Tactical Night Terrain Flight Navigation
Abstract
This report documents two experiments which were conducted to determine the training required to improve tactical night terrain flight aircrew performance. These experiments sought, specifically, to identify critical factors which should be included in a program of instruction for tactical night terrain flight navigation training with unaided vision. In the first experiment a passive navigation task was used to establish an altitude which would provide adequate training with a safety margin, the types of terrain or other features which should be used for checkpoint identification, and the effect of daylight exposure to a route on subsequent navigation performance. Using Experiment I as a building block, Experiment II tested the effects on active navigation performance of light level, type of map, and order in which light level was experienced. Multiple step-wise linear regression was used to determine associations among the variables and provided an accounting of the variance attributable to each variable of interest. It was concluded that unaided vision navigation is possible at illumination levels as low as .0002 foot candles. Instructional programs must consider restrictions to visibility, map type, proper preflight planning, adequate dark adaptation, a standardized intra- cockpit phraseology, and should use natural terrain features with vertical relief for checkpoint identification. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA086458
Entities
People
- Garvin L. Holman
- James A. Bynum
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences