As part of the CORAC “TOUCANS” project, which aims to lay the foundations for a highly automated cockpit that could be operated by a single pilot, Justin Larouzée, a researcher at CRC, made his first immersion in Toulouse with the Airbus R&D teams.
The evolution of the current MCO (multi-crew operations) to SPO (single-pilot operations) will be marked by successive stages: eMCO (extended minimum crew) then SPO/DPO (single/dual crew ops), i.e. aircraft capable of doing both. The next-generation Airbus will be more automated, with a new cockpit and a new concept of operations (CON-OPS) involving new roles for pilots. The challenge of the CRC’s study is to help demonstrate that these changes can be integrated into the existing ecosystem of operations and actors, with limited impact and guaranteeing the same performance and safety level.
The agenda of this first immersion included a presentation by the human factors and ergonomics in cockpit design team, a visit to the A320, A330 and A380 simulators and a presentation of DISCO concepts by the CON-OPS leader flight operations architect. The highlight of these two days was the presentation and testing of the DISCO-DECK (DISruptive COckpit) simulator, used for physical and software ergonomics tests. Thanks to the briefing, the explanations and the assistance of the DISCO’s Human Factors work package leader, Justin Larouzée was able to make a flight from Toulouse, “back home” to Nice.
