ASPIRE 2025
ASPIRE 2025 is just around the corner-only one month away!
The Aerospace Systems Technical Group is excited to connect with our members in Chicago for the HFES Annual Conference.
This year we planned two great social events!
On Monday evening, be sure to join us at the Opening Ceremony, where every Technical Group will have a table to showcase their work and community. ASTG will be represented by our leadership team-Arjun, Nayara, Philippe, and Rodrigo-who will be on hand to answer questions, share updates, and, most importantly, meet and chat with you. We encourage you to stop by, introduce yourself, and learn more about how you can get involved.
Then, Wednesday, October 15, we're hosting a casual social gathering from 6:30–8:30 PM at Lizzie McNeill's Irish Pub, just a 10-minute riverside walk from the conference hotel. This event is a chance to relax after a full day of sessions, enjoy a friendly atmosphere, and spend time with your peers. The event is organized with our friends from the Sustainability TG. Come as you are-we'll be glad to see you there!
To help you make the most of your week, we've also prepared a flyer with the ASTG schedule at a glance, so you can easily find and join the sessions most relevant to your interests. Click on the image to view it full size.
We hope to see you throughout the week in Chicago!
Recent publications
By Philippe D.-P. and Anika Shafi
Investigating the Feasibility of Using Eye-Tracking Metrics as Indicators of Situation Awareness in Flight Training
By Ruiheng Lan, Xu Sun, Qingfeng Wang & Bingjian Liu
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
In a between-subject experiment, one group of pilot trainees received standard training, while the other underwent training enhanced with vibrotactile feedback. Eye movements were recorded using wearable sensors both before and after training. The group receiving vibrotactile feedback showed improved flight performance, more advanced gaze-based metrics, more organized gaze patterns, and increased gaze entropy. Notably, gaze entropy significantly correlated with situational awareness ratings. These findings demonstrate that eye-tracking metrics particularly gaze entropy can provide objective insight into changes in pilot trainees' situational awareness, with the potential to complement traditional self-report or observer ratings.
Examining flight time, cognitive reflection, workload, stress and metacognition on decision making performance for pilots during flight simulation
By Aoife Mohan, Boban Simonovic, Katia C. Vione & Edward Stupple
Ergonomics
What are the predictors of decision-making performance in pilots? In order to answer this question, the authors recruited 104 wide-body jet pilots (one female, 103 male) from a large international airline. Pilots completed two realistic scenarios of loss of instrumentation and engine failure in a full-motion aircraft simulator as a type rating examiner graded performance. They also completed questionnaires to report perceived stress, task load, cognitive reflection, metacognition and demographics. Hierarchical regression revealed that flight time, cognitive reflection and task load were significant independent positive predictors of decision-making. Analysis showed that the relationship between flight time and decision-making is moderated by cognitive reflection when controlling for performance task load. Findings indicate that pilots with lower levels of cognitive reflection may benefit from additional flight hours to enhance their decision-making performance. Findings also highlight the limitations of task-based pilot training, which may not adequately emphasize decision-making skills, underscoring the need to integrate reflective cognitive training into pilot education and curriculum.
Do you need help? Identifying and responding to pilots' troubleshooting through eye-tracking and Large Language Model
By Mengtao Lyu, Fan Li
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
A large body of academic scholarship has focused on in-time automation support for Out-of-the-Loop (OTL) pilots but very little research has explored how to best support In-the-Loop (ITL) pilots who are actively involved in control and decision-making. This study addresses the gap in ITL support by introducing a method that utilizes eye-tracking data tokenized into Visual Attention Matrices (VAMs), integrated with a Large Language Model (LLM) to identify and respond to troubleshooting activities of ITL pilots. The authors validated this proposed method in a case study with 19 licensed pilots (all males), highlighting the efficacy of the method in identifying troubleshooting activities and responding appropriately. The findings can inform adaptive flight training and human-automation teaming in aviation.
