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The development of a model and simulation of an aviation maintenance technician task performance

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Abstract

This paper describes the model of an aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) behaviour working in a real world environment and the application of this model in a computer simulation. The model was derived from the combination of two existing models of cognition (SHELL and RMC/PIPE), based on the paradigm of an information processing system. The simulation structure was developed by transforming the model into an action-execution structure and implementing this model in a computer program based on an object-oriented programming language. An error generation system was coupled to a simple taxonomy of causal correlations between socio-technical and contextual factors operating in an environment defined by a comprehensive task analysis. The simulator can be applied to many aviation maintenance tasks to assist in the design of aviation maintenance training systems through the analysis of the interaction of performance influencing factors and possible AMT performances during the execution of normal maintenance operations. A number of sample outputs from the simulator show the potential of the results to assist in training development. A discussion is also made of other potential applications and the future directions the simulator structure can take.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Volare Group, Italy, for assistance in the preparation of the task analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, European Commission, 21020, Ispra (VA), Italy

    P. Carlo Cacciabue & Douglas Owen

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  1. P. Carlo Cacciabue
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  2. Carlo Mauri
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  3. Douglas Owen
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Correspondence to P. Carlo Cacciabue.

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Cacciabue, P.C., Mauri, C. & Owen, D. The development of a model and simulation of an aviation maintenance technician task performance. Cogn Tech Work 5, 229–247 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-003-0133-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-003-0133-z

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