Iowa Research Partnership: 
Flight simulator tests new visual display system for pilots

What if much of this information could be integrated in a smaller number of displays that also gave the pilot additional information on the situation outside the aircraft? That's what researchers at the University of Iowa and Rockwell Collins are trying to do, and the results so far are promising. If successful, the implications, in terms of efficient use of air space and existing runway capabilities at major airports, not to mention safety, are downright wonderful.

Standard Glass Cockpit Display

Dr. Thomas Schnell of the University of Iowa and Tim Etherington of Rockwell Collins, who were awarded a $30,000 cooperative grant from the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, are developing a simulator to assess pilot performance in flightdecks equipped with Synthetic Vision Information Systems (SVIS). Their grant received additional funding from Rockwell Collins and the the University of Iowa, totaling $120,000 over two years. SVIS gives pilots a realistic view of the terrain and their location on their flight path, regardless of visibility conditions. The goal is to increase pilots' situational awareness. SVIS does this through two types of displays , which include information on airplane status, terrain, flight path, obstacles, and in the future, even about traffic and weather. Not only does the SVIS system reduce the number of necessary displays but information, such as the aircraft's position in relation to the underlying terrain, is presented in such a natural fashion that potentially threatening conditions are immediately apparent. Current cockpit displays present the same information in a much more abstract form. (See photos, at left, for a comparison of traditional display and SVIS display.)

New SVIS Display

Earlier research done by Schnell sought to test the feasibility of tracking pilots' eyes as an alternative approach to activating aircraft controls. The flightdeck simulator that was developed as a result proved to be an ideal way to test the SVIS. Moreover, Rockwell, which is the leader of the team developing SVIS, formulated a pathway-in-the-sky system to show the aircraft's course to its destination. Schnell and his graduate student Sohel Merchant, along with help from Rockwell Collins, embedded this system in the simulator so that the pathway is overlaid on a three-dimensional representation of the terrain.

Using the head-mounted eye movement gear developed for the earlier project, the researchers can determine what visual information the pilot is using and thereby assess how the displays can be optimized. The advantage of using the simulator is that the tests can be videotaped and viewed again. Taping on actual flights is not permitted. A recent study evaluating the SVIS has shown promising results.

In June of 2001 the displays will be tested in an actual flight in Colorado using the NASA Aries 757 research aircraft. Schnell plans to seek additional funding from other sources to purchase a single-engine aircraft to continue testing and refining the system.

Recent Work:

During February and March, 12 pilot evaluators, using the simulator, were asked to fly fairly difficult approaches at Eagle Vail, Colorado (KEGE). The approaches were flown under two instrumentation conditions: conventional glass cockpit displays and SVIS displays.

Information relating to situation awareness was collected using the Situational Awareness Global Assessment Technique. Mental workload was measured using the NASA TLX technique. Eye movement data were collected using the IScan ETL 500 system. Video and audio recordings were made of all flights. Pilot-aircraft Flight Technical Error (FTE) performance was also determined.

Preliminary findings indicate that the SVIS displays result in fewer eye fixations and fixations of longer duration when compared with the conventional display suite. (Pilots move their eyes from display to display to reduce cognitive uncertainty about the airplane's state; thus, less movement indicates less uncertainty.) The researchers found a slower and more relaxed eye movement pattern with the SVIS, indicating the system may reduce uncertainty more effectively than conventional displays. The workload data collected seem to corroborate these findings.

The SVIS Team:

Rockwell Collins, Team Leader
NASA
Boeing
TU Delft
Jeppesen
FAA
American Airlines
Embry Riddle University

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Earlier Research:

Schnell was awarded a $10,000 seed grant by the Iowa Space Grant Consortium in 2000 to determine the feasibility of using gaze (combined with voice) rather than touch to activate aircraft controls. The research was also funded by Rockwell Collins and the University of Iowa. Eye tracking did not have the hoped-for benefits; however, the flightdeck simulator developed for the project could be used to test other innovations.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Two Types of Displays:

1. The primary flight display integrates all relevant airplane status information such as airspeed, altitude, attitude, and heading, as well as tactical information, including flight path and terrain, to augment the crew's decision-making capability.

2. The multifunction display provides key strategic information, improving crew awareness of terrain, obstacles, traffic, and weather.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Implications:

If such a system is perfected and becomes standard equipment on commercial aircraft, it is possible that planes will no longer need to fly in established air corridors; using GPS, they would be able to travel the shortest distance between two points, thus reducing dramatically the congestion of air space. Likewise, congestion at major airports would be reduced because aircraft would no longer be limited to using only those approaches designated for instrument landings. The SVIS technology appears to be very conducive to harnessing the true benefits of "free flight," an airspace improvement concept that the FAA is working to implement.