Nationwide forestry applications program. Renewable resources inventory project. Multiresource Inventory Methods Pilot Test (phase 1), Volume 5
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Langley, P. G.↗
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LANDSAT Digital Data Base Preparation for the Pennsylvania Defoliation Application Pilot Test
A LANDSAT digital mosaic data base for the State of Pennsylvania was prepared for use in the development of an automated system to annually estimate the extent and severity of Gypsy Moth defoliation of hardward forests. The techniques for detecting the defoliation and development of a geographic information system (GIS) to assess damage is being developed jointly by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and Pennsylvania State University using the JPL prepared mosaic base. The JPL processing involved the use of ground control points from the Master Data Processor for planimetric control, resampling of the LANDSAT data to 57 x 57 meter pixels, realignment to north, and reprojection to the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection in UTM zones 17 and 18. The completed mosaic for each UTM zone was subdivided into 1 degree of latitude by 2 degrees of longitude quadrangles for easy data handling. Consideration is given to the issues of mapping standards, sensor and spacecraft platform characteristics, and their implication to geographic information systems operation. Methods for obtaining measures of accuracy for LANDSAT mosaics are reviewed.
Mcleod, R. G.↗
The Pennsylvania defoliation application pilot test
Satellite imagery for the State of Pennsylvania was digitally mosaicked to provide the seed data base for monitoring defoliation of hardwood trees by the gypsy moth. Two separate mosaics for the state were prepared, one before defoliation and one after defoliation, to determine the extent, direction, and impact of gypsy moth activity in the state. The digital mosaic technology used to construct the data base was transferred to Pennsylvania State University to permit periodic updates to the data base and to assist in planning and abatement activities. Participating agencies or institutions included Goddard Space Flight Center and the Pennsylvania State University Office for Remote Sensing of Earth Resources.
Mcleod, R. G.↗
Experimental investigation of the visual field dependency in the erect and supine positions
The increasing utilization of simulators in many fields, in addition to aeronautics and space, requires the efficient use of these devices. It seemed that personnel highly influenced by the visual scene would make desirable subjects, particularly for those simulators without sufficient motion cues. In order to evaluate this concept, some measure of the degree of influence of the visual field on the subject in necessary. As part of this undertaking, 37 male and female subjects, including eight test pilots, were tested for their visual field dependency or independency. A version of Witkin's rod and frame apparatus was used for the tests. The results showed that nearly all the test subjects exhibited some degree of field dependency, the degree varying from very high field dependency to nearly zero field dependency in a normal distribution. The results for the test pilots were scattered throughout a range similar to the results for the bulk of male subjects. The few female subjects exhibited a higher field dependency than the male subjects. The male subjects exhibited a greater field dependency in the supine position than in the erect position, whereas the field dependency of the female subjects changed only slightly.
Lichtenstein, J. H.↗
Pilot Field Test: Results of Tandem Walk Performance Following Long-Duration Spaceflight
Coordinated locomotion has proven to be challenging for many astronauts following long duration spaceflight. As NASA's vision for spaceflight points toward interplanetary travel and missions to distant objects, astronauts will not have assistance once they land. Thus, it is vital to develop a knowledge base from which operational guidelines can be written that define when astronauts can be expected to safely perform certain tasks. Data obtained during the Field Test experiment will add important insight to this knowledge base. Specifically, we aim to develop a recovery timeline of functional sensorimotor performance during the first 24 hours and several days after landing. A forerunner of the full Field Test study, the Pilot Field Test (PFT) comprised a subset of the tasks and measurements to be included in the ultimate set.
