Julia Trippe performs basic and applied research in aviation human factors: automation and commun... more Julia Trippe performs basic and applied research in aviation human factors: automation and communication. Julia earned a PhD in Linguistics from University of Oregon in 2018, focusing on Aviation English phonology. She has been a commercial pilot since 1994 and holds ATP and flight instructor certificates. Julia’s foundational pilot/controller communication research examines Aviation English production and perception by native and non-native English speakers. Her automation research focuses on pilot understanding of aircraft automation, decision making and risk mitigation.https://commons.erau.edu/icaea-workshop-images/1032/thumbnail.jp
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2021
The society’s code of ethics was last updated in 2005 and thus needs to be reviewed and updated. ... more The society’s code of ethics was last updated in 2005 and thus needs to be reviewed and updated. To do so, the previous code of ethics was reviewed as well as other documentation particularly with respect to inclusion. The goal of the Code of Ethics Task Force at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is to not only review the society’s artefacts but also to recommend suggestions for their improvement with respect to best practices. Further, this Task Force will explore whether and if so how, operating rules should be established to support the Code of Ethics.
Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors, 2019
. Analysis of recent airliner accidents and incidents identified a class of events in which struc... more . Analysis of recent airliner accidents and incidents identified a class of events in which structurally, mechanically, and electronically sound aircraft decelerated through the minimum safe operating speed for the phase of flight to the stick-shaker activation speed. Despite the differences in the sequences of events, a subset of the incidents and accidents had one thing in common – the automation was no longer actively controlling to the airspeed target. This article describes the accident scenarios and design of a modification to the airspeed tape on the primary flight display to explicitly annunciate the absence of active speed control. An experiment to evaluate the efficacy of the enhanced airspeed tape showed faster pilot response time but no differences in correct pilot response.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011
Previous work has suggested that apical trill production may condition a raised F0, affecting the... more Previous work has suggested that apical trill production may condition a raised F0, affecting the vowel after onset consonants. This effect has been suggested as the impetus for the reanalysis of a falling‐rising tone replacing an onset trill [r] in Khmer [Wayland and Guion, Mon‐Khmer Studies 35, 55–82 (2005)]. However, it has not been established whether this increase in F0 is a natural correlate of apical trill production. If so, it should be found in other languages. A raised F0 has been found for trill production in Thai, but preliminary data examining Finnish and Spanish onset trills found no such pattern. Some speakers produced higher F0 after [r] and others did not. The questions of whether there may be aerodynamic constraints associated with trill production that affect F0 or whether language‐specific phonetic knowledge, perhaps unconditioned by articulatory constraints, is the source of the F0 patterns are discussed. As part of this discussion, the variation in trills, from multiple cycles to app...
Aviation English, based on a coded jargon from World War II, is a mandatory form of communication... more Aviation English, based on a coded jargon from World War II, is a mandatory form of communication for pilots and controllers in international airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization also requires proficiency in Conversational English, for use in non-standard communication. However, our past research indicates that Aviation English and Conversational English are distinct varieties of English, suggesting that assumptions about native English speaker proficiency and additive learning for non-native English speakers may be false. To establish how different these language varieties are, we present a study of Aviation English intelligibility for non-native and native English speaking pilots. Results suggest that non-native English speaking pilots exhibit high proficiency in Aviation English without parallel proficiency in Conversational English. Non-native English speaking Aviation English users suffer the unfair burden of having to learn and maintain proficiency in two la...
Automation surprise may result from inadequate or mistaken “mental models” of the automation (Sar... more Automation surprise may result from inadequate or mistaken “mental models” of the automation (Sarter and Woods, 1995). To study pilots’ mental models of their automation, 202 airline pilots were asked to explain five different events involving unexpected behaviors of aircraft automation. Pilots’ abilities to correctly explain the behavior of the automation differed systematically across the scenarios. The number of complete and correct responses varied from 19% to 86%, depending on the scenario. As the complexity of the automation increased, understanding decreased. Performance on the scenarios was not related to flight experience, automation experience, or source of automation training. But pilots’ conceptions of automation were related to performance on the scenarios. Implications for training are discussed.
Aviation English (AE) is the “primary dialect” of international aviation. Demonstrably, AE and Co... more Aviation English (AE) is the “primary dialect” of international aviation. Demonstrably, AE and Conversational English (CE) are distinct varieties of English. Past research shows that AE is spoken more rapidly, with less inflectional variation and different rhythm than CE. Differences are strong enough that AE and CE may not be mutually intelligible. However, flight students are not trained in AE production and perception prior to flight training. This study examines the intelligibility relationship between AE and CE by comparing native English speaking non-pilots and native English speaking pilots responding to actual air traffic controller transmissions. A difference between these groups was predicted, given their comparative AE familiarity. However, the difference in AE intelligibility proved to be stronger than expected. Additionally, results from licensed pilots indicate that AE learning continues with flight experience, suggesting there may not be adequate training prior to rel...
