AUDITION DIFFICULTIES,
SPEECH DIFFICULTIES….

BUT FIRTS OF ALLS

PILOTES

Our Project

To give deaf and those with speech difficulties pilots the possibility to fly within controlled aero
spaces.

As extension to the actions already taken by the Deaf Aeroclub of France since 1996, the FANS4ALL association (“Future Air Navigation Systems For All”) is an entity of general interest created in March 2017, working for the professional insertion of individuals with disabilities, in particular those which are hard of hearing or have speech issues, into aero related careers namely by improving proposed conditions for the practice of aero sports.

The team FANS4ALL

Fédérer is our aeronautic expert for industrial partners, academics and institutions.

For the realisation of this project, the FANS4ALL association has since its beginnings surrounded itself with experts, whether institutional, scientific or industrial in order to put together a pluridisciplinary team, having even started to build a research and development effort which integrates the socio-technical regulamentory, medical and security challenges which can be associated with such a project.

Our modes of action
Our association proposes to to engage in the following, illustrative and non-exhaustive, means:

 

  • Initiation or formation in professional or amateur careers in the aero field.

  • Sensibilisation actions in aero careers for those with disabilities, in particular the hard of hearing and
    those with speech difficulties.

  • Sensibilisation actions in aero careers for those with disabilities, in particular auditory and speech disabilities, and accessibility to businesses, institutions, clubs or associations in the aero domain.

  • Workshops and presentations on means which permit those of hard hearing and speech difficulties to access careers and amateur statuses on the aero domain.

  • To work on scientific research directly or via the financement of selected initiatives which would
    enrich the aims of our project.
Our objectives
To work on the scientific and social domain

 

  • For the professional uptake of persons with disabilities, in particular the hard of hearing and those with speech difficulties, in aero careers and equally to permit these to practice aero sports.

  • For the implementation of new navigation and traffic control technologies which would facilitate accessibility to those with disabilities or which would increase aero safety.

  • To encourage innovant initiatives in terms of accessibility for the deaf and take part, as per law number 2005-102 for equal opportunity, in participating and acquirement of advanced expertise for those with disabilities.

  • To convince regulatory bodies concerned of the technical, organisational and sécuritaire feasibility of innovative dispositives.

  • To show that the disabled are a source of innovation to society as a whole.

SCIENTIFIC AND OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME

The FANS4ALL programme covers susceptible innovations taking into account the consequences, for an aeroplane pilot: 

• Deafness where even with medical aid, goals are not achieved including with the use of a hearing prothesis.

• Speech difficulties to which there are no medical solutions

• Deafness related to attention span (relating to alarms’ perception, or persistence to not change a plan of action,…)

• Situational deafness (Radio malfunction, broken windshield, no sound on radio, radio frequency error,…)

There is also the desire to contribute to innovation by means of automation for aero transports, with pluri-disciplinary concepts in the research for scientific recourses to materials’ science, human sciences and life sciences.

The programme is deployed in 3 phases, each lasting 3 years.

Phase 1: To conduct exploratory research on technical, operational and regulatory bodies which would permit for experimental flights.

The work is conducted by a multi-disciplinary team, including the medical sector, in order to make available means and competencies of academic research and volunteering businesses. It would involve in this first phase, to build a protocol/device for creation and the exchange of information between ground and air which would include interaction interfaces which do not rely on speech and that guarantee development of senses between the pilots’ and the aerial controllers’ situation. These taking into account regulamentary and security constraints and marked by out of the normal scenarios.

Our objective, at this phase, is to have an experimental ground-air protocol tested in a simulator and credible enough to be installed inside a light airplane.

Phase 2: Evaluation campaign in flights under technical, operational and regulamentary pre-defined conditions.

This phase would consist of flying a plane equipped with the protocol/device defined in phase 1 which would evaluate the work done in phase 1 with feedback from experienced ground personnel. Namely in terms of interface ergonomy , operational dispositions and security analysis in out of the normal scenarios.

Our objective, once flights are scheduled, is to obtain a technical, operational and regulamentary protocol in which the level of maturity would permit the progressive operational uptake of the protocol/device.

Phase 3: Progressive implementation of a national operational effort covered by adhoc regulation including a medical plan.

This phase has as a goal to evaluate the amelioration of flight conditions proposed to deaf pilots in light aircrafts. The experienced feedback would aim to progressively determine the standard modalities to be kept for aerial operations conducted in light planes as well as the means and competences to be used depending on circumstances.

Our Objective, at this phase, is to filter the lessons to be maintained by means of the scientific and aerial community feedback and to stress the most valuable possible ways in order to build an inclusive society.

NEWS

Join FANS4ALL

The scientific and operational programme is driven by close collaboration with scientific research, the business world, the DGAC and aero service users. It can accomodate students (PhD, Masters, or upper level enginners) and all other volunteers with a desire to contribute to the cause. If you would like to join us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you want to support our project, you can make a donation of you choice to the FANS4ALL Association