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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 271 records · Page 15
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NASA NTRS2002

Human Factors Directions for Civil Aviation

Despite considerable progress in understanding human capabilities and limitations, incorporating human factors into aircraft design, operation, and certification, and the emergence of new technologies designed to reduce workload and enhance human performance in the system, most aviation accidents still involve human errors. Such errors occur as a direct or indirect result of untimely, inappropriate, or erroneous actions (or inactions) by apparently well-trained and experienced pilots, controllers, and maintainers. The field of human factors has solved many of the more tractable problems related to simple ergonomics, cockpit layout, symbology, and so on. We have learned much about the relationships between people and machines, but know less about how to form successful partnerships between humans and the information technologies that are beginning to play a central role in aviation. Significant changes envisioned in the structure of the airspace, pilots and controllers' roles and responsibilities, and air/ground technologies will require a similarly significant investment in human factors during the next few decades to ensure the effective integration of pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintainers into the new system. Many of the topics that will be addressed are not new because progress in crucial areas, such as eliminating human error, has been slow. A multidisciplinary approach that capitalizes upon human studies and new classes of information, computational models, intelligent analytical tools, and close collaborations with organizations that build, operate, and regulate aviation technology will ensure that the field of human factors meets the challenge.

Hart, Sandra G.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Aircraft Weather Mitigation for the Next Generation Air Transportation System

Atmospheric effects on aviation are described by Mahapatra (1999) as including (1) atmospheric phenomena involving air motion - wind shear and turbulence; (2) hydrometeorological phenomena - rain, snow and hail; (3) aircraft icing; (4) low visibility; and (5) atmospheric electrical phenomena. Aircraft Weather Mitigation includes aircraft systems (e.g. airframe, propulsion, avionics, controls) that can be enacted (by a pilot, automation or hybrid systems) to suppress and/or prepare for the effects of encountered or unavoidable weather or to facilitate a crew operational decision-making process relative to weather. Aircraft weather mitigation can be thought of as a continuum (Figure 1) with the need to avoid all adverse weather at one extreme and the ability to safely operate in all weather conditions at the other extreme. Realistic aircraft capabilities fall somewhere between these two extremes. The capabilities of small general aviation aircraft would be expected to fall closer to the "Avoid All Adverse Weather" point, and the capabilities of large commercial jet transports would fall closer to the "Operate in All Weather Conditions" point. The ability to safely operate in adverse weather conditions is dependent upon the pilot s capabilities (training, total experience and recent experience), the airspace in which the operation is taking place (terrain, navigational aids, traffic separation), the capabilities of the airport (approach guidance, runway and taxiway lighting, availability of air traffic control), as well as the capabilities of the airplane. The level of mitigation may vary depending upon the type of adverse weather. For example, a small general aviation airplane may be equipped to operate "in the clouds" without outside visual references, but not be equipped to prevent airframe ice that could be accreted in those clouds.

Stough, H. Paul, III↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Grounded Theory of UAS Reported Accidents

Context: The manufacture and operation of sUAS are not as regulated as today’s commercial operation, and their widespread use introduces new risks and hazards to the general public. Aim: Our intent is to understand the various processes that prevent or portend sUAS incidents or accidents and the influence that pilots’ expectations and training have on these processes. Method: We use classic grounded theory on sUAS reported accidents (and incidents). Results: We identified three categories, Control Interference, Reviewing and Reporting, which describe various processes surrounding UAS accidents based on the dataset analyzed. Conclusion: The use of grounded theory can offer a different perspective in the analysis of UAS accidents. In addition, the traceability between data sources and the method results facilitate result validation, and navigation. While the results are preliminary, the concepts can be expanded through the use of other accident datasets or used as basis for UAS accident surveys.

Carlos Paradis↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Grounded Theory of UAS Reported Accidents

Context: The manufacture and operation of sUAS are not as regulated as today’s commercial operation, and their widespread use introduces new risks and hazards to the general public. Aim: Our intent is to understand the various processes that prevent or portend sUAS incidents or accidents and the influence that pilots’ expectations and training have on these processes. Method: We use classic grounded theory on sUAS reported accidents (and incidents). Results: We identified three categories, Control Interference, Reviewing and Reporting, which describe various processes surrounding UAS accidents based on the dataset analyzed. Conclusion: The use of grounded theory can offer a different perspective in the analysis of UAS accidents. In addition, the traceability between data sources and the method results facilitate result validation, and navigation. While the results are preliminary, the concepts can be expanded through the use of other accident datasets or used as basis for UAS accident surveys.

