Human Factors and Crew Resource Management
The human in the loop
The remote pilot sits at the end of a data link, often alone, often task-saturated by a screen. Human factors questions test situational awareness, workload management, fatigue, complacency, and communication. The classic model is SHELL (Software, Hardware, Environment, Liveware) and the dirty dozen of maintenance/operational error: fatigue, complacency, distraction, pressure, stress, lack of communication, lack of resources, lack of teamwork, lack of knowledge, lack of assertiveness, norms, and distraction. Know that these are human causes, not equipment causes.
Concepts to master
- Situational awareness: losing it is usually gradual - the pilot focuses on the camera feed and stops scanning the sky. Attention tunneling is the UAS-specific hazard.
- Workload and automation: automation can reduce workload or create automation complacency and skill decay. Know when to disconnect and fly manually.
- Fatigue and circadian effects: reaction time and decision quality degrade before the pilot notices.
- CRM and communication: closed-loop communication (call out, acknowledge, confirm), a sterile cockpit during critical phases, and assertiveness - any crew member must be able to call a stop.
- Decision-making traps: plan continuation bias (pressing on because the mission was planned), and get-there-itis.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Traps: assuming a second crew member automatically improves safety (only if roles are briefed and communication is closed-loop); confusing complacency with confidence; and forgetting that the observer's job is to watch the airspace, not the screen.
Rule of thumb - the "two-channel" rule: at any moment the remote pilot should be monitoring two channels - the aircraft/screen and the surrounding airspace - and if the mission makes that impossible, add an observer or reduce the mission. Use a short before-takeoff brief covering roles, abort criteria, and lost-link plan; it costs two minutes and prevents most CRM failures.