Tailoring the Pilot's Associate to Match Pilot Preferences

Abstract

The research described in this paper documents the creation, development, implementation, and initial evaluation of a prototype intelligent system tailoring tool called the Mission Support Tool (MST). The MST is a ground-based, pre-mission interface between the fighter pilot, a larger global mission planning system and the electronic crew-member or Pilot's Associate (PA). The primary function of the MST is to furnish pilots with a means for tailoring the PA to their individual preferences for air-to-air combat missions. The MST helps the PA operate in a predictable manner by allowing the pilot to preselect, weigh, and tailor plans to be proposed to the pilot by the PA prior to the mission, which domain experts agree will pay high dividends in pilot acceptance, trust, and human-electronic crew-member teamwork.