If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Why Screeners Miss Guns and Knives (and why pilots miss planes and airports)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1135...ft_column_h s Interesting article that has application in aviation outside of security screening. It might be a reasonably coherent explanation, for example, of why it is so difficult to pick out another plane from ground clutter, especially if the plane is of an unusual design. Basically, the article discusses target-distractor similarity, where an object is difficult to identify from distracting objects of a similar appearance in the background, and the general problem of distractors, which make it difficult for the eye to recognize a familiar object if it is in an unexpected orientation or format. I think it could have particular application in explaining why student pilots have such difficulty picking out other aircraft or finding strange runways. Target-distractor similarity could explain why otherwise intelligent pilots will attempt to land at Luke AFB instead of, say Glendale even though the pilot is familiar with both Glendale and Luke. They are not very similar, but when distracted by roads and other ground clutter a pilot can become temporarily disoriented. A closer example would be confusing Reid-Hillview with other area airports. Clutter distraction would simply mean that it is harder to recognize another aircraft when it is flying over a cluttered background, such as an industrial area, than when it is flying over an even cloud cover or over water. It seems obvious, but consider what happens if you are told the aircraft is at 3:00 low, traveling in the same direction you are. You can look all over for an airplane, but miss the Long-EZ or helicopter that ATC is seeing. If a bag screener has difficulty recognizing a gun simply because the image is reversed or in a different place from where he was used to looking for it, consider the problem of the pilot who is looking for another airplane that is "five miles out." Many pilots mis-report their position for a variety of reasons, but as shown by studies like this that can make you almost impossible to see. An aircraft pulling out onto a runway for an intersection takeoff is another case. The pilot may look in only one direction, or if he looks both ways he is really only expecting traffic to come from one particular direction. If that is the case, he may not see an oncoming aircraft even though it is in plain sight. The eye sees it, but the brain does not register it. You get the same sort of effect when pulling into an intersection with a car. You expect traffic from the left and even if you look right you might not see a bicyclist riding on the left hand side of the road, despite his bright yellow jersey and florescent helmet. Even worse if he is on a sidewalk. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Why Screeners Miss Guns and Knives (and why pilots miss planes and airports)
"cjcampbell" wrote in message oups.com... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1135...ft_column_h s Interesting article that has application in aviation outside of security screening. It might be a reasonably coherent explanation, for example, of why it is so difficult to pick out another plane from ground clutter, especially if the plane is of an unusual design. CJ Cannot access - by password only. Brian |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Why Screeners Miss Guns and Knives (and why pilots miss planes and airports)
Rats, sorry about that.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|