Simulation of Low Altitude High Speed Mission Performance. Volume I. Part V - Prediction of Pilots' Terrain-Following Performance from Performance of Basic Instrument Maneuvers

摘要

Sixteen Air Force pilots served as subjects in simulator evaluations of terrain-following displays. In making the evaluations, each subject took part in two experiments which presented different test conditions. Before beginning their tests the pilots flew several training flights. One of these flights included a series of basic instrument maneuvers called a 'Pattern B' which was used to establish performance baselines. Each pilot's absolute altitude error scores made during the terrain-following flights of the first experiment were averaged to give his terrain-following altitude error score for that experiment, and a similar average was calculated for each pilot's Pattern B flights. The Pattern B scores for each pilot were then correlated with his average terrain-following error scores for the first and second experiments. The correlation of the Pattern B scores with the scores of the first experiment was +.735 (p .001), and the correlation of the Pattern B scores with those of the second experiment was +.704 (p .001). Comparisons of actual and predicted terrain-following error scores revealed an average prediction error of 8.4 percent for the first experiment and 9.2 percent for the second. The correlations indicate that a pilot's ability to maneuver while cross-checking basic instruments can be used to predict his ability to track a terrain-following command signal with a fairly high degree of accuracy. (Author)