1 Introduction

The Operators Guide to Human Factors in Aviation (OGHFA) is an extensive compendium of human factors information focused on further advancing commercial aviation safety. This Introduction explains why the OGHFA was prepared, what it is intended to accomplish and how it is meant to be used. It defines the major potential safety issues that good human factors can avoid while simultaneously admitting the inherent vulnerabilities in any complex human-machine system. It is recommended that each user of the OGHFA take the time to read this introductory material in order to obtain a firm background on the strengths and limitations of the OGHFA approach.

2 Background