A study of UAV pilots experience and human related errors

Research Model

The research technique describes how the study gathers data to test hypotheses. Data collection and analysis are carried out using the quantitative method. Because the study's goal is to provide and understand data in numerical form, quantitative analysis is appropriate for this study. The data analysis in this study is done through descriptive statistics. In addition, descriptive statistics delivers quantitative data in a manageable format and simplifies enormous amounts of data in a logical way. The sample population must be identified as part of the study approach.

Target Population 

The total group from which the researcher seeks to draw conclusions is referred to as the target population. The qualities of the group that will be surveyed are the focus of the target population. The target demographic for this study is UAV pilots in the United States, as well as Air Force personnel stationed at Creech AFB, Nevada. Because roughly half of the target population is expected to not return survey questionnaires or answer survey questions correctly, the total number of target population is estimated to be around 50. To ensure data dependability and validity, the target population is made up of people between the ages of 25 and 45.

Sources of Data (Sample)

The survey of the target demographic is one of the data sources. The researcher distributes the survey questions to all available UAV pilots at Creech AFB, NV, depending on the overall number of UAV pilots in the unit, to ensure that a large number of respondents fill out the survey questions on time. The researcher gives the respondents around two weeks before collecting the survey questions. The researcher personally collects all surveys from the target audience to guarantee that a large proportion of respondents answer the survey questions. To protect the survey instrument's integrity and anonymity, the researcher collects the survey from the respondents as soon as it is completed. The GCP committee is authorised to assess the survey instrument and make comments and suggestions in order to improve the survey's reliability and validity. In addition, a small group of researchers is permitted to submit input. These measures are used by the researcher to improve the data's reliability and validity. The key characteristics of a quantitative study, according to Trochim and Donnelly (2007), are reliability and validity. The accuracy of the entire data collected is referred to as validity. Reliability, on the other hand, refers to the consistency and dependability of research tools that consistently generate the same results over time. Validity and reliability of data result in high-quality research conclusions. To improve the study's reliability and validity, the small group is requested to assess the survey instrument and make suggestions for improvements. The committee does not recommend any adjustments because the researcher has already established a high-quality survey instrument. In order to avoid distorting the research findings, no group participants are allowed to engage in the actual research. The survey questions are specifically developed to test if being under 40 years old and having a minimum of 100 flying hours are key traits that all safe UAV pilots should possess, as the research employs the survey method. Furthermore, the poll is designed to see if having computer abilities and having been involved in a "human-related" aviation safety incident contribute to the safe operating of UAVs in the US Air Force. The survey questions 14 and 15 are specifically drawn to explore the selected human elements affecting the safe operations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in order to draw trustworthy answers to the questions (UAVs). The purpose of survey question 14 is to put the research hypothesis 1 to the test. Question 15 of the survey is used to assess the study hypothesis 2. Appendix 1 contains all survey questions.

Because the survey instrument has never been used before, a pretest is used to ensure a successful survey. The researcher conducts a pretest before delivering the survey questions to the respondents to identify the survey's strengths and weaknesses. (Barribeau, Butler, Corney, and colleagues, 2005). The researcher conducts a participation pretest in which participants are asked to explain their reactions to the survey instrument's phrasing, question type, and order. The researcher can use the pretest to see if the survey is understandable.

The researcher delivers the survey questions to a group of ten people as a pretest. Following the completion of the survey, 90 percent of the respondents gave good comments on the survey tools. The respondents' comments indicates that the survey's wordings, question form, and sequence are clear. The researcher also does a pretest to assess the survey's reliability and validity. The researcher employs a strategy in which he selects five groups of people and asks them to respond to survey questions. The researcher invites the same group of participants to answer the same questions again two weeks later. The researcher can conclude that the study passes the reliability and validity criteria by comparing the two surveys because the respondents acknowledged the survey questions' simplicity. The answers from the pretest survey demonstrate that the survey process follows the research study's guidelines. According to the comments, 95% of respondents think that the survey procedure is consistent with the research study because the survey will be able to evaluate hypotheses.

Treatment of the Data

For data treatment, all acquired data is entered into a relational database, and the resulting data is examined and evaluated using descriptive statistics. The data is examined at a p0.05 significance level, which is an adequate significance threshold for this type of study. The section has been broken into subsections for your convenience.

Sub-problem One (First Set of Hypotheses)

The first sub-problem is to identify and rank the most important experiences that UAV pilots must have in order to fly UAVs safely, according to the pilots' perspectives. The null and research hypotheses are provided in this part, and the statistical process for testing the hypotheses is to state two hypotheses and use the proper statistical test to accept one and reject the other.

The following is the first hypothesis, which is a null hypothesis:

Ho: The majority of UAV pilots disagree that being under 40 years old, having a minimum of 100 flight hours, and graduating from Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) are essential characteristics for all safe UAV pilots.

The following is the research hypothesis:

H1: The majority of UAV pilots think that being under 40 years old, having at least 100 flight hours, and having completed Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) are the important traits that all safe UAV pilots should have.