Meta-Analysis of Age and Student Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) Training Outcomes
By Dana Broach and Jóhann Wium
Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors
To what extent your age impacts your graduation success when training to become an air traffic controller? This meta-analysis reviewed 8 studies encompassing N = 34,389 ATC trainees and found a small but significant negative correlation between age at entry and ATC training outcomes. This finding can inform age requirements imposed by some countries when accepting ATC trainees.
CLNet: A Lightweight Real-Time Network for Monitoring Pilots' Cognitive Load Based on Multi-Scale Spatiotemporal Convolution
Yuangan Li, Ke Li, Jingcheng Zhang, Shaofan Wang & Donghao Wang
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
The authors developed a real-time workload classification model using neurophysiological signals (EEG 31 channels, ECG and EMG) to identify pilot workload in flight. They trained their algorithm on two datasets (15 cadet pilots flying the F-35 flight simulator, 29 participants completing N-back and MATB-II tasks, and 20 participants in a car simulator). Their model correctly classified the participant's workload in 2 to 3 levels 95% of the time. Then, they evaluated their method for real-time assessments during flight and found a processing time of 4 ms and accuracy score of 71%. The authors also investigated the time window for data sampling and found the 4-sec window to offer the best accuracy for real-time assessments.
Differentiating pilot distress and eustress via multimodal physiology: towards enhanced human-system integration in intelligent cockpits
Yanzeng Zhao, Keyong Zhu, Wei Guo, Haixin Xu, Jun Zhang, Jiaying Zou, Runhao Li & Lijing Wang
Ergonomics
This work developed machine learning algorithms to classify the pilot's neurophysiological state in one of two conditions: eustress (normal) and distress. For their data source, they collected fNIRS and ECG signals from 35 participants in a fixed-base flight simulator under dual-task paradigm (target tracking and n-back task). The study induced the distress condition by having two experimenters maintain eye contact with the participant during the flight and live-streaming his flight performance. The model achieved 84% accuracy for the flying task and the authors reported the features that significantly distinguished model stress states: fNIRS is Beta-values and BAA-values from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas ECG has 10 features from time and frequency domains.
In the news
By Philippe D.-P. and Anika Shafi
Regulations
FAA issues proposed rule on drones flying beyond visual line of sight. At present, drone operators must obtain individual waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct flights Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). A new draft of rules, released on August 5, 2025, proposes to allow BVLOS operations without requiring a waiver for each flight. The rule would apply only to commercial drones weighing 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) or less that meet specific technical safety standards, including detect-and-avoid capabilities. Following the publication of the proposed rules, a 60-day public comment period is open, after which the FAA will review and integrate feedback before issuing the final rule.
FAA issues advisory circular on Powered-lift type certification. The FAA's new advisory circular AC 21.17-4 covering type, production, and airworthiness certification of powered-lift aircraft has been widely welcomed among companies aiming to launch new eVTOL vehicles. Before this document, certification basis for eVTOLs was done with special rulemaking provisions. Current eVTOLs frontrunners Joby and Archer that have already established their certification basis (G-1 paper) might want to update it based on the newly released AC, whereas Beta purposefully waited for this AC before finalizing its G-1 with the authority
45 U.S. senators urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to oppose single-pilot commercial flights, citing safety concerns and advocating for maintaining the two-pilot minimum. You can read their full letter here. The senators stressed the importance of using international forums like the ICAO to counter proposals for reduced air crew requirements and highlighted the risks of jeopardizing safety procedures.
VistaJet Attains Evidence-Based Training Certification. In late August, VistaJet announced that it was the first private aviation company to achieve certification for Evidence-Based Training (EBT) for its flight crews. EBT is a modern training approach that focuses on developing pilots' competencies using real-world safety data, accident reports, and operational evidence rather than strictly following prescriptive checklists of maneuvers. Its goal is to better prepare pilots for unexpected, high-risk situations by emphasizing skills like decision-making, resilience, and threat management. This achievement is a major milestone, as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has invested in EBT program development for a decade, with the goal of making pilot training more relevant, effective, and resilient in preventing real-world threats.
