Effects of Cockpit Workload and Motion on Incidence of Spatial Disorientation in Simulated Flight
Abstract
Spatial disorientation (SD) refers to a pilots misperception of the attitude, position, or motion of his/her aircraft, and it continues to be a deadly threat to aviation safety. While increased cockpit workload has been cited as a potential contributing factor to SD, few studies have examined the effect of different types of workload. Fixed- and motion-base simulators have been compared on their effectiveness in flight training in general, but not specifically on their effectiveness in inducing SD. In this study, 12 pilots flew simulated flights in the NAMRUDs Disorientation Research Device (DRD). Three different workload conditions were presented. The baseline condition imposed no additional workload, while the other conditions added either a verbal Working Memory Task or a spatial Variable-Following-Distance Task. Pilots flew half of their flights with DRD motion disabled, and half with it enabled. The Variable-Following-Distance Task condition resulted in a significant twofold increase in the number of control reversal errors, and a significant increase in altitude error. Adding motion did significantly increase realism ratings but otherwise had little effect. The results are discussed from multiple resource theory and spatial task interference perspectives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 15, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1120317
Entities
People
- Charles R. Powell
- Cortland Etgen
- Dain S. Horning
- Henry P. Williams
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
- Parsons Corporation