ABSTRACT
Commercial, large jet aviation has been utilising an expanding range of advanced technology such as GPS (Global Positioning System), AP (autopilot), MCDU (multi-purpose control display unit), FMC (flight management computer), EFIS (electronic flight instruments system), PFD (primary flight display) and HUDs (heads-up displays) on flight decks for over 20 years. This technological application has been labelled the ‘glass cockpit’ and has been the subject of much research over this period (Wiener, 1988; James et al., 1991; Rudisill, 1995; Singh, Deaton and Parasuraman, 2001; Naidoo, 2008; Mitchell, Vermeulen and Naidoo, 2009). Similarly, the paucity of female pilots in large commercial jets has been explored (Kristovics et al., 2006; Mitchell et al., 2005; Vermeulen and Mitchell, 2007). The new technology continues to be developed and applied to the military, commercial and the general aviation field. General aviation includes all aviation operations, but excludes scheduled commercial airlines and military aviation. It includes business flying, agricultural aviation, personal flying for pleasure and sports, bush flying, gliding and flying by flight-training institutions (Kumar, DeRemer and Marshall, 2004). Experimental aircraft and very light jet aircraft are recent additions to general aviation (Cobb, Thomas and Cobb, 2007).
