Investigating Offshore Helicopter Pilots’ Cognitive Load and Physiological Responses during Simulated In-Flight Emergencies

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study was designed to explore pilots’ emergency response performance by collecting real-time physiological and cognitive workload data during pre-defined offshore helicopter scenarios in a flight simulator. Background: Qualification processes require helicopter pilots to complete scheduled simulation training to ensure competency in areas that would otherwise be too dangerous to practice while flying the actual helicopter. Unfortunately, little is known about how effective this simulation training is in regard to cognitive and physiological responses. Methods: Ten qualified pilots completed six flight simulations while real-time eye tracking and physiological data were collected. The pilots were assigned to one of two groups based on their regular flying position (First Officer (FO) or Captain). Results: The findings indicated that there is a significant difference in maximal Index of Cognitive Activity (ICAmax) and maximal heart rate (HRmax) values between the two groups while completing the same in-flight emergency scenarios. Conclusions: Results suggest that FOs found the sessions more cognitively demanding and also indicated they would benefit from learning how Captains conduct their radial scan of instruments. Therefore, it is recommended that visual search patterns are included in initial training, all flight simulator training includes eye tracking, heart rate data are collected, and that future longitudinal research follows new pilots through their training/upgrading process.