International aviation professionals converse in a register of English derived from postwar radio... more International aviation professionals converse in a register of English derived from postwar radiotelephony. Decades of use and regulatory pressure established Aviation English (AE) as the lingua franca for pilots and air traffic controllers. Recently, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required aviation professionals prove AE proficiency, resulting in development of a variety of AE programs and tests derived from English language pedagogy, without accounting for unique aviation language requirements. This dissertation explores linguistic characteristics that must be accounted for in international AE programs. Although AE standard phraseology is a limited code, regulation allows limited use of "plain language". Unfortunately, this caveat has paved the way for native English speakers (NESs) to use colloquial English that is often opaque to non-native English speakers (NNESs). Accordingly, the ICAO further required international pilots and controllers to have conversational English (CE) proficiency. Structural differences in AE predict an emergent prosody with rate and rhythm differences from CE. In addition to environmental differences, this distinct prosody predicts differences in production and perception of AE and CE. My dissertation v examines both of these phenomena, first by evaluating prosodic differences between AE and CE; next by analyzing AE listening and repeating performance. To compare AE and CE prosody, I examined two radio corpora: air traffic controllers and radio newscasters. From these data I quantified rhythm, intonation and speech rate differences across registers. Using laboratory listening performance studies of pilot and non-pilot NESs and NNESs, I examined AE intelligibility differences. NNES pilots scored worse on CE tasks and better on AE tasks than NES non-pilots, indicating CE proficiency is not a predictor of AE proficiency. Dissertation findings suggest AE language training should focus on AE and not on CE, as is current practice. Given phonological and other differences between AE and CE, enlisting all AE users to learn and adhere to AE phraseology will save time and money in training and alleviate miscommunication and confusion in flight, potentially saving lives.
Pilots are frequently surprised by aircraft automation. These include cases in which the automati... more Pilots are frequently surprised by aircraft automation. These include cases in which the automation: 1) produces alerts to anomalies, 2) commands unexpected control manipulations (that may result in flight path deviations), or 3) simply disconnects. Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports in which pilots indicated that automation produced unexpected actions were analyzed. Three general conclusions were drawn. First, many factors precipitate automation surprises. These include problems in: the auto-flight system and associated displays and interfaces, other aircraft sensors and systems, and interactions with weather and ATC. Second, inappropriate pilot actions are involved in a large proportion of these events. Third, recovery need not require reversion to manual control. There is no single general intervention that can prevent automation surprise or completely mitigate its effects. However, several different tacks (including improved training, displays, and coordination with ATC) taken together may be effective.
Julia Trippe performs basic and applied research in aviation human factors: automation and commun... more Julia Trippe performs basic and applied research in aviation human factors: automation and communication. Julia earned a PhD in Linguistics from University of Oregon in 2018, focusing on Aviation English phonology. She has been a commercial pilot since 1994 and holds ATP and flight instructor certificates. Julia’s foundational pilot/controller communication research examines Aviation English production and perception by native and non-native English speakers. Her automation research focuses on pilot understanding of aircraft automation, decision making and risk mitigation.https://commons.erau.edu/icaea-workshop-images/1032/thumbnail.jp
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2021
The society’s code of ethics was last updated in 2005 and thus needs to be reviewed and updated. ... more The society’s code of ethics was last updated in 2005 and thus needs to be reviewed and updated. To do so, the previous code of ethics was reviewed as well as other documentation particularly with respect to inclusion. The goal of the Code of Ethics Task Force at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is to not only review the society’s artefacts but also to recommend suggestions for their improvement with respect to best practices. Further, this Task Force will explore whether and if so how, operating rules should be established to support the Code of Ethics.
Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors, 2019
. Analysis of recent airliner accidents and incidents identified a class of events in which struc... more . Analysis of recent airliner accidents and incidents identified a class of events in which structurally, mechanically, and electronically sound aircraft decelerated through the minimum safe operating speed for the phase of flight to the stick-shaker activation speed. Despite the differences in the sequences of events, a subset of the incidents and accidents had one thing in common – the automation was no longer actively controlling to the airspeed target. This article describes the accident scenarios and design of a modification to the airspeed tape on the primary flight display to explicitly annunciate the absence of active speed control. An experiment to evaluate the efficacy of the enhanced airspeed tape showed faster pilot response time but no differences in correct pilot response.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011
Previous work has suggested that apical trill production may condition a raised F0, affecting the... more Previous work has suggested that apical trill production may condition a raised F0, affecting the vowel after onset consonants. This effect has been suggested as the impetus for the reanalysis of a falling‐rising tone replacing an onset trill [r] in Khmer [Wayland and Guion, Mon‐Khmer Studies 35, 55–82 (2005)]. However, it has not been established whether this increase in F0 is a natural correlate of apical trill production. If so, it should be found in other languages. A raised F0 has been found for trill production in Thai, but preliminary data examining Finnish and Spanish onset trills found no such pattern. Some speakers produced higher F0 after [r] and others did not. The questions of whether there may be aerodynamic constraints associated with trill production that affect F0 or whether language‐specific phonetic knowledge, perhaps unconditioned by articulatory constraints, is the source of the F0 patterns are discussed. As part of this discussion, the variation in trills, from multiple cycles to app...