Cerisano, J. M.↗
Neural Network Modeling of UH-60A Pilot Vibration
Full-scale flight-test pilot floor vibration is modeled using neural networks and full-scale wind tunnel test data for low speed level flight conditions. Neural network connections between the wind tunnel test data and the tlxee flight test pilot vibration components (vertical, lateral, and longitudinal) are studied. Two full-scale UH-60A Black Hawk databases are used. The first database is the NASMArmy UH-60A Airloads Program flight test database. The second database is the UH-60A rotor-only wind tunnel database that was acquired in the NASA Ames SO- by 120- Foot Wind Tunnel with the Large Rotor Test Apparatus (LRTA). Using neural networks, the flight-test pilot vibration is modeled using the wind tunnel rotating system hub accelerations, and separately, using the hub loads. The results show that the wind tunnel rotating system hub accelerations and the operating parameters can represent the flight test pilot vibration. The six components of the wind tunnel N/rev balance-system hub loads and the operating parameters can also represent the flight test pilot vibration. The present neural network connections can significandy increase the value of wind tunnel testing.
Kottapalli, Sesi↗
FAA Pilot Knowledge Tests: Learning or Rote Memorization?
The FAA pilot knowledge test is a multiple-choice assessment tool designed to measure the extent to which applicants for FAA pilot certificates and ratings have mastered a corpus of required aeronautical knowledge. All questions that appear on the test are drawn from a database of questions that is made available to the public. The FAA and others are concerned that releasing test questions may encourage students to focus their study on memorizing test questions. To investigate this concern, we created our own database of questions that differed from FAA questions in four different ways. Our first three question types were derived by modifying existing FAA questions: (1) rewording questions and answers; (2) shuffling answers; and (3) substituting different figures for problems that used figures. Our last question type posed a question about required knowledge for which no FAA question currently exists. Forty-eight student pilots completed one of two paper-and-pencil knowledge tests that contained a mix of these experimental questions. The results indicate significantly lower scores for some question types when compared to unaltered FAA questions to which participants had prior access.
Casner, Stephen M.↗
Pilot Field Test: Use of a Compression Garment During a Stand Test After Long-Duration Space Flight
Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is a concern for astronauts returning from long-duration space flight. One countermeasure that has been used to protect against OI after short-duration bed rest and space flight is the use of lower body and abdominal compression garments. However, since the end of the Space Shuttle era we have not been able to test crewmembers during the first 24 hours after landing on Earth. NASA's Pilot Field Test provided us the opportunity to test cardiovascular responses of crewmembers wearing the Russian Kentavr compression garment during a stand test at multiple time points throughout the first 24 hours after landing. HYPOTHESIS We hypothesized that the Kentavr compression garment would prevent an increase in heart rate (HR) >15 bpm during a 3.5-min stand test. METHODS: The Pilot Field Test was conducted up to 3 times during the first 24 hours after crewmembers returned to Earth: (1) either in a tent adjacent to the Soyuz landing site in Kazakhstan (approx.1 hr) or after transportation to the Karaganda airport (approx. 4 hr); (2) during a refueling stop in Scotland (approx.12 hr); and (3) upon return to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) (approx.24 hr). We measured HR and arterial pressure (finger photoplethysmography) for 2 min while the crewmember was prone and throughout 3.5 min of quiet standing. Eleven crewmembers consented to participate; however, 2 felt too ill to start the test and 1 stopped 30 sec into the stand portion of the test. Of the remaining 8 crewmembers, 2 did not wear the Russian Kentavr compression garment. Because of inclement weather at the landing site, 5 crewmembers were flown by helicopter to the Karaganda airport before initial testing and received intravenous saline before completing the stand test. One of these crewmembers wore only the portion of the Russian Kentavr compression garment that covered the lower leg and thus lacked thigh and abdominal compression. All crewmembers continued wearing the Russian Kentavr compression garment during the second testing session in Scotland, but none wore it during testing at JSC. RESULTS: The mean Delta HR from the supine to standing position in the 8 crewmembers measured pre-flight or 60 days after return from long-duration space flight was 9.8 bpm. During the first few hours after landing from long-duration space flight, the mean Delta HR of the 6 crewmembers who wore the Russian Kentavr compression garment in Kazakhstan or Karaganda was +14 bpm and the change in mean arterial pressure (Delta MAP) was +0.8 mmHg, while the 2 crewmembers who did not wear the Russian Kentavr compression garment had a Delta HR of +38 bpm and a Delta MAP of +1.1 mmHg. In Scotland, 4 crewmembers wore the Russian Kentavr compression garment and had a Delta HR of +7.4 bpm while the 3 crewmembers who did not wear it had a Delta HR of +25.0 bpm. Seven crewmembers were tested upon return to JSC approx. 