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. 2025 May 23;18(3):19.
doi: 10.3390/jemr18030019. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Research on Flight Training Optimization with Instrument Failure Based on Eye Movement Data

Jiwen Tai  1 , Yu Qian  1   2 , Zhili Song  3 , Xiuyi Li  4 , Ziang Qu  1 , Chengzhi Yang  1
Affiliations

Research on Flight Training Optimization with Instrument Failure Based on Eye Movement Data

Jiwen Tai et al. J Eye Mov Res. .

Abstract

To improve the quality of flight training in instrument failure scenarios, eye movement data were collected from flight instructors during climbing, descending, and turning flights when the primary attitude direction indicator failed. The performance data of the excellent instructors was selected to produce eye movement tutorials. These tutorials were used to conduct eye movement training for the experimental group of flight trainees. In contrast, the control group received traditional training. The performance and eye movement data of the two groups of flight trainees were then compared and analyzed. The results showed that flight trainees who received eye movement training performed better when facing instrument failure. Specifically, the deviations in the rate of descent, heading during the descent, airspeed during the turn, and slope during the turn were significantly different from those of the control group. Compared to the control group, the experimental group had a significantly lower fixation frequency on the failed instrument during the turn. Additionally, the average glance duration on the failed instrument during the climb and turn was significantly reduced. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of eye movement training in improving the quality of flight training in instrument failure scenarios.

Keywords: eye movement analysis; eye tracking; flight performance; flight training; instrument failure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of InterestThe authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental equipment and scene: (a) SR-20 flight simulator and (b) scene of the subject wearing the eye tracker for the experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Instrument interfaces when the instrument is normal and when the primary attitude direction indicator is not working: (a) when the instrument is normal and (b) when the primary attitude direction indicator is not working.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The division of areas of interest.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentage of fixation time of excellent instructors in each AOI when the primary attitude direction indicator was not working: (a) climb, (b) descent, and (c) turn.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The violin plot of flight performance of the two groups of subjects in the climbing flight: (a) ascending heading deviation and (b) ascending airspeed deviation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Difference in the fixation frequency in the ASI area between the two groups of subjects in the climb phase. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Difference in the average glance duration in the ADI (Failed) area between the two groups of subjects in the climbing flight. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Differences in flight performance between the two groups of subjects in the descending flight: (a) rate of descent deviation and (b) heading of descent deviation. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Difference in the fixation frequency in the ASI area between the two groups of subjects during the descending flight. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Differences in turning airspeed deviation and slope deviation between the two groups of subjects in the turning flight: (a) turning airspeed deviation and (b) turning slope deviation. *: p < 0.05.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The violin plot of the turning altitude deviation of the two groups of subjects during the turning flight.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Differences in the fixation frequency between the two groups of subjects in the ASI and ADI (Failed) areas during the turning flight: (a) ASI and (b) ADI (Failed). *: p < 0.05.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Difference in the average glance duration in the ADI (Failed) area between the two groups of subjects during the turning flight. *: p < 0.05.
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