The research in this section represents a collaboration between Prof Amelia Hunt, Dr Amy Irwin and Dr Nejc Sedlar, with further research planned.
The aim of this research strand is to explore the factors underpinning effective visual search and information gathering within the context of helicopter flight. More specifically there has been one key project thus far:
- During his PhD, Dr Nejc Sedlar undertook a 3-month internship to explore visual search and information gathering during the landing phase of helicopter flight. This interview study recruited participants across multiple helicopter flight types (including Search and Rescue, Offshore Transport and HEMS) in order to determine the impact of contextual aspects on information gathering during landing. A two step analysis of the interview data was used, identifying individual steps taken by the pilots in gathering information for the purposes of landing, the general strategies used to obtain and maintain an accurate representation of their surroundings, as well as the factors that impact on these.