Reliable Pilots? The Challenge of Reliability in Complex Technological Environments.

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Martina Heßler
• Subject Area: History of Science
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 575205337

In the 1950s, a reliability crisis was identified across various technological contexts. Technological components and systems often failed to operate properly. At the same time, it became clear that people were overwhelmed by the increasingly complex technology they were expected to use. In short, a dilemma emerged: humans were seen as unreliable when operating technology, yet the technology itself was also unreliable. Over 20 years ago, sociologist Donald MacKenzie called for a history of technological reliability. However, there has been little research on this topic to date. The planned project aims to contribute to this field. The core assumption is that the question of when technological reliability exists was not answered definitively, but rather, it was negotiated in each case. The case study focuses on the aircraft cockpit, which experienced a technological transformation from the 1970s to the 1990s. During this time, the urgency of a reliability crisis grew more evident. This example demonstrates how the challenge of making complex technologies reliable was addressed, as well as how the roles of humans and technology, and their relationship, were understood and shaped. It also enables the analysis of key developments in the 20th century, such as the limitations of automation processes in dynamic and complex environments and accident handling. One of the project's main objectives is to contribute to the history of knowledge. After all, achieving technological reliability requires robust technologies, as well as new knowledge about human behavior, abilities, and limitations in complex, highly technical environments. The study addresses three closely related questions. First, it investigates how knowledge about pilots was developed. Second, it looks at strategies and techniques for maintaining pilot reliability in the complex cockpit environment. Third, it examines the limits of automation efforts in flying, particularly how different actors responded to these limitations. Throughout all three areas, the project will analyze how reliability was tried to ensure and what relationship between humans and technology was thought to support it.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants