Experimental Study with Airline Pilots

[lishuai]

Anomaly Detection in Airline Operations Using FDR Data:
Experimental Study with Airline Pilots

Please join us in a study of Anomaly Detection in Airline Flights Using Flight Data Recorder (FDR) Data. The study is conducted by Lishuai Li (PhD candidate) and Professor R. John Hansman, from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The results of this study will be used as part of a PhD thesis. In the PhD thesis, I am developing methods that can detect abnormal flights from airline routine operations using FDR or Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data. An initial evaluation [1] shows the method is able to identify abnormal behaviors in aircraft system and flight operations.

We are seeking airline pilots to examine a few flights based on operational experience, and to test new data visualization tools. The research will benefit significantly from your insights.

Procedures
If you volunteer to participate in this study, we would ask you to do the following things:
1. A training session over the phone for 15 minutes
2. A pre-review questionnaire (2 questions)
3. Review 16 flights. For each flight, you will be asked to
3.1. Operational evaluation questionnaire (3 questions)
3.2. Interface evaluation questionnaire (3 questions)

You don’t have to complete the reviewing of 16 flights at once. You can save your answers and work on it later at any time. The review forms will be available for a week.

Confidentiality
The study is completely anonymous. Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law.

Potential Benefits
There are no immediate monetary benefits to you as a result of your participation. However, the results may be published and will inform both academic and industry efforts in improving flight safety and efficiency.

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact Lishuai Li via email [email protected] or phone [phone].

Thank you!

[1] A paper about the method: Lishuai Li; Gariel, M.; Hansman, R.J.; Palacios, R., "Anomaly detection in onboard-recorded flight data using cluster analysis," Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), 2011 IEEE/AIAA 30th

Approved by the Towers