The contemporary way to understand advanced technology aircraft flight crew consciousness

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how a theory of consciousness encompassing the brain, body and environment could be used to solve a specific real world problem: today's technically advanced aircraft flights experience the same number of pilot errors as younger generations of aircraft. Even though today's technology continues to significantly reduce pilot workload, the actual number of pilot errors per number of flights seems to stay constant.;I propose that for the engineers working to reduce pilot errors to be successful they need to understand the pilot and cockpit instruments as one system. The pilot's tools are more of an extension of her own consciousness, she thinks with them not merely controlling them. With the help of artificial intelligence and robotics we now know that human survival cannot rely upon the mind alone to control all our actions, the body also shares in what is 'intelligent'. Much of how the pilot behaves comes from good practice procedures, these result in her intelligent responses actually occurring by habit, without her immediate awareness.;The concept of crew resource management is introduced to help us understand flight crew systems and to appreciate their important contribution in the effort to reduce pilot errors. The main focus of CRM is on communication and teamwork. The theory of consciousness I propose human engineers adapt examines the role language plays in our intelligence and how group intelligence comes about when we participate on teams.;Through this exercise of understanding the pilot in her environment and how her crew and instruments work together to create a 'crewpit' consciousness, I propose that not only will avenues appear for reducing the problem of pilot errors but also for new ways of thinking about human intelligence. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).