Increasing levels of technology have changed the task of flying modern helicopter cockpits by allowing many crew functions to be performed automatically. This study attempted to understand the relation between automation and helicopter crew coordination. Twenty-eight helicopter pilots were assigned to two-person crews and asked to fly a simulated mission in either automated or manual conditions using a low-fidelity helicopter simulator. Communication was transcribed and coded into a nine-category content classification system by two trained raters. The inter-rater reliability was +.84. Results indicated that a higher frequency of total communications was demonstrated during manual flights.
","abstract_html":"<p>Increasing levels of technology have changed the task of flying modern helicopter cockpits by allowing many crew functions to be performed automatically. This study attempted to understand the relation between automation and helicopter crew coordination. Twenty-eight helicopter pilots were assigned to two-person crews and asked to fly a simulated mission in either automated or manual conditions using a low-fidelity helicopter simulator. Communication was transcribed and coded into a nine-category content classification system by two trained raters. The inter-rater reliability was +.84. Results indicated that a higher frequency of total communications was demonstrated during manual flights. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Maclsaac, Margaret A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Aeronautical Science","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Aeronautical Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gerald D. Gibb","Daniel J. Garland","Bruce E. Hamilton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-04-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1998-04-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z","subjects":["automation","helicopter","crew","communication","Aviation"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/129","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Gerald D. Gibb","Daniel J. Garland","Bruce E. Hamilton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Maclsaac, Margaret A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aeronautical Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["automation","helicopter","crew","communication","Aviation"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/129"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Increasing levels of technology have changed the task of flying modern helicopter cockpits by allowing many crew functions to be performed automatically. This study attempted to understand the relation between automation and helicopter crew coordination. Twenty-eight helicopter pilots were assigned to two-person crews and asked to fly a simulated mission in either automated or manual conditions using a low-fidelity helicopter simulator. Communication was transcribed and coded into a nine-category content classification system by two trained raters. The inter-rater reliability was +.84. Results indicated that a higher frequency of total communications was demonstrated during manual flights.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effect of Automation on Helicopter Crew Communication: A Low-Fidelity Investigation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Gerald D. Gibb","Daniel J. Garland","Bruce E. Hamilton"],"dc:creator":["Maclsaac, Margaret A."],"dc:description.abstract":["Increasing levels of technology have changed the task of flying modern helicopter cockpits by allowing many crew functions to be performed automatically. This study attempted to understand the relation between automation and helicopter crew coordination. Twenty-eight helicopter pilots were assigned to two-person crews and asked to fly a simulated mission in either automated or manual conditions using a low-fidelity helicopter simulator. Communication was transcribed and coded into a nine-category content classification system by two trained raters. The inter-rater reliability was +.84. Results indicated that a higher frequency of total communications was demonstrated during manual flights.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/129"],"dc:subject":["automation","helicopter","crew","communication","Aviation"],"dc:title":["The Effect of Automation on Helicopter Crew Communication: A Low-Fidelity Investigation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aeronautical Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z"}