A pilot-centered autoflight system concept

Ease of use has become a primary concern in avionics recently. Pilot training time represents a significant cost to aircraft operators, and the importance of human factors considerations in safety has been highlighted by the FAA, who notes that human error is a cause in roughly 70% of aircraft accidents. These concerns have led to a new focus on human-centered design, which seeks to define system functionality based on the user's perspective rather than that of the designer. We have used the principles of user-centered design to develop a new autoflight system concept that integrates the autopilot and flight management system functions into a single user interface that most pilots can learn to use within about fifteen minutes. This is in contrast to the weeks required to learn a typical flight management system.