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Clark, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Clark, B..

At least 55 records · Page 3

The power law for the perception of rotation by airline pilots.

The purpose of this study was to determine the power laws for the perception of rotation about the three major body axes. Eighteen airline pilots made magnitude estimates of 5-sec pulses of nine angular accelerations having a range of acceleration x time of 10-150 deg/sec. The results showed that (1) the power law with an exponent of 1.4 describes the subjective motion of these pilots for all three major body axes, (2) the power law also describes the perception of motion for individual pilots with a substantial range of exponents, (3) there were significant correlations among the exponents for the three body axes, and (4) the data suggest that the power law over the wide range used may be more complex than implied by a formula with a single exponent.

Clark, B.

Comparison of the sensitivity to rotation of pilots and nonpilots.

Thirty-six airline pilots and 56 nonpilots were tested to determine their sensitivity to rotation. A staircase procedure was used to determine oculogyral illusion and perception of rotation thresholds, in a precision rotation device. The results indicated that (1) there were no significant differences between the two groups for either threshold measure, (2) the thresholds for the oculogyral illusion were significantly lower than the perception of rotation thresholds for both groups, and (3) changes in threshold as a function of age were minimal for 91 of the men. The validity and results of the tests are discussed with regard to the pilot's use of motion information in control tasks for aircraft and simulators.

Clark, B.

Pilot reports of disorientation across 14 years of flight.

The purpose of this study was to compare recent incidents involving disorientation in flight reported by 336 Air Force, Army, and Navy pilots with incidents reported by 137 pilots in 1956. The pilots reported their experiences using a check list and a written description of an experience with disorientation in the aircraft they were flying at the time. The latter included 40 incidents which occurred in support of operations in Vietnam. The reports of disorientation showed a striking similarity across types of aircraft flown over 14 years of flying, as well as with the incidents occurring in Vietnam. However, some variation in reports between aircraft types was noted. These reports of disorientation suggest that disorientation is currently experienced in a wide variety of flight operations and that it will continue to be experienced by aircraft pilots.

Clark, B.