PEGASAS: Weather Technology in the Cockpit

Research showsthat a high percentage of weather-related General Aviation (GA) accidents can be attributed to pilots flying into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) without experience or appropriate certifications to safely operate beyond Visual Flight Rules (VFR). To makesafety-critical decisions, pilots oftenuse weather indication delivered on screens of portable electronic devices. This information often is obsolete with a latency up to20 minutes. Web-based experiential education modules, using a flight simulation system for demonstration of this weather indication latency, can potentially mitigate this problem.Modules will be designed to provide pilots with the ability to “experience” different weather phenomenaand will include tools to improve knowledge and skills for assessing deteriorating conditions and making effective decisionsat imbedded decision points.This research alsostudied methods for delivering weather alert messages to pilots in-flight to support pilot reception of critical messages, examining effects of decision-making, workload, and situation awareness