Aviation
Former fighter pilot shares lessons learned in new book. Michelle "MACE" Curran is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. She is only the second woman in history to serve as the lead solo pilot for the elite show team, "The Thunderbirds." In a 10-min interview at CBS Morning, she spoke about her new book, "The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower," which shares lessons learned in the cockpit and beyond.
Is aviation sustainability dead? In this piece, Amanda Simpson tells past commitments from the industry to achieve net-zero emission by 2050. However, some initiatives experienced setbacks in the past few months, such as insufficient production of SAF fuels, Airbus delaying its ZEROe hydrogen aircraft and A320 update, ATR postponing the hybrid version of its ATR-72 propeller, and Boeing pausing work on the X-66A transonic truss-braced wing demonstrator. The article then presents promising achievements by the industry toward a greener airspace, including the 5% capacity increased at Delta Airlines compared to 2019 while saving 44 million gallons of jet fuel, thanks to more efficient routes. Air Traffic Control modernization and fleet renewal with more fuel-efficient aircraft will also contribute to reduced fuel consumption.
Solar-powered plane breaks altitude record. Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beat his previously achieved altitude record flown by a solar-powered aircraft by reaching 31,237 feet. On board the SolarStratos plane, Domjan took advantage of the hot weather near the Sion airport in southwest Switzerland to achieve his feat. At cruise altitude, the aircraft crossed paths with a commercial airliner.
Gulfstream delivered its first G800. An undisclosed customer was the first to receive the G800, Gulfstream's longest range executive jet, able to fly 9,200 NM non-stop at M 0.85.
Autonomy
Panel on the future of AI and autonomy in military aviation. AIAA AVIATION hosted a panel on "Injecting Intelligence in Military Programs" that was composed of ranked officials for the Air Force and industry representatives from Anduril, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Ribbit. The article does a good job at summarizing the main discussion points and you can watch the entire panel on Youtube (2h). Main highlights would be to mention the panelists' perspectives on integrating next-gen autonomous fleets with legacy crewed and uncrewed vehicles through iterative testing and open system architecture, along with keeping the human in control in the decision-making process. Panelists also touched on testing AI solutions for airworthiness. On this matter, the Air Force assesses the airworthiness risk of UAS as high and it will remain that way until new certification processes are put forth, whereas the Anduril representative suggested to mitigate risk through the autonomy interface by filtering out suggestions that would put the aircraft in an unsafe state.
Northrop Grumman will integrate the highly automated Merlin Pilot flight control system into the Model 437 Vanguard. This is a stealth aircraft used as a testbed for highly autonomous technology. The news comes as part of the Beacon project that involves 6 companies collaborating on flight autonomy with Northrop Grumman.
Airbus Flight Tests Unmanned Helicopter With Shield AI's Autonomy Pilot. Airbus Group's U.S. defense business recently conducted the first flight test of an unmanned H145 helicopter using an autonomy pilot software from Shield AI in support of a Marine Corps aerial logistics prototyping program.
Space
For military space, what tasks should be automated? A panel of experts at the SmallSat 2025 Conference provided their perspective on human-autonomy features for future military satellites and their ground operators. With the growing number of satellites in operations, the need to develop more autonomous collision avoidance systems was stressed by all panelists, especially to detect and avoid debris or other non-cooperating spacecraft.
White House issues executive order to revamp commercial space regulations. The order (view it online) calls to numerous changes to space regulations and office positions. Most importantly, it addresses commercial launch and reentry regulations, as the industry struggled to adapt to Federal Aviation Administration licensing regulations called Part 450. The SpaceNews article does a good job at summarizing and explaining the order and its implication for commercial flights.
China completes landing and takeoff test for crewed moon lander.
Electric
Hyundai's eVTOL startup Supernal pauses work following CEO and CTO departures. There is uncertainty at Supernal following a series of layoffs this summer and the recent departures of C-level executives. The Hyunday's back eVTOL completed its first flight earlier this year, but has since announced to pause work on their vehicle development.
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