As aircraft flew faster, higher, and farther in the early days of flight, pilots were exposed as inefficient, vulnerable, and dangerous. They asphyxiated or got the bends at high altitudes; they spiraled to the ground after encountering clouds or fog; they fainted during high-G maneuvers Their capacity to commit fatal errors seemed boundless. The Problem with Pilots, (PDF) tells the story of how, in the years between the world wars, engineers and physicians sought new ways to address these difficulties and bridge the broadening gap between human and machine performance.
An ex-Air Force pilot, Timothy P. Schultz digs into archival sources to understand the evolution of the pilot–aircraft relationship. As aviation technology progressed and enthusiasts looked for ways to advance its military uses, pilots surrendered hands-on control to sophisticated instrument-based control. By the early 1940s, pilots were sometimes ejected from aircraft in order to increase the potential of airpower—a phenomenon much more prevalent in today’s era of high-tech (and often unmanned) aircraft.
Linking historical developments to modern flight, this study presents an original view of how engineers and scientists brought together medical, technological, and human elements to transform the pilot’s role. The Problem with Pilots does away with the illusion of pilot supremacy and yields new perceptions into our ever-changing association with intelligent machines.
Reviews
“This ebook does what any good history ebook should do ― present new ideas, new ways of looking at longstanding ideas, and it pushes its field (aviation history) in new directions, opening new gates for further study and producing interesting new questions. Highly recommended.” — GoodReads
“What Schultz has done, widely, yet engagingly, is to tell the stories behind key milestones in a way that brings them to life. He shines a light on the human element, specially the humanity behind the legends of Air Force history, while at the same time placing them in the larger historical context visible now with the benefit of hindsight. It is a significant contribution to the public discourse around the future of flight, the future of the US Air Force and the future of military aviation. The Problem With Pilots is a pleasing read and will be of wide interest to all USAF leaders of today and tomorrow ― aspiring civilian and military pilots, flight surgeons, aeronautical engineers, and aviation historians.” — Lt Col Kari Thyne, PhD, USAF, Retired Air University
NOTE: The product only includes the ebook The Problem with Pilots in PDF. No access codes are included.
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