Carlos Paradis↗
NASA NTRS1989

An expert system for wind shear avoidance

A study of intelligent guidance and control concepts for protecting against the adverse effects of wind shear during aircraft takeoffs and landings, with current emphasis on developing an expert system for wind shear avoidance, is reported. Principal objectives are to develop methods for assessing the likelihood of wind shear encounter (based on real-time information in the cockpit), for deciding what flight path to pursue (e.g., takeoff abort, landing go-around, or normal climbout or glide slope), and for using the aircraft's full potential for combating wind shear. This study requires the definition of both deterministic and statistical techniques for fusing internal and external information, for making go/no-go decisions, and for generating commands to the aircraft's autopilot and flight directors for both automatic and manually controlled flight. The development is described of the windshear safety advisor, an expert system for pilot aiding that is based on the FAA Windshear Training Aid, a two-volume manual that presents an overview, pilot guide, training program, and substantiating data providing guidelines for this initial development. The windshear safety advisor expert system contains over 200 rules and is coded in the LISP programming language.

Stengel, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

An expert system for wind shear avoidance

A study of intelligent guidance and control concepts for protecting against the adverse effects of wind shear during aircraft takeoffs and landings is being conducted, with current emphasis on developing an expert system for wind shear avoidance. Principal objectives are to develop methods for assessing the likelihood of wind shear encounter (based on real-time information in the cockpit), for deciding what flight path to pursue (e.g., takeoff abort, landing go-around, or normal climbout or glide slope), and for using the aircraft's full potential for combating wind shear. This study requires the definition of both deterministic and statistical techniques for fusing internal and external information , for making go/no-go decisions, and for generating commands to the manually controlled flight. The program has begun with the development of the WindShear Safety Advisor, an expert system for pilot aiding that is based on the FAA Windshear Training Aid; a two-volume manual that presents an overview , pilot guide, training program, and substantiating data provides guidelines for this initial development. The WindShear Safety Advisor expert system currently contains over 200 rules and is coded in the LISP programming language.

Stengel, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Quality Training and Learning in Aviation: Problems of Alignment

The challenge of producing training programs that lead to quality learning outcomes is ever present in aviation, especially when economic and regulatory pressures are brought into the equation. Previous research by Telfer & Moore (1997) indicates the importance of appropriate alignment of beliefs about learning across all levels of an organization from the managerial level, through the instructor/check and training level, to the pilots and other crew. This paper argues for a central focus on approaches to learning and training that encourage understanding, problem solving and application. Recent research in the area is emphasized as are methods and techniques for enhancing deeper learning.

Moore, Phillip J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Transfer of Training on the Vertical Motion Simulator

This paper describes a transfer-of-training study in the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Sixty-one general aviation pilots, divided in four groups, trained on four challenging commercial transport tasks with four motion conditions: no motion, small hexapod, large hexapod, and VMS motion. Then, every pilot repeated the tasks with VMS motion to determine if training with different motion conditions had an effect. New objective motion criteria guided the selection of the motion parameters for the small and large hexapod conditions. Considering results that were statistically significant, or marginally, the motion condition used in training affected 1) longitudinal and lateral touchdown location; 2) the number of secondary stall warnings in a stall recovery; 3) pilot ratings of motion utility and maximum load factor obtained in an overbanked upset recovery; and 4) pilot ratings of motion utility and pedal input reaction time in the engine-out-on-takeoff task. Since the motion condition revealed statistical differences on objective measures in all the tasks, even with some in the direction not predicted, trainers should be cautious not to oversimplify the effects of platform motion. Evidence suggests that the new objective motion criteria may offer valid standardization benefits, as instances arose when the higher-fidelity hexapod motion, as predicted by the criteria, provided better cues in training than the lower-fidelity hexapod motion.

Zaal, Peter M. T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The Evaluation of Two CDU Concepts and Their Effects on FMS Training

One of the biggest challenges for a pilot in the transition to a "glass" cockpit is understanding the Flight Management System (FMS). This is due to both the complex nature of the FMS and to the pilot-FMS interface. For these reasons, a large portion of transition training is devoted to the FMS. The intent of the current study was to examine the impact of the primary pilot-FMS interface, the Control Display Unit (CDU), on FMS training. The hypothesis of this study was that the interface design could have a significant impact on training. An FMS simulation was developed with two separate interfaces. One interface was similar to a current-generation design and the other was a multi-windows CDU based on graphical user interface techniques. For both application and evaluation reasons, constraints were applied to the graphical CDU design to maintain as much similarity as possible with the conventional CDU.

