ABSTRACT
The following factors are an integral part of cognitive activity in the pilot: fatigue, body rhythm and rest, sleep and its disorders, the circadian cycle and its changes, the G-force and acceleration of gravity, the physiological demands in highaltitude, night-time take-offs and the problem of false illusion of climbing. But, other physiological demands are placed by the aviators. It is suggested that specific studies must be made for each type of aircraft and workplace, with the aim of contributing to the reduction of incidents arising from causes so predictable, yet so little studied. We must also give priority to airmen scientists that have produced these studies in physiology and occupational medicine, since the literature is scarce about indicating the need for further work in this direction. Human cognition refers to mental processes involved in thinking and their use. It is a multidisciplinary area of interest includes cognitive psychology, psychobiology, philosophy, anthropology, linguistics and artificial intelligence as a means to better understand how people perceive, learn, remember and how people think, because will lead to a much broader understanding of human behavior. Cognition is not presented as an isolated entity, being composed of a number
1 INTRODUCTION
The Boeing 777: This is a large modern aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers and so much faster. Today the tasks of the pilots were multiplied and increased the weights of aircraft, and the number of passengers, speeds takeoffs and landings were more significant, decreasing the number of men in the cockpit. However, the biological machine called human being is not structurally changed in the last thousands of years to support the increased cognitive and emotional overload. How to know your limits? The professional called Mechanics of Flight (the third man in the cockpit), was extinguished when computers arrived. Until the 70s there was a work station flight engineer. Several procedures were loaded to the pilots that were executed by the Flight Engineer (Mechanic of Flight). Two men just to control a Boeing 777: A huge and modern aircraft that carries hundreds of passengers and on faster way. Several procedures were loaded to the pilots that were executed by the Flight Engineer (Mechanic of Flight). The navigator was more burdened with the task of transmitting operational information when new systems arise like Omega and Doppler Radar. Over a sequence of operations adjustments and manipulations more equipment were transferred to the pilots on this occasion, adding to the known and the complex and overloaded duties of these professionals. This also happened with the mechanics of flight (the third man in the cockpit),
of other components, such as mental imagery, attention, consciousness, perception, memory, language, problem solving, creativity, decision making, reasoning, cognitive changes during development throughout life, human intelligence, artificial intelligence and various other aspects of human thought (Henriqson, 2010). The procedures of flying an aircraft involve observation and reaction to events that take place inside the cabin of flight and the environment outside the aircraft (Dekker,2003). The pilot is required to use information that is perceived in order to take decisions and actions to ensure the safe path of the aircraft all the time. Thus, full use of the cognitive processes becomes dominant so that a pilot can achieve full success with the task of flying the “heavier than air.” With the advent of automated inclusion of artifacts in the cabin of flight that assist the pilot in charge of controlling the aircraft, provide a great load of information that must be processed in a very short space of time, when we consider the rapidity with which changes occur, an approach that cover the human being as an individual is strongly need. Rather, the approach should include their cognition in relation to all these artifacts and other workers who share that workspace (FAA, 2012).