Sub-problem Two (Second Set of Hypotheses)

The second sub-problem is to see if being involved in a "human-related" aviation safety issue and having computer abilities help the US Air Force operate UAVs safely.

The first hypothesis, sometimes known as the null hypothesis, is as follows:

Ho: UAV pilots do not believe that not having been involved in a "human-related" aviation safety incident or having computer abilities adds to being a safe UAV operator in the United States Air Force. This section's study hypothesis is as follows:

H2: UAV pilots believe that having computer skills and not having been involved in a "human-related" aviation safety event helps to becoming a safe UAV operator in the USAF.

The bulk of data acquired from survey respondents is the data source. For data analysis, descriptive statistics are utilised, and descriptive statistics are used to summarise the large amount of data obtained. The p-value is used to test hypotheses once the researcher has gathered all of the data. The p-value is a statistical approach for determining whether or not a research hypothesis is significant. The p-value should be between 0.001 and 0.01 to accept the research hypothesis. This study will fail to reject the null hypotheses if the p-value is equal to 0.05 (5 percent) or less than 0.05 (5 percent).

The significant level that this study accepts for the research hypotheses H1 and H2, as well as the significant level to reject null hypotheses, is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Significant level to Accept or Reject Research Hypothesis 

p-value

Outcome of test

Statement

> (greater than) 0.05

Fail to reject H0

Null evidence to reject H0

between 0.01 and 0.05

Reject H0 and therefore Accept H1.

Evidence to reject H0 and therefore accept H1

between 0.001 and 0.01

Reject H0 and therefore accept H1.

Strong evidence to reject H0 and therefore accept H1.

< (less than) 0.001

Reject H0 and therefore accept H1.

Very strong evidence to reject H0 and therefore accept H1.

                                               References

Barribeau, P. Butler, B. Corney, J. et al. (2005). Survey Research. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University Department of English. Retrieved [26 August 2011] from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/survey/.

Trochim, W &  Donnelly, J.P. (2007). The Research Methods Knowledge Base, (3RD Edition). Atomic Dog Publishing.USA.

Appendices 

Appendix 1: Survey of Perceived Characteristics of UAV Pilots

This is an anonymous survey and all your respondents will be held in a strict confidence. The survey will not take much of your time. It will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. 

The objective of this study is to determine human factors affecting the safe operation of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at the United States Air Force. The study is a part of research project for a Master's degree program in aviation/aerospace management. The phrase "heavy" aircraft refers to cargo, transport, or refueling aircraft. Aviation incident refers to an incident in which either the military or the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducts a safety investigation.

Following is a list of possible attributes of UAV pilots. The scale is rated from 1 to 5; "1" being "not very important" and "5" being "very important".

Please Tick an appropriate answer from 1 to 6.

For a UAV pilot to demonstrate effective aviation safety, he or she should be a: 

1. Graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) ___

2. To be under 40 years old ___

3. To have a minimum of 100 flying hours ___

4. To have 3 years of experience as a pilot ___

5. To possess computer skills ___

6. To be a "fighter" pilot___ 

Please answer following questions by choosing the answer that pertains to you:

7. Have you attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) or the new UAV operator course?

1- 􀂉 UPT 2- 􀂉 UAV operator course 3- No previous pilot training.

8. How old are you?

1 -􀂉 20-35 2 -􀂉 36-50 3 - 􀂉 51 or older

9. How many flying hours have you logged?

1- 􀂉 0-750 2.-- 􀂉 751-1500 3.-- 􀂉 1500+

10. How many years of experience do you have as a pilot?

1.-- 􀂉 None 2.-- 􀂉 5 or less 3.-- 􀂉 6-15 4.-- 􀂉 16+

11. Which of these aircraft have you previously piloted? (Circle all that apply)

1.-- 􀂉 "heavy" aircraft;   2-- 􀂉 "fighter/bomber" aircraft;  3.-- 􀂉 rotary aircraft;  4-- 􀂉 none of these

12. Do you possess computer skills?

1..-- 􀂉 Yes 2. -- 􀂉 No

13. Have you ever been involved in a "human related" aviation safety incident?

1-- 􀂉 Yes 2-- 􀂉 No

Following is a list of possible attributes of UAV pilots. The scale is rated from 1 to 5; "1" being "not very important" and "5" being "very important".

14. Critical attributes of being a UAV pilot are to graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), being under 40 years old, and having a minimum of 100 flying hours experience.

1-- Strongly Disagree; 2-- Disagree; 3 - Neither Agree or disagree; 4 - Agree; 5 - Strongly Agree

15. To what extend do you agree/disagree with the following statement?

 UAV pilots who possess computer skills and never been involved in a human related incident are critical factors to being a safe UAV operator in the USAF.

1-- Strongly disagree; 2 - Disagree; 3-- Neither agree or disagree; 4-- Agree; 5-- Strongly agree