A Comparison of the Effects of Navigational Display Formats and Memory Aids on Pilot Performance.
Abstract
A great deal of effort has been invested in examining integrated instrumentation for advanced cockpits, but little comparable effort has been directed toward the greatest number of aircraft presently flying - those in the general aviation environment. This series of studies examined the benefits of a simple and widely available integrated instrument, the horizontal situation indicator (HSI), in the performance of simple navigational and orientational tasks by private pilots and instructor pilots. Tested in the context of the multiple-processor Basic General Aviation Research Simulator (BGARS), the private pilots exhibited significantly fewer navigational reversals and orientational errors when using the HSI (in comparison with their performances when using the traditional VOR and directional gyro combination). These results were consistent with but even more definitive than those obtained for the instructor pilots. Similar benefits in procedural error reduction were also found when instrument index markers, or 'bugs,' were used as short-term memory aids.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA309382
Entities
People
- Dennis B. Beringer
- Howard C. Harris Jr.
Organizations
- Federal Aviation Administration