Cognitive Task Analysis of Unmanned Aircraft System Pilots

ABSTRACT Objective: Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) pilots must possess a variety of cognitive skills in order to successfully perform diverse missions. They must accurately assess situations, make judgments and decisions, understand cues that may not be immediately obvious, and develop effective solutions. How may we gain perspective on how UAS pilots make decisions when higher order cognitive skills are needed to solve problems and accomplish their missions? Background: Previous UAS task analyses, both behavioral and cognitive, have seldom examined experienced, high-hour UAS operators. It is important to know how these pilots address and solve problems to improve training and design. METHOD: The Applied Cognitive Task Analysis method (ACTA) was utilized to define and examine a sampling of the cognitive task requirements of operating a civilian UAS. The task analysis included sixteen UAS journeymen and expert pilots who had between 240 and 2000 + hours of experience. Tasks such as communication, search and rescue mission planning, coping with equipment malfunction, and developing situational awareness of their environment were analyzed. Result: The analysis produced six task diagrams, which identified key cognitive considerations, captured pilot insights after flying simulated missions, and documented examples where pilots used their expertise to solve operational problems. Conclusion: This ACTA method and resulting products may contribute to the design of new training courses/programs for novice UAS pilots.