Privacy-Preserving and Secure Pilot Self-Assessment

Abstract

There is a strong culture for using safety risk management tools to monitor the different parts of the operation in the aviation industry. However, most of the monitoring that is being done is done on the technical conditions of the aircraft rather than on the pilot. While there is an expectation that the pilots self-assess their health regarding how fit the pilot is to operate an aircraft, all the tools given are checklist-based. Checklists are widely used in the aviation industry to ensure all tasks are done as they should for mechanics and pilots. However, the drawback of checklist-based systems is that they do not monitor anything over time.

As a pilot has responsibility for many passengers on every flight, the consequences of mistakes can be considerable. By not monitoring the health over time, some of the crucial information when considering whether the pilot is fit to fly or not may be forgotten. Fatigue and stress are two essential topics for ensuring the focus is on operating the aircraft rather than either zoning out or being concerned about something else during flight. As the EU work hour regulations exempt everyone within the aviation industry, pilots can work at any time during the day. As the pilots can work at any given point during the day, they have to self-regulate whether they can work. If they do not track topics such as sleep and nutrition, they can be fatigued and lose focus on the work to be done.

This thesis presents Gearggus, a self-assessment tool that can assist the pilot in assessing their health based on the information given by a questionnaire. The user answers questions based on how important the data is monitored over time. Based on the answers, there is calculated feedback on how ready the pilot is to operate an aircraft. The data is presented on a history page, so the user can see what the score is based on and how to adjust to gain a better score.

Gearggus was evaluated with a qualitative interview with experienced aviation personnel and the Department of Aviation employees at the Unversity of Tromsø. Both parties acknowledge the issues Gearggus is trying to solve, but with modifications to the system. The required changes differ between the parties.