1 —What I Do
Where I Add the Most Value
Cognitive Modeling & PACILE
A structured framework for understanding pilot reasoning under workload.
PACILE (Perception, Anticipation, Cognition, Integration, Logic & Escalation) identifies:
• expectation gaps
mode-confusion risk escalation triggers
• human-automation mismatch moments
This helps engineering teams predict how pilots will interact with autonomy — not just what the automation does.
Human-in-the-Loop (HIL) Flight Test Support
Instructor-level discipline applied to autonomy, mode transitions, and failure-response testing.
I support:
test-card execution
• mode-transition evaluation off-nominal scenario testing
..
workload & error-tolerance assessment
qualitative → quantitative pilot insight mapping
My role is to help reveal how pilots reason, react, and adapt — so the system can be validated, refined, and trusted.
Pilot-Engineer Translation
Turning subjective pilot intuition into structured engineering signal (The 1-7 Score Card)
clear workload gradients
• mental-model mismatches usability & cueing clarity
• decision-path mapping escalation logic patterns
Engineers receive usable data, not vague comments.

2 —PACILE Framework
PACILE: A Cognitive-Systems Framework for Autonomy & Evaluation
PACILE is a method I developed to make pilot reasoning visible, predictable, and testable.
It complements deterministic testing by focusing on how pilots form — and break
— mental models under real-
time workload.
Perception
Which cues pilots actually notice, prioritize, or discard.
Anticipation
How pilots predict what the system will do next — and when gaps form.
Cognition
How workload, time pressure, uncertainty, and information density affect decisions.
Integration
How pilots synthesize automation behavior, system alerts, external environment, and ATC demands.
Logic & Escalation
When and why pilots override, intervene, switch strategies, or escalate

3 -Alignment With Flight Test & Certification
Standards
Aligned With Modern Test Methodology
My work naturally complements existing test frameworks, including:
• FAA Order 4040.26C - flight-test risk management
• ASTM F3264 - autonomy safety considerations
• Human-in-the-loop evaluation methodologies
• Operational hazard assessments & test readiness reviews
I help teams:
• uncover cognitive bottlenecks and failure-to-understand risks
• validate autonomy modes and transitions from a pilot standpoint
• strengthen safety cases with structured human-factors data anticipate edge-case behavior where mental models diverge
This enhances both safety and engineering clarity.

4 —How Teams Work With Me
1. Human-Factors Flight Evaluation
Participation in structured test events to assess:
workload mode awareness crew coordination autonomy interaction escalation behavior
2. PACILE-Based Scenario Design
Creating targeted simulator/flight scenarios that intentionally probe:
• cognitive workload extremes
• failure-to-predict moments
• cueing clarity
• mental-model divergence
3. Procedure, SOP, & Checklist Refinement
Aligning documentation and training with how pilots actually think:
• cue prioritization
• decision-path simplification
• threat & error management integration
• automation discipline language
4. Pilot & Instructor Standardization
Helping teams establish shared frameworks for:
• test-style briefings
• debrief discipline
• error classification
• feedback quality
• autonomy-management skill development

5 —About Sky
I'm a ~3,200-hour Commercial Pilot + CFI/CFII with a background in Harvard neuroscience, high-workload IFR instruction, and experimental/automation-oriented operations.
My work centers on how pilots make decisions under uncertainty — and how systems, interfaces, and training can support safer, more predictable outcomes.
I combine:
• advanced IFR instruction
• complex/high-performance operations
• human-factors & cognition modeling
• structured test methodology
• PACILE: a cognitive-systems framework for autonomy & HIL evaluation
My goal is simple:
help teams build aircraft and automation that pilots understand, trust, and use safely.

6 -Contact: Connect About Test Ops & Human Factors
If you're working on evTOL, AAM, autonomy-enabled operations, or advanced flight-test programs and want to explore whether my perspective could support your mission, I'm happy to connect.
Contact Sky → flyskycfi@gmail.com