Cognitive Issues Related to Advanced Cockpit Displays: Supporting the Transition between Internal and External Guidance

Abstract

A critical issue in military aviation is the pilot's ability to transition between primarily internal (head-down, instrument-driven) and external (head-up, out of the cockpit) guidance. Experimental cockpit displays were designed and tested for how well they might support this transition phase for military pilots performing time-critical air-to-ground targeting missions such as Forward Air Control and Close Air Support. Twelve subjects performed three sets of experiments using a flight simulator (with simulated heads-up display in the forward field of view) connected to a moving-map display. The experiments were designed to help explain which visual cues in the displays might best help a pilot 1) navigate to a given target area ("flight guidance" phase of a mission) and 2) search for, find and identify a target (the "target acquisition" phase).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA495182

Entities

People

  • Maura C. Lohrenz

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Civilian Pilots
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Commercial Pilots
  • Computer Programs
  • Databases
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Flight Recorders
  • Guidance
  • Inertial Navigation
  • Military Aviation
  • Navigation
  • Psychology
  • Situational Awareness
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).