B-52D Mobile Flight Simulator Flashblindness Experiment

Abstract

Thirty-five B-52 pilots were used in a study to obtain quantitative performance data on the effect of flashblindness on aircraft control and to measure visual recovery time from flashblindness during a series of flights in the B-52D mobile aircraft simulator. A Honeywell Strobonar model 65-C flashlamp was mounted in front of the pilot in order to produce flashblindness under simulated nighttime cockpit conditions. Data on aircraft attitude or recovery time were analyzed at four 6-second intervals and at recovery time after the flash. The effect of flashblindness on aircraft control was measured by the comparison of control (nonflashed) and experimental (flashed) flights. The variables analyzed were bank error (deviation from 30 degrees), indicated airspeed error (deviation from 270 knots), pitch error (deviation from 0 degrees), altitude error (deviation from 6 km. (20,000 ft.)), and recovery time (seconds).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1967
Accession Number
AD0663230

Entities

People

  • James E. Hamilton

Organizations

  • United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Airspeed
  • Altitude
  • Cameras
  • Control Panels
  • Electric Motors
  • Flash Lamps
  • Flight
  • Flight Simulators
  • Instrument Panels
  • Intensity
  • Intervals
  • Lamps
  • Light Sources
  • Maneuvers
  • Monitoring
  • Nuclear Weapons

Readers

  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.