ABSTRACT
The advent of highly automated aircraft with “glass cockpits” has extended the capabilities of the aircraft but also changed the nature and type of tasks that have to be performed by the crew. As has been duly noted, flight control assistance and flight management systems (FMS) have changed the pilot’s role from that of a manual controller and navigator to a systems monitor and information manager. Information and resource management, task scheduling, and programming skills of onboard computers now complement the psychomotor skills of the pilot. The continuing expansion of air travel necessitates the use of even more advanced technologies in order to accommodate the expected levels of traffic while at the same time maintaining safety. Technologies like the digital datalink play a key role in realizing such advancement.
