Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Pilot performance”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Flight test evaluation of advanced symbology for general aviation approach to landing displays

This paper describes a set of flight test experiments which were designed to evaluate the relative utility of candidate displays with advanced symbology for General Aviation IFR operations in the terminal area. This symbology was previously evaluated as part of the NASA Langley Research Center's Terminal Configured Vehicle Program for use in commercial airlines. The advanced symbology included vehicle track-angle, flight path angle and a perspective representation of the runway. These symbols were selectively drawn on a CRT display along with the roll attitude, pitch attitude, localizer-deviation and glideslope deviation. In addition to the CRT display, the instrument panel contained standard turn and bank, altimeter, rate of climb, airspeed, heading and engine instruments. The symbology was evaluated using tracking performance and pilot subjective ratings for an ILS capture and tracking task.

Downing, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The feasibility of a high-altitude aircraft platform with consideration of technological and societal constraints

The feasibility of remotely piloted aircraft performing year around missions at an altitude of 70,000 feet is determined. Blimp and airplane type vehicles employing solar-voltaic, microwave, or nuclear propulsion systems were considered. A payload weighing 100 pounds and requiring 1000 watts of continuous power was assumed for analysis purposes. Results indicate that a solar powered aircraft requires more solar cell area than is available on conventional aircraft configurations if designed for the short days and high wind speeds associated with the winter season. A conventionally shaped blimp that uses solar power appears feasible if maximum airspeed is limited to about 100 ft/s. No viable airplane configuration that uses solar power and designed to withstand the winter environment was found. Both a conventionally shaped blimp and airplane appear feasible using microwave power. Nuclear powered aircraft of these type are also feasible. Societal attitudes toward the use of solar power in high altitude aircraft appear favorable. The use of microwave power for this purpose is controversial, even though the ground station required would transmit power at levels comparable to existing satellite communications stations.

Graves, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Longitudinal flying qualities criteria for single-pilot instrument flight operations

Modern estimation and control theory, flight testing, and statistical analysis were used to deduce flying qualities criteria for General Aviation Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations. The principal concern is that unsatisfactory aircraft dynamic response combined with high navigation/communication workload can produce problems of safety and efficiency. To alleviate these problems. The relative importance of these factors must be determined. This objective was achieved by flying SPIFR tasks with different aircraft dynamic configurations and assessing the effects of such variations under these conditions. The experimental results yielded quantitative indicators of pilot's performance and workload, and for each of them, multivariate regression was applied to evaluate several candidate flying qualities criteria.

Stengel, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Advanced symbology for general aviation approach to landing displays

A set of flight tests designed to evaluate the relative utility of candidate displays with advanced symbology for general aviation terminal area instrument flight rules operations are discussed. The symbology was previously evaluated as part of the NASA Langley Research Center's Terminal Configured Vehicle Program for use in commercial airlines. The advanced symbology included vehicle track angle, flight path angle and a perspective representation of the runway. These symbols were selectively drawn on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display along with the roll attitude, pitch attitude, localizer deviation and glideslope deviation. In addition to the CRT display, the instrument panel contained standard turn and bank, altimeter, rate of climb, airspeed, heading, and engine instruments. The symbology was evaluated using tracking performance and pilot subjective ratings for an instrument landing system capture and tracking task.

Bryant, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Piloted simulation of an algorithm for onboard control of time-optimal intercept

A piloted simulation of algorithms for onboard computation of trajectories for time-optimal intercept of a moving target by an F-8 aircraft is described. The algorithms, use singular perturbation techniques, generate commands in the cockpit. By centering the horizontal and vertical needles, the pilot flies an approximation to a time-optimal intercept trajectory. Example simulations are shown and statistical data on the pilot's performance when presented with different display and computation modes are described.

Price, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Longitudinal flying qualitites criteria for single-pilot instrument flight operations

Modern estimation and control theory, flight testing, and statistical analysis were used to deduce flying qualities criteria for General Aviation Single Pilot Instrument Flight Rule (SPIFR) operations. The principal concern is that unsatisfactory aircraft dynamic response combined with high navigation/communication workload can produce problems of safety and efficiency. To alleviate these problems, the relative importance of these factors must be determined. This objective was achieved by flying SPIFR tasks with different aircraft dynamic configurations and assessing the effects of such variations under these conditions. The experimental results yielded quantitative indicators of pilot's performance and workload, and for each of them, multivariate regression was applied to evaluate several candidate flying qualities criteria.

Bar-Gill, A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Effects of simulator variations on the fidelity of a UH-60 Black Hawk simulation

The validity of the vertical motion simulator used to simulate the UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter is evaluated. Aircraft simulation of bob-up, hover turn, and dash/quick stop manuevers are compared to actual flight data. The effects of variations in the simulator's visual and motion characteristics on the simulation data are investigated. Data obtained with the nonintrusive parameter identification procedure and optimal control measures are applied to the helicopter math model used for real-time aircraft simulation. Analysis of the model reveals that the simulated aircraft is underdamped, and the changes in the visual reference have the greatest effect on the ability of the pilot to perform the maneuvers.

Cleveland, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A time-based concept for terminal-area traffic management

An automated air-traffic-management concept that has the potential for significantly increasing the efficiency of traffic flows in high-density terminal areas is discussed. The concept's implementation depends on techniques for controlling the landing time of all aircraft entering the terminal area, both those that are equipped with on-board four-dimensional (4D) guidance systems as well as those aircraft types that are conventionally equipped. The two major ground-based elements of the system are a scheduler which assigns conflict-free landing times and a profile descent advisor. Landing time provided by the scheduler is uplinked to equipped aircraft and translated into the appropriate 4D trajectory by the-board flight-management system. The controller issues descent advisories to unequipped aircraft to help them achieve the assigned landing times. Air traffic control simulations have established that the concept provides an efficient method for controlling various mixes of 4D-equipped and unequipped, as well as low- and high-performance, aircraft. Piloted simulations of profiles flown with the aid of advisories have verified the ability to meet specified descent times with prescribed accuracy.

Erzberger, Heinz↗
NASA NTRS1986

Assessment of pilot workload - Converging measures from performance based, subjective and psychophysiological techniques

This study explores the relationship between the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) and the processing demands of a complex real-world task. Seven male volunteers enrolled in an Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) aviation course flew a series of missions in a single engine fixed-based simulator. In dual task conditions subjects were also required to discriminate between two tones differing in frequency. ERPs time-locked to the tones, subjective effort ratings and overt performance measures were collected during two 45 min flights differing in difficulty (manipulated by varying both atmospheric conditions and instrument reliability). The more difficult flight was associated with poorer performance, increased subjective effort ratings, and smaller secondary task P300s. Within each flight, P300 amplitude was negatively correlated with deviations from command headings indicating that P300 amplitude was a sensitive workload metric both