Human Factors in Air Transport: Understanding Behavior and Performance in Aviation

This textbook provides students and the broader aviation community with a complete, accessible guide to the subject of human factors in aviation. It covers the history of the field before breaking down the physical and psychological factors, organizational levels, technology, training, and other pivotal components of a pilot and crew’s routine work in the field.

The information is organized into easy-to-digest chapters with summaries and exercises based on key concepts covered, and it is supported by more than 100 full-color illustrations and photographs. All knowledge of human factors required in aviation university studies is conveyed in a concise and casual manner, through the use of helpful margin notes and anecdotes that appear throughout the text.

The authors are experts in their fields at North America’s premier aeronautical university, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which trains 25% of all the pilots in the U.S. 
Erik Seedhouse is an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences and Aerospace and Occupational Safety in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). There, he teaches Human Factors in Aviation in addition to courses in the Commercial Space Operations curriculum. He is also the Manager of the Suborbital Spaceflight Simulator, Mission Control Center. Between 2008 and 2013, he was director of Canada’s manned centrifuge operations and managed the hypobaric facility at DRDC Toronto. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, a member of the Space Medical Association, and member of the Suborbital Technical Committee. In 2009, he was one of the final 30 candidates in the Canadian Space Agency’s Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. Erik is the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and a published author with more than 25 books to his name, including two textbooks for the International Space University.
Anthony T. Brickhouse is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences in the College of Aviation at ERAU. Since entering academia, Professor Brickhouse has been involved in research surrounding flight operational quality assurance (FOQA), airport ground safety, the use of flight recorders in accident investigation, and the mental health aspects of accident investigation. Professor Brickhouse holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with minors in mathematics/aviation safety and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Science with a specialization in Aviation/Aerospace Safety Systems. He is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and is a full member of theInternational Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), serving on their General Aviation Safety and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Working Groups. He is also the International Coordinator of Student Outreach and Mentoring for ISASI.
Dr. Kim Szathmary is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences in the College of Aviation at ERAU. She retired from the United States Air Force in 2005 as a senior C-17 Instructor Pilot and Supervisor of Flying, which entailed direct control of up to 40 heavy aircraft in missions. She has extensive safety background, first serving as a Chief of Safety during OPERATIONS DESERT STORM/DESERT SHIELD and then directing both ground and aviation safety programs for more than 150 aviators at Charleston AFB, SC. Dr. Szathmary is a 1984 graduate of Valdosta State University and earned her MAS in 1995 through ERAU's Worldwide Campus while stationed in Charleston. She earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration/International Business, Management, and Aeronautical Science Management with Northcentral University in July 2014. Dr. Szathmary recently developed and is teaching an ERAU course on Flight Data Monitoring and Analysis.
E. David Williams is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Occupational Safety has over 40 years of aviation experience, risk management, loss control, and insurance both as an USAF aviator and airport director. He has a Master’s in Business Administration, an Associate in Risk Management, and a BS in Aviation Management, with additional professional credentials in insurance. Williams has over ten years of experience teaching college-level courses in aviation operations, risk management, human factors in aviation, safety and aviation law, and aviation emergency management.