Effect of Peripherally Presented Visual Signals on Pilot Performance during Flight Simulation.
Abstract
Recent theoretical developments have stimulated interest in the development and testing of peripheral vision displays which could be used to monitor the control of aircraft attitude. This study investigated the ability of pilots to attend to peripherally presented attitude information via LED displays while simultaneously engaging in foveal processing of an instrument array during a complex maneuver in flight simulator. Twenty-four pilots were divided into two groups of twelve. One group performed vertical S maneuvers using an LED display that indicated an out-of-tolerance condition in compass heading (steady LED). The second group used an LED that provided both out-of-tolerance information and rate-of-error information (strobe LED). All pilots were pre-trained to criterion. Both groups performed under each of three display conditions: Normal (standard round compass dial), Redundant (dial and LED), and Peripheral (LEDs-only). There were no statistically significant differences between the steady LED display and the strobing LED display. Overall, the results suggest that peripheral displays are at least as effective as compass dials for monitoring purposes, and such displays might prove useful as adjunct training aids with the potential for improving safety.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA073604
Entities
People
- Bruce A. Smith
- Jock C. H. Schwank
- John M. Bermudez
- Thomas M. Longridge
- Thomas M. Mccloy