alf5071h: "Simpler still … TEM could be seen as teaching pilots to think!"
Take the HELIOS B737 crash: Altitude warning horn goes off when cabin altitude climbs past 10,000 feet. "...beep...beep...beep...beep..." It's the same warning horn [and sound] as the takeoff warning horn on the ground. But in flight it's the cabin altitude warning horn. The pilots are startled, maybe confused, because they've never heard this warning in flight before, because pressurization failures are extremly rare events. The pilots are having to
think, they have to first interpret the meaning of this warning horn. . . In emergency situations, having first to
think is a dangerous waste of time.
The correct system design philosophy should include
VOICE generated commands, that in this case would complement the cabin altitude warning horn. "...beep...beep...beep...don oxygen masks...beep...beep...beep...don oxygen masks..." It's so simple it's almost stupid, but it would have saved the day for these pilots, cabin crew and passengers. A voice generated warning precludes the necessity of having to
think; reaction would be instant and instinctive.
