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Why I'm Glad I'm Not an Aerospace Interface Designer

By Rain Noe - September 25, 2013

in Object Culture | Cars

"Hey, what happens if I press this button with the skull and crossbones on it?"

From an interface design standpoint, it's completely bewildering: Switches, levers, dials, buttons, toggles, and every type of physical interface known to man are crammed into the cockpit of a Boeing 737—not to mention all the gauges and screens. While you're back there in the cabin trying to find space in the overhead, the pilot and co-pilot are up front working this insanely complex console to complete their pre-flight setup and get the engine running.

Check out this clip, shot aboard a new Boeing 737, of actual "pre-flight setup and engine startup procedures." You won't mistake the five-minute video for a Michael Bay production, but it does give you a good look at the overall console:

This video (also shot in a 737) gives you a better look at the actual buttons, switches and physical interface devices the pilots lay their fingers on:

The second video is purported to be a mash-up of footage filmed at different times, whereas the first video was taken before an actual flight from Greece to Sweden. Not terribly reassuring, that first vid: Did you see the huge rubber band holding one of the switches in place at 1:38; that janky dashboard-mounted clipboard holder around 2:40; and how the pilot starts holding onto the dashboard, apparently for support, while turning onto the runway around 2:20? What is he, sitting on a stool?

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yen

11 years ago

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It doesn't seem *that* complicated. Anyway it's a bit of apples and oranges. In "normal" UI design you want to focus on intuition, where you want to appeal to a large range of audiences. Pilots however, rely on very specific training and need to be familiar with documents and procedures such as the FCOM. The design of the flight deck (and indeed the entire aircraft) needs to be considered from a bewildering number of perspectives.
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22blades

11 years ago

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Sorry, I fly these things for living. You may think a rubber band is "Funny" or "Weird" but it's an excellent example of interface problems. Regulations and design has evolved for very good reasons. You would want your pilots to be able to read approach and landing procedures clearly without effort shooting an approach into any airport. Misreading charts or checklists kills and has killed people. If this was really a flight, they should have had that fixed before they even closed the door.

Also the video does not illustrate the 30 to 45 minutes of prep before we start the engines ( which was illustrated ). We typically talk on three different frequencies on the radio while doing this "stuff" while a Flight Attendant wants a galley oven fixed.

The manufacturer have made amazing strides in cockpit design but there are still things that are like "who the hell came up with this? Bet they never talked to a pilot."
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fredo

11 years ago

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Thank god for Autopilot Mode
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slippyfish

11 years ago

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Just like with the posting several months back that was suspicious of the 787 wing assemblers using hand held (torque) wrenches, there are very grounded reasons for probably everything in the cockpit layout.

Based on info from interviewing people who worked on the 787 cockpit, and a couple friends who are commercial airlines pilots, a couple of huge factors drive control board layout. Main thing for Boeing aircraft is that very little of the layout can be moved or repositioned due to the many aircraft already in the fleet, and the need for 'continuity' over the years. Boeing apparently is influenced by military/fighter planes and controls are similar to those used in Boeing military aircraft, the C-17 an obvious modern example.

Airbus, I am told, has what look like more 'modern' interfaces because their customers are emerging/smaller countries without air forces. Thus their planes need to be more easily apprehended by a wider set of pilots.

This Airbus setup sounds great, and their cockpits look 'cooler', until you look at some of the factors influencing the Air France 447 crash - mainly, interpreting what the aircraft was doing SOLELY from malfunctioning equipment, and not knowing the correct flying maneuvers to save the aircraft.
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archie4oz

11 years ago

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There's nothing weird to me about the rubber band. The switch is a momentary toggle switch, it's designed to stay in the off position, and you need to keep your finger on it to hold it in the on position. Sometimes you just want something on, so you rubber band it to the on position. I've seen older 737 cockpits with the crew intercom rubber banded open. I think newer ones have a regular toggle now.

Also this is a pretty newish 737. It's fairly clean and uncluttered compared to older ones, or just older multi-engined aircraft.
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SFPaul

11 years ago

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Wonder what's up with the rubber band at the 1:38 mark.
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