Abbott, Terence S.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2): ATD-2 CLT Pilot Community Engagement

The Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2) project conducted a pilot community workshop at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The goal was to familiarize pilots with the ATD-2 project, with an emphasis on procedures that may affect pilots during the Phase 1 Field Demonstration (beginning September 30, 2017). At this workshop, the high-level goals and objectives of ATD-2, expected benefits for pilots, changes to procedures, training requirements, and data sharing elements were presented.

pilot procedures↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Countermeasures for Mitigation of Sensorimotor Decrements Following Head-Down Bed Rest

BACKGROUND Astronauts experience postflight disturbances in postural and locomotor control due to sensorimotor adaptations during spaceflight. These alterations may have adverse consequences if a rapid egress is required after landing. Although exercise is partially effective for mitigating cardiovascular and muscular deconditioning, additional countermeasures are needed to further preserve sensorimotor function for exploration missions. We have identified proprioceptive training and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) as promising in-flight countermeasures. Since prolonged head down bed rest (HDBR) is a spaceflight analog for body unloading and causes postural and locomotor control decrements that parallel those observed after spaceflight, it can be used to accelerate the development of these countermeasures. METHODS This study will determine the effects of proprioceptive training and EMS on functional task performance and sensorimotor function following 60 days of 6° HDBR. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1) an EMS arm, 2) a proprioceptive training arm, 3) an exercise plus proprioceptive training arm, and 4) a control arm. The EMS countermeasure will include daily bilateral stimulation of the quadriceps femoris muscle (30 minutes per session). Proprioceptive training will be performed three days per week (20 minutes per session) consisting of body-loaded postural tasks in the horizontal position on an air bearing sled. Exercise training will mimic current protocols used on the International Space Station, but treadmill aerobic exercise will be replaced with additional cycling aerobic exercise. Primary outcome measures will include pre and post HDBR functional tests that are representative of high priority exploration mission tasks and require high demand for dynamic control of postural stability. Additional measures will be used to identify the key physiological factors contributing to countermeasure benefits. Given the constrained samples size, a Bayesian modelling approach will be used to quantify the probability that there is an effect of a given magnitude. COUNTERMEASURE UPDATES Proprioceptive countermeasure design enhancements and human in the loop pilot testing continued through the Crew Health Countermeasures (CHC) Systems Capability Leadership Team (SCLT). The primary goals of this work were to enhance the visual feedback system’s capabilities and develop a proprioceptive training program for 60 days of HDBR. Six healthy non-astronaut volunteers participated in four pilot training sessions to systematically examine how each training variable (e.g., axial load, foot placement, and software profile) affects the overall proprioceptive challenge. The resulting training program will maintain an appropriate challenge during 60 days of HDBR by progressively decreasing the subject’s base of support, increasing tilt board target distances, and increasing axial loads using both subjective verbal feedback and objective performance data. RELEVANCE The deliverable from this project will be proof-of-concept sensorimotor countermeasure designs for functional task performance with full assessment of efficacy in a spaceflight analog. If the countermeasures are effective, they will be translated for validation with the suite of operationally implemented in-flight countermeasures.

T R Macaulay↗
NASA NTRS2000

STS-99 Commander and Pilot for the SRTM Mission, Practice Flight in the Shuttle Training Aircraft

The primary objective of the STS-99 mission was to complete high resolution mapping of large sections of the Earth's surface using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), a specially modified radar system. This radar system produced unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's Surface. The mission was launched at 12:31 on February 11, 2000 onboard the space shuttle Endeavour, and led by Commander Kevin Kregel. The crew was Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie and Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri from the National Space Development Agency (Japanese Space Agency), and Gerhard P. J. Thiele from DARA (German Space Agency). This tape shows Commander Kregel and Pilot Gorie getting on board the Shuttle Training Aircraft and practicing approaches for the shuttle landing.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2017

Effects of Motion Cues on the Training of Multi-Axis Manual Control Skills

The study described in this paper investigated the effects of two different hexapod motion configurations on the training and transfer of training of a simultaneous roll and pitch control task. Pilots were divided between two groups which trained either under a baseline hexapod motion condition, with motion typically provided by current training simulators, or an optimized hexapod motion condition, with increased fidelity of the motion cues most relevant for the task. All pilots transferred to the same full-motion condition, representing motion experienced in flight. A cybernetic approach was used that gave insights into the development of pilots use of visual and motion cues over the course of training and after transfer. Based on the current results, neither of the hexapod motion conditions can unambiguously be chosen as providing the best motion for training and transfer of training of the used multi-axis control task. However, the optimized hexapod motion condition did allow pilots to generate less visual lead, control with higher gains, and have better disturbance-rejection performance at the end of the training session compared to the baseline hexapod motion condition. Significant adaptations in control behavior still occurred in the transfer phase under the full-motion condition for both groups. Pilots behaved less linearly compared to previous single-axis control-task experiments; however, this did not result in smaller motion or learning effects. Motion and learning effects were more pronounced in pitch compared to roll. Finally, valuable lessons were learned that allow us to improve the adopted approach for future transfer-of-training studies.

