Field-of-View Assessment of Low-Level Flight and an Airdrop in the C-130 Weapon System Trainer (WST).

摘要

The purpose of this effort was to determine the requirement for the far peripheral windows and associated imagery for low-level navigation and airdrop tasks. Although these windows are available for use by the pilot and copilot, their inclusion was primarily for the navigator position. Currently, the navigator position is not included in the simulator training syllabus. If the imagery currently provided in the peripheral windows could be allocated to the remaining scene, the level of detail in the scene could be considerably enhanced. Previous research has shown that the enhanced scene content resulted in superior pilot performance. A within subjects design was used in which 12 experienced C-130 pilots performed four trials over two different routes under two field-of-view (FOV) conditions. Automated pilot performance measures and eye position data were collected. The pilot performance data showed no strong or consistent effects as a result of the FOV manipulations. However, the eye position data revealed an increased use of the front window and instruments, and a decreased use of the window to the left of the pilot in the limited-FOV condition. The conclusions of the study are that the peripheral windows may not be required for experienced pilots, but that their presence or absence results in different visual behaviors. It is recommended that a full FOV be provided when the training objectives include tasks that require a large amount of peripheral information. Keywords: Aircraft windows; Navigation; Human performance. (kt)