Aviation English, based on a coded jargon from World War II, is a mandatory form of communication... more Aviation English, based on a coded jargon from World War II, is a mandatory form of communication for pilots and controllers in international airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization also requires proficiency in Conversational English, for use in non-standard communication. However, our past research indicates that Aviation English and Conversational English are distinct varieties of English, suggesting that assumptions about native English speaker proficiency and additive learning for non-native English speakers may be false. To establish how different these language varieties are, we present a study of Aviation English intelligibility for non-native and native English speaking pilots. Results suggest that non-native English speaking pilots exhibit high proficiency in Aviation English without parallel proficiency in Conversational English. Non-native English speaking Aviation English users suffer the unfair burden of having to learn and maintain proficiency in two la...
Automation surprise may result from inadequate or mistaken “mental models” of the automation (Sar... more Automation surprise may result from inadequate or mistaken “mental models” of the automation (Sarter and Woods, 1995). To study pilots’ mental models of their automation, 202 airline pilots were asked to explain five different events involving unexpected behaviors of aircraft automation. Pilots’ abilities to correctly explain the behavior of the automation differed systematically across the scenarios. The number of complete and correct responses varied from 19% to 86%, depending on the scenario. As the complexity of the automation increased, understanding decreased. Performance on the scenarios was not related to flight experience, automation experience, or source of automation training. But pilots’ conceptions of automation were related to performance on the scenarios. Implications for training are discussed.
Aviation English (AE) is the “primary dialect” of international aviation. Demonstrably, AE and Co... more Aviation English (AE) is the “primary dialect” of international aviation. Demonstrably, AE and Conversational English (CE) are distinct varieties of English. Past research shows that AE is spoken more rapidly, with less inflectional variation and different rhythm than CE. Differences are strong enough that AE and CE may not be mutually intelligible. However, flight students are not trained in AE production and perception prior to flight training. This study examines the intelligibility relationship between AE and CE by comparing native English speaking non-pilots and native English speaking pilots responding to actual air traffic controller transmissions. A difference between these groups was predicted, given their comparative AE familiarity. However, the difference in AE intelligibility proved to be stronger than expected. Additionally, results from licensed pilots indicate that AE learning continues with flight experience, suggesting there may not be adequate training prior to rel...
International aviation professionals converse in a register of English derived from postwar radio... more International aviation professionals converse in a register of English derived from postwar radiotelephony. Decades of use and regulatory pressure established Aviation English (AE) as the lingua franca for pilots and air traffic controllers. Recently, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required aviation professionals prove AE proficiency, resulting in development of a variety of AE programs and tests derived from English language pedagogy, without accounting for unique aviation language requirements. This dissertation explores linguistic characteristics that must be accounted for in international AE programs. Although AE standard phraseology is a limited code, regulation allows limited use of "plain language". Unfortunately, this caveat has paved the way for native English speakers (NESs) to use colloquial English that is often opaque to non-native English speakers (NNESs). Accordingly, the ICAO further required international pilots and controllers to have conversational English (CE) proficiency. Structural differences in AE predict an emergent prosody with rate and rhythm differences from CE. In addition to environmental differences, this distinct prosody predicts differences in production and perception of AE and CE. My dissertation v examines both of these phenomena, first by evaluating prosodic differences between AE and CE; next by analyzing AE listening and repeating performance. To compare AE and CE prosody, I examined two radio corpora: air traffic controllers and radio newscasters. From these data I quantified rhythm, intonation and speech rate differences across registers. Using laboratory listening performance studies of pilot and non-pilot NESs and NNESs, I examined AE intelligibility differences. NNES pilots scored worse on CE tasks and better on AE tasks than NES non-pilots, indicating CE proficiency is not a predictor of AE proficiency. Dissertation findings suggest AE language training should focus on AE and not on CE, as is current practice. Given phonological and other differences between AE and CE, enlisting all AE users to learn and adhere to AE phraseology will save time and money in training and alleviate miscommunication and confusion in flight, potentially saving lives.
Pilots are frequently surprised by aircraft automation. These include cases in which the automati... more Pilots are frequently surprised by aircraft automation. These include cases in which the automation: 1) produces alerts to anomalies, 2) commands unexpected control manipulations (that may result in flight path deviations), or 3) simply disconnects. Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports in which pilots indicated that automation produced unexpected actions were analyzed. Three general conclusions were drawn. First, many factors precipitate automation surprises. These include problems in: the auto-flight system and associated displays and interfaces, other aircraft sensors and systems, and interactions with weather and ATC. Second, inappropriate pilot actions are involved in a large proportion of these events. Third, recovery need not require reversion to manual control. There is no single general intervention that can prevent automation surprise or completely mitigate its effects. However, several different tacks (including improved training, displays, and coordination with ATC) taken together may be effective.
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