Dr. Kent C. Halverson

Principal Scientist & Senior Director, Training, Learning & Readiness Division, Aptima, Inc.

Dr. Kent C. Halverson is a Principal Scientist and Senior Director of the Training, Learning, and Readiness Division at Aptima, Inc. He has research experience in performance measurement, organizational analysis, workflow modeling, training design and evaluation, survey development, social network analysis, and quantitative data analysis. Dr. Halverson manages a portfolio of research projects for a variety of DoD research agencies such as the Air Force Research Lab, across a variety of operational domains (e.g., military pilots, infantry soldiers, intelligence analysts), levels of analysis (e.g., individuals, teams, organizations), and research perspectives (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, process, system). Dr. Halverson has held faculty positions at the Air Force Academy and the Air Force Institute of Technology as the Director of the Graduate Engineering Management Program. He holds a PhD in Business Administration (Organizational Behavior) from the University of Florida, a MS in Civil/Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Training a New Generation of Pilots: Open Issues in eVTOL Pilot Training

Although autopilot features have existed for decades, the level and types of automations seen in the ever-growing and diverse class of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) platforms are introducing some disruptive innovations that are creating widespread challenges across the industry. In this presentation Col Don ‘Stryker’ Haley and Dr. Kent Halverson will highlight some of the primary technical challenges in training the first cadre of eVTOL pilots. Three key challenges will be discussed from both an operational/pilot and scientific perspective related to pilot training. The first topic will explore the evolving role of pilots in this increasingly automated space. Traditionally, pilots were trained on to how to control or manage every system and subsystem of an aircraft, with special attention paid toward emergency procedures. However, eVTOLs are automating many of these tasks leading to decreased pilot cognitive workload, fewer task saturation situations, and better task prioritization. The second topic will explore how to measure pilot proficiency. Measuring “human” performance is less than straightforward in highly automated eVTOL platforms because it is not always obvious what aspects of flight are human-controlled versus machine-controlled. This leads to blurred lines between pilot evaluation and system evaluation. The pros and cons of subjective (i.e., expert ratings) compared to objective (i.e., data from the simulators and aircraft) will be discussed, as well as the potential application of physiological measures. Finally, the third topic will explore the development of an eVTOL curriculum. The eVTOL market is highly diverse with over 700 prototypes in development, each featuring unique combinations of propulsion systems, controls, and automation. This diversity makes developing a singular “eVTOL curriculum” highly improbable and poses a challenge for how curricula should be developed and how they can build on one another.