Human Factors in Aviation

Examines the factors that determine human performance in aviation through the interfaces between people and machines, procedures, environments and each other. The course begins from a single premise: human error is not an explanation but something that has to be explained. The SHELL and PEAR models, error and violation types, the distinction between active failures and latent conditions, and maintenance human factors form the opening chapters.

It then covers situational awareness, workload and interruption, fatigue and sleep, stress and fitness for duty, automation and mode confusion, and decision making under surprise. The term closes with organisational factors, just culture and the safety management system. This is not pilot or technician training: every chapter ends in a management lever — staffing, rostering, procedure design, checklists, procurement, reporting. As a term project students analyse a published accident or incident report and develop recommendations at the design, procedure and organisational levels.