Enhancing Aviation Simulator de-Briefs Through the Integration of Student Eye Tracking: The Instructor's Perspective

Many research papers investigate the benefits to a pilot of eye tracking (ET) in training [1, 2]. None however, explore the efficacy of ET training from an instructor's perspective, specifically relating to trainee checking, scanning and monitoring. Using a questionnaire of both numerical rating and open answers, 19 experienced A330 instructors answered questions on simulator profiles that they observed on an operational simulator A330 De-Brief Facility (DBF). The profiles were played first without and then with ET data run in parallel. This research interrogated the ease with which instructors were able to interpret the data, investigated their ability to spot checking and scanning errors and challenged their pre-conceptions over how many errors they were able to identify. Results showed that considerable numbers of checking and scanning errors were missed and that with the augmentation of ET, error identification significantly increases. It was shown that instructors were not as error aware as they thought; moreover, prior to the addition of ET, instructors' focus was not on scanning and checking errors, despite the error presence.