A Language-Oriented Analysis of Situation Awareness in Pilots in High-Fidelity Flight Simulation

The present research investigates age-related changes in situation awareness (SA) abilities, particularly as it is influenced by the detection and processing of auditory information for general aviation (GA) pilots during a simulated flight. An analysis of radio communication was conducted to determine whether pilot SA is associated with age-related declines in auditory processing and what aspects of messages may contribute to these effects of age. Using auditory tone stimuli, the research also examined at which stages of neural processing do possible age differences occur during flight. Findings showed that aging negatively impacts the integration of aurally presented information into SA efficiency. Additionally, negative age-effects seen in pilot SA abilities may be associated with differences in how information is processed along the auditory neural pipeline. This research is important in informing efforts towards improving aviation safety and further create more inclusive opportunities for older pilots.