flight simulators↗
NASA NTRS1990

An expert system for wind shear avoidance

The principal objectives are to develop methods for assessing the likelihood of wind shear encounter (based on real-time information in the cockpit), for deciding what flight path to pursue (e.g., takeoff abort, landing go-around, or normal climbout or glide slope), and for using the aircraft's full potential for combating wind shear. This study requires the definition of both deterministic and statistical techniques for fusing internal and external information, for making go/no-go decisions, and for generating commands to the aircraft's autopilot and flight directors for both automatic and manually controlled flight. The expert system for pilot aiding is based on the results of the FAA Windshear Training Aids Program, a two-volume manual that presents an overview, pilot guide, training program, and substantiating data that provides guidelines for this initial development. The Windshear Safety Advisor expert system currently contains over 140 rules and is coded in the LISP programming language for implementation on a Symbolics 3670 LISP Machine.

Stengel, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Motion Cueing for Stall Recovery Training in Commercial Transport Simulators

Starting in 2019, airline pilots will be required to perform full stall recovery training in flight simulators. Historically, training simulators weren't required to provide training at conditions outside their normal flight envelope. Post-stall aircraft models are generally required to be implemented to simulate the aircraft response after the stall point. In addition, motion cues need to adequately represent this response to ensure the skills learned in simulator training are directly usable in real flight. This paper provides and overview of six simulator experiments conducted at NASA Ames Research Center to develop a motion cueing strategies for stall recovery training in commercial transport simulators. One of the experiments verified an enhanced motion cueing strategy for stall recovery training on a level-D-certified full flight simulator. This study showed that the enhanced motion results in lower maximum roll angles in the stall maneuver, lower minimum load factors in the recovery, lower numbers of secondary stick shakers in the stall recovery, and a lower maximum airspeed in the recovery. These results indicate that relatively minor enhancements to the motion logic of heritage commercial transport simulators can significantly improve pilot performance in simulated stall recoveries, and potentially improve stall recovery training.

stall recovery↗
NASA NTRS2019

Motion Cueing for Stall Recovery Training in Commercial Transport Simulators

Starting in 2019, airline pilots will be required to perform full stall recovery training in flight simulators. Historically, training simulators weren't required to provide training at conditions outside their normal flight envelope. Post-stall aircraft models are generally required to be implemented to simulate the aircraft response after the stall point. In addition, motion cues need to adequately represent this response to ensure the skills learned in simulator training are directly usable in real flight. This paper provides and overview of six simulator experiments conducted at NASA Ames Research Center to develop a motion cueing strategies for stall recovery training in commercial transport simulators. One of the experiments verified an enhanced motion cueing strategy for stall recovery training on a level-D-certified full flight simulator. This study showed that the enhanced motion results in lower maximum roll angles in the stall maneuver, lower minimum load factors in the recovery, lower numbers of secondary stick shakers in the stall recovery, and a lower maximum airspeed in the recovery. These results indicate that relatively minor enhancements to the motion logic of heritage commercial transport simulators can significantly improve pilot performance in simulated stall recoveries, and potentially improve stall recovery training.

stall recovery↗
NASA NTRS1988

Intelligent guidance and control for wind shear encounter

The principal objective is to develop methods for assessing the likelihood of wind shear encounter, for deciding what flight path to pursue, and for using the aircraft's full potential for combating wind shear. This study requires the definition of both deterministic and statistical techniques for fusing internal and external information, for making go/no-go decisions, and for generating commands to the aircraft's cockpit displays and autopilot for both manually controlled and automatic flight. The program has begun with the development of a real-time expert system for pilot aiding that is based on the results of the FAA Windshear Training Aids Program. A two-volume manual that presents an overview, pilot guide, training program, and substantiating data provides guidelines for this initial development. The Expert System to Avoid Wind Shear (ESAWS) currently contains over 140 rules and is coded in the LISP programming language for implementation on a Symbolics 3670 LISP machine.

Stengel, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A Piloted Simulation Study of Advanced Controls and Displays for General Aviation Airplanes

A decoupled, fly-by-wire control system combined with a pictorial head-up display has been developed and evaluated on a piloted simulator. The test subjects used in the evaluation were primarily non-pilots who were given no training or practice before the data runs. Despite their lack of experience and training, all of the test subjects were able to complete a complex piloting task on their very first run. The piloting task was performed in reduced visibility conditions and consisted of a continuous series of common maneuvers beginning with a takeoff and ending with a landing. Severe upsets from turbulence and emergency situations such as engine failure were not simulated. Quantitative qualitative data are presented to illustrate the large improvements in subject performance when using the advanced controls and displays compared to the conventional ones.

Eric C. Stewart↗