Inflight application of three pilot workload measurement techniques

Three measures of workload were tested during 11 routine missions conducted by the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory: communications performance, subjective ratings, and heart rate. The activities that contributed to crewmember workload varied; the commander was responsible for aircraft control and navigation whereas the copilot handled communications with ATC and the astronomers. Ratings of workload, stress, and effort given by the two crewmembers were highly correlated and varied across flight segments, peaking during takeoff and landing. Since the pilots performed different tasks during each segment, their ratings appeared to reflect overall crew workload, rather than experiences specific to each pilot. Subjective fatigue increased significantly from takeoff to landing for all flights, although the increase was significantly greater as landing times shifted from 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. The type, source, number, and frequency of communications varied significantly across flight segments, providing an objective indicator of pilot workload. Heart rate was significantly higher for the aircraft commander than for the copilot. Although heart rate peaked for both positions during takeoff and landing, the amount of change was significantly greater for the aircraft commander. Subjective ratings of stress, workload, and mental effort were significantly correlated with heart rate and communications frequency but were unrelated to mission duration, rated fatigue, or pilot evaluation of performance.