Abstract
The KC-135 Stratotanker has been a workhorse aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard for over 60 years. The aircraft and its technologies have had many modifications and updates over the decades, but the Emergency Procedures (EPs) section of the KC-135 In-Flight Manual has only been updated based on engineering modifications and incident and accident reports. The goal of this project was to systematically assess, identify, and document issues in the KC-135 EPs using aviation checklist design guidance and a crew-centric human factors approach. Electronic checklists were then created to address the issues in the KC-135 EPs. The number of emergency procedures was reduced by over 50%: 351 KC-135 EPs were streamlined into 154 electronic checklists. The revised electronic checklists for emergency procedures will optimize KC-135 crew responses to non-normal situations and ensure safe and efficient operation of the KC-135 beyond its projected sunset in 2040.
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