Summary: When examining pilot deaths in WWI it was discovered that 90% were put down to pilot errors whereas only 2% were due to enemy action! Things didn't improve in WW2 either. A lowly 23 year old analyst challenged the assumption that cockpits should be designed to fit the Average Pilot. This is the story of Human Factors in Aviation.<br> <br> <br> <br> An RAF pilot's annual assessment of ability.<br> <br> <br> <br> Quételet, the man who invented averages.<br> <br> <br> <br> The University of Ghent.<br> <br> <br> <br> It was the study of Astronomy that gave rise to the first calculations of averages.<br> <br> <br> <br> The study of the average Scottish Soldier.<br> <br> <br> <br> Very few deaths during the First World War were due to enemy action.<br> <br> <br> <br> The Second World War also saw an unacceptable number of deaths due to accidents.<br> <br> <br> <br> The USAF conducted a large study into the size of their men to discover the dimensions of the average pilot.<br> <br> <br> <br> Lt Gilbert Daniels discovered that not one USAF pilot matched the average!<br> <br> <br> <br> The study of ergonomics let to better cockpit design.<br> <br> <br> <br> Human factors also covers the limitation of the human body when flying.<br> <br> <br> <br> Modern glass cockpits prevent many pitfalls from previous designs but bring their own problems.<br> <br> <br> <br> Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Congress, Frederik de Wit, the Deseronto Archives, the USN, the Australian War Museum, Henry Vandyke Carter and Airbus.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>