24 hr after landing, but none wore the Russian Kentavr compression garment and their Delta HR was 16.0 bpm. CONCLUSIONS: These are the first stand-test data to be collected from long-duration crewmembers during the first 24 hr of re-adaptation to gravity on Earth. The Delta HR measured in crewmembers who completed the stand-test while wearing Kentavr within the first approx.4 hours after returning to Earth was only slightly elevated from pre-flight Delta HR, while the few subjects who did not wear the Russian Kentavr compression garment had a much larger increase in HR in order to maintain arterial pressure throughout 3.5-min of standing. These data demonstrate the effectiveness of a compression garment in preventing large increases in HR during a 3.5 min stand test after long-duration space flight. However, the fact that three crewmembers were too ill to complete the test or was not able to complete 3.5 min of standing despite wearing the Russian Kentavr compression garment indicates that wearing a compression garment does not resolve all problems crewmembers face during the period of re-adaptation immediately after return to Earth's gravity.
Laurie, S. S.↗
Advanced Transport Delay Compensation Algorithms: Results of Delay Measurement and Piloted Performance Tests
This report summarizes the results of delay measurement and piloted performance tests that were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the adaptive compensator and the state space compensator for alleviating the phase distortion of transport delay in the visual system in the VMS at the NASA Langley Research Center. Piloted simulation tests were conducted to assess the effectiveness of two novel compensators in comparison to the McFarland predictor and the baseline system with no compensation. Thirteen pilots with heterogeneous flight experience executed straight-in and offset approaches, at various delay configurations, on a flight simulator where different predictors were applied to compensate for transport delay. The glideslope and touchdown errors, power spectral density of the pilot control inputs, NASA Task Load Index, and Cooper-Harper rating of the handling qualities were employed for the analyses. The overall analyses show that the adaptive predictor results in slightly poorer compensation for short added delay (up to 48 ms) and better compensation for long added delay (up to 192 ms) than the McFarland compensator. The analyses also show that the state space predictor is fairly superior for short delay and significantly superior for long delay than the McFarland compensator.
Guo, Liwen↗
Propulsion Controlled Aircraft design and development
This paper describes the design, development, and ground testing of the propulsion controlled aircraft (PCA) flight control system. A backup flight control system which uses only engine thrust, the PCA system utilizes collective and differential thrust changes to steer an aircraft that experiences partial or complete failure of the hydraulically actuated control surfaces. The objective of the program was to investigate, in flight, the throttles-only control capability of the F-15, using manual control, and also an augmented PCA mode in which computer-controlled thrust was used for flight control. The objective included PCA operation in up-and-away flight and, if performance was adequate, a secondary objective to make actual PCA landings. The PCA design began with a feasibility study which evaluated many control law designs. The study was done using off-line control analysis, simulation, and on-line manned flight simulator tests. Control laws, cockpit displays, and cockpit controls were evaluated by NASA test pilots. A flight test baseline configuration was selected based on projected flight performance, applicability to transport and fighter aircraft, and funding costs. During the PCA software and hardware development, the initial design was updated as data became available from throttle-only flight experiments conducted by NASA on the F-15. This information showed basic airframe characteristics that were not observed in the F-15 flight simulator and resulted in several design changes. After the primary objectives of the PCA flight testing were accomplished, additional PCA modes of operation were developed and implemented. The evolution of the PCA system from the initial feasibility study, control law design, simulation, hardware-in-the-loop tests, pilot-in-the-loop tests, and ground tests is presented.
