Improving Inspector's Performance and Reducing Errors - General Aviation Inspection Training Systems (GAITS)

Inspection is an important step in ensuring product quality especially in aircraft industry where safety is the highest priority. Since safety is involved, effective strategies need to be set to improve quality and reliability of aircraft inspection/maintenance and for reducing errors. Humans play a critical role in visual inspection of airframe structures. Major advancements have been made in aircraft inspection, but General Aviation (GA) lags behind. Strategies that lead to improvement in inspection processes with GA environment will ensure reliability of the overall air transportation system. Training is one such strategy where advanced technology can be used for inspection training and reducing errors. A hierarchical task analytic (HTA) approach was used to systematically record and analyze the aircraft inspection/maintenance systems in geographically dispersed GA facilities. Using the task analytic approach a computer based training system (GAITS: General Aviation Inspection Training System) was developed for aircraft inspection that is anticipated to standardize and systematize the inspection process in GA. This paper documents the work involved in the development of General Aviation Inspection Training Systems.