Comprehension and hazard communication of three pictorial symbols designed for flight manual warnings

Military flight manuals contain three types of warnings; WARNING, CAUTION and NOTE messages convey personal injury or loss of life hazards, material damage hazards and essential information respectively. Effectiveness of these warning messages is crucial for flight safety. A way to enhance warning effectiveness is pairing warning messages with compatible symbols. However, no symbol was used with warning messages in current flight manuals. In this study, three pictorial symbols were designed for flight manual warnings. Comprehension and hazard perception of designed symbols were tested through matching test and psychometric rating, respectively, by Turkish military pilots. Results showed that comprehension and hazard perception of the symbols were sufficient and compatible with content of warning messages in flight manuals. It was concluded that accompanying warning messages with these symbols could contribute to effectiveness of flight manual warnings.