Wells, Edward A.↗
Combining destination diversion decisions and critical in-flight event diagnosis in computer aided testing of pilots
Rockwell and Giffin (1982) and Giffin and Rockwell (1983) have discussed the use of computer aided testing (CAT) in the study of pilot response to critical in-flight events. The present investigation represents an extension of these earlier studies. In testing pilot responses to critical in-flight events, use is made of a Plato-touch CRT system operating on a menu based format. In connection with the typical diagnostic problem, the pilot was presented with symptoms within a flight scenario. In one problem, the pilot has four minutes for obtaining the information which is needed to make a diagnosis of the problem. In the reported research, the attempt has been made to combine both diagnosis and diversion scenario into a single computer aided test. Tests with nine subjects were conducted. The obtained results and their significance are discussed.
Rockwell, T. H.↗
Pilot Field Test Study
The Field Test study is currently in full swing, preceded by the successful completion of the Pilot Field Test study that paved the way for collecting data on the astronauts in the medical tent in Kazakhstan. Abigail Sherriff worked alongside Logan Dobbe on one Field Test aspect to determine foot clearance over obstacles (5cm, 10cm, and 15cm) using APDM Inc. Internal Measurement Units (IMU) worn by the astronauts. They created a program to accurately calculate foot clearance using the accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope data with the IMUs attached to the top of the shoes. To validate the functionality of their program, they completed a successful study on test subjects performing various tasks in an optical motion studio, considered a gold standard in biomechanics research. Future work will include further validation and expanding the program to include other analyses.
Sherriff, Abigail↗
Early Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) experience with Peripheral Vision Horizon Displays (PVHD)
Three separate Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) tests were conducted in 1980 and 1981 on two models of the peripheral vision horizon displays (PVHD) (Malcolm Horizon). A fixed base simulator test was conducted with twenty test pilot subjects using the Flight Simulator Demonstration Model which incorporated a Helium Neon laser as the light bar medium. Two separate flight tests were conducted by the Test Pilot School classes 80A and 80B in a Twin Otter commuter aircraft using the Stage A Model PVHD. The Xenon lighted A Model was tested in its original configuration by class 80A. Class 80B used a modified configuration which incorporated an AFFTC designed and manufactured hood. With the hood, the PVHD projected a thinner, distinct light bar. Only a few general remarks concerning the tests and unrestricted, overall conclusions reached by the author are presented. The conclusions of all three AFFTC evaluations of the PVHD concept were that it has not yet been adequately evaluated. There seems to be a significant learning curve associated with the PVHD and the project pilots for Test Pilot School Class 80B only got a good start on the learning curve. A lengthy learning curve for the PVHD should be anticipated in view of the training period required for the attitude display indicator (ADI). This does seem to point out that the PVHD, in its present form, is simply not as compelling as the natural horizon. It can also be concluded that any attempt at a valid evaluation of the PVHD concept can be done only under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) or validly simulated IMC conditions. The knee in the learning curve, however, may be reached without full IMC, although it may take much longer to reach.
Schofield, B. L.↗
Piloted simulation tests of propulsion control as backup to loss of primary flight controls for a mid-size jet transport
Failures of aircraft primary flight-control systems to aircraft during flight have led to catastrophic accidents with subsequent loss of lives (e.g. , DC-1O crash, B-747 crash, C-5 crash, B-52 crash, and others). Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) investigated the use of engine thrust for emergency flight control of several airplanes, including the B-720, Lear 24, F-15, C-402, and B-747. A series of three piloted simulation tests have been conducted at Ames Research Center to investigate propulsion control for safely landing a medium size jet transport which has experienced a total primary flight-control failure. The first series of tests was completed in July 1992 and defined the best interface for the pilot commands to drive the engines. The second series of tests was completed in August 1994 and investigated propulsion controlled aircraft (PCA) display requirements and various command modes. The third series of tests was completed in May 1995 and investigated PCA full-flight envelope capabilities. This report describes the concept of a PCA, discusses pilot controls, displays, and procedures; and presents the results of piloted simulation evaluations of the concept by a cross-section of air transport pilots.
Bull, John↗
Analysis of responses of cold pressor tests on pilots and executives
Statistical analyses were performed to study the relationship between cold pressor test responses and certain medical attributes of a group of 81 pilots and a group of 466 executives. The important results of this study were as follows: There was a significant relationship between a subject's cold pressor test response and his profession (that is, pilot or executive). The executives' diastolic cold pressor test responses were significantly related to their medical conditions, and their families' medical conditions. Significant relationships were observed between executives' diastolic and systolic cold pressor test responses and their history of tranquilizer and cardiac drug use.
Swaroop, R.↗
Pilot Field Test: The Ability to Ambulate Following Landing as Assessed with Seat Egress, Walk and Obstacle Testing
To date, changes in functional performance have been systematically studied after short-duration space flight. As important as the postflight functional changes have been, full functional recovery has never been investigated or established for long-duration flights. The Pilot Field Test (PFT) experiment, conducted with participation of ISS crewmembers traveling on Soyuz expeditions 34S - 41S, is comprised of several tasks designed to study the recovery of sensorimotor abilities of astronauts during the first 24 hours after landing and beyond. The objective of the Seat Egress - Walk and Obstacle Test, developed by NASA's Russian collaborators at the Institute for Biomedical Problems, is to address this gap in knowledge. This will allow us to characterize the ability of crewmembers to perform critical mission requirements that they will be expected to perform after an unassisted landing following 6 to 12 months in microgravity.
Fisher, E. A.↗
Comanche Helmet-Mounted Display Symbology Evaluation
This study assessed pilot-vehicle performance and workload associated with flying the Comanche Contact Analog, world-referenced primary flight symbology when compared with a conventional, screen-fixed, Compressed symbology. Previous investigation had revealed benefits when utilizing Compressed symbology in constrained flight maneuvers. The current evaluation further evaluated the effects of symbology by testing pilots in a high-fidelity simulator, executing more operational tasks. Flight performance and subjective ratings from six experimental test pilots were collected. Results replicated previous findings, and no performance differences were found in operational tasks. Pilot comments revealed significant preference for Compressed symbology, while some aspects of Contact Analog symbology raised objections. Performance, preference, and safety of flight issues perceived by test pilots merit a review of Contact Analog symbology design.
Dowell, Susan R.↗
Piloted Simulation Tests of Propulsion Control as Backup to Loss of Primary Flight Controls for a B747-400 Jet Transport
Partial failures of aircraft primary flight control systems and structural damages to aircraft during flight have led to catastrophic accidents with subsequent loss of lives (e.g. DC-10, B-747, C-5, B-52, and others). Following the DC-10 accident at Sioux City, Iowa in 1989, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended 'Encourage research and development of backup flight control systems for newly certified wide-body airplanes that utilize an alternate source of motive power separate from that source used for the conventional control system.' This report describes the concept of a propulsion controlled aircraft (PCA), discusses pilot controls, displays, and procedures; and presents the results of a PCA piloted simulation test and evaluation of the B747-400 airplane conducted at NASA Ames Research Center in December, 1996. The purpose of the test was to develop and evaluate propulsion control throughout the full flight envelope of the B747-400 including worst case scenarios of engine failures and out of trim moments. Pilot ratings of PCA performance ranged from adequate to satisfactory. PCA performed well in unusual attitude recoveries at 35,000 ft altitude, performed well in fully coupled ILS approaches, performed well in single engine failures, and performed well at aft cg. PCA performance was primarily limited by out-of-trim moments.
Bull, John↗