SCANNING FOR VISUAL TRAFFIC : AN EYE TRACKING STUDY

The FAA and various safety organizations recommend a specific, systematic out the window (OTW) visual scanning pattern for pilots to see and avoid other aircraft. Little research has been published on how effectively pilots actually scan. In our study, pilots fly VFR scenarios in a general aviation flight training device (GAFTD) equipped with head and eye tracking equipment. This paper describes methods for analyzing eye-tracking data and presents preliminary results of pilots’ OTW scanning performance.