What potential effect do automated navigation systems have on situational awareness?

Automated navigation systems are sophisticated tools that can have a significant impact on a pilot's situational awareness. These systems can enhance situational awareness by providing real-time data, improving route planning, and projecting traffic and weather information. However, they can also create challenges that may reduce situational awareness. For instance, if a pilot becomes overly reliant on the automation, they might fail to manually cross-check the navigation data against other sources or lose the ability to interpret the aircraft's position in the context of external factors, such as terrain and weather.

This dual nature means that while automated systems can make certain tasks easier and more precise, they also require pilots to maintain a high level of engagement and understanding of their operational environment. Misunderstandings or errors in inputs into these systems can lead to confusion, which can detract from a pilot's ability to maintain a comprehensive view of the situation.

Therefore, the correct answer reflects that automated navigation systems may increase situational awareness through their capabilities, but they can also decrease it if pilots become complacent or over-reliant on the technology. This balance underscores the importance of training and emphasizing human factors in conjunction with the use of automation in aviation.