Heart rate measures of flight test and evaluation

One of the goals of aircraft test and evaluation is to determine whether the crew can operate a new system safely and effectively. Because flying is a complex task, several measures are required to derive the best evaluation. This article describes the use of heart rate to augment the typical performance and subjective measures used in test and evaluation. Heart rate can be nonintrusively collected and provides additional information to the test team. Example data illustrate the nature of the results provided by heart rate during the test and evaluation of a transport aircraft. Comparison with subjective workload estimates shows discrepancies that provide valuable insights into the crews' responses to the demands of the test missions. Heart rate should be considered as an additional measure in the test and evaluation tool kit.