress update at the June 2026 NATA Air Charter Forum:
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System Overload: When the application window opened in late April, the response was so overwhelming that 11,000 people applied within the first 24 hours, causing the FAA to briefly worry their portal would crash under the traffic.
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Pipeline Success: Out of that initial surge, roughly 1200 applicants have been hired so far, which is half of the annual target. This represents a massive boost toward their goal of hiring over 8,900 new controllers by the end of 2028.
ATC Modernization: The US administration is developing a new air traffic control system from the ground up. With a $12.5 billion investment, they are replacing dated systems with new technology, delivering a modern National Airspace System.
The FAA wants to speed certification of new commercial airplanes and harmonize regulations with EASA. It says it wants to mirror some certification requirements from the EASA and to reduce the number of exemptions, special conditions, and equivalent level of safety findings required during the certification process.
On a related topic, in 2022 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) compared the certification process from the FAA and the EASA for new commercial aircraft. As expected, their processes are mostly similar in level of oversight and delegation, but the GAO highlighted aspects where the two authorities take a different perspective. It said that the FAA evaluates the completeness of the certification packages, but does not always conduct an independent review of the technical basis presented, whereas EASA engineers evaluate the technical basis as part of their review for compliance findings. Thanks to the Airplane Geeks Podcast for resurfacing this report.
FAA proposes rule to enable supersonic flight over the continental United States - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new rule that would set the stage for civil supersonic flights over the continental United States, a step toward lifting restrictions that have been in place since the 1970s.
Space
NASA announces Artemis 3 crew, including the first European astronaut to be assigned to an Artemis mission
Oshkosh Event
Heritage Flight Pilots - EAA opened its AirVenture Oshkosh festivities with an "An Evening with Champions" program highlighting the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight on July 19 in Oshkosh.
Farnborough International Airshow 2026
The Farnborough International Airshow is the major European show this year, running from July 20 to 24. Major highlights include:
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Autonomous Combat Aircraft: Boeing is debuting its uncrewed MQ-28 Ghost Bat on static display, a collaborative aircraft designed to perform surveillance and force multiplication alongside crewed aircraft.
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Advanced Air Mobility: Embraer is showcasing its forward-looking urban air mobility vision via Eve Air Mobility, featuring a full-scale eVTOL mock-up and simulated flight experiences.
You can also explore more about the show on the dedicated page from the Aviation International News (AIN).