ABSTRACT
The original aim of crew resource management (CRM) was to reduce flight crew error (Helmreich et al. 1999).
The application of human sciences to aviation (in order to avoid error) was firmly established well before CRM training was conceived. Work in the 1940s and 1950s by scientists such as Norman Mackworth, Paul Fitts, Alphonse Chapanis and John Flanagan helped to establish the idea that aviation design and practice should consider human capability and limitations. The improvements generated during this classic period of human-centred work are still apparent today and undoubtedly form a first line of defence against human error. A classic example of that work is the placement and shapes of undercarriage and flap levers, intended to reduce confusion and subsequent human error slips. Although established over 70 years ago it can still be seen in all modern air transport aircraft. As well as design principle, areas focusing on ‘the person’ such as selection and training also benefited from an increased use of human science research and human-engineering (the practice of applying human sciences such as psychology and physiology to operational environments, now more widely known as human factors). Early uses of this approach often focused on human traits and characteristics. Early work by John Flanagan attempted, through qualitative methods, to discover the characteristics and behaviours typical of unsuccessful pilot trainees, with a view to improving selection (Flanagan 1954). Hence, human-centred approaches were used to improve aviation
safety and reduce error, long before the implementation of CRM training.
