ABSTRACT
It has been well documented that about 70% of commercial aircraft accidents in the last 15 years were human error related (FAA, 1996). The cockpit o f an airliner is designed for a specific task of providing a safe and efficient interface with the operators, nowadays, mainly two pilots. Despite the similar tasks performed by all crews, designs vary greatly between manufacturers and hardly any standards exist for the interface methods. Design decisions in commercial projects have always been made based on subjective statements of test pilots. The test pilots rely on the certification regulations, company design philosophy and own previous experience (Singer, 1999). The design is scrutinised in reviews, flight tests and certification tests and is formally approved before it is allowed to enter service. And yet, most accidents lately have occurred despite this process. Can we, the test pilots, claim that we have been doing a good enough job?
