Abstract
One hundred and forty-eight pilots were asked to categorize a list of flight-related data elements that could be sent via data link from an FAA automated flight service station to an aircraft or vice versa. The categorization was used to construct a matrix of proximity values for each of the data-element pairs so that a conceptual network of the elements could be constructed using the Pathfinder algorithm developed by Schvaneveldt, Durso, and Dearholt (1985). Additionally, pilots were asked to judge each data element according to how useful the element was for the functions of communication, navigation, and surveillance within the general aviation (GA) flight environment. Elements scoring high on each of these flight-related functions were then subjected to a Pathfinder analysis. The conceptual networks that were created as a result of these analyses are discussed in relation to the development of data link user interfaces for the GA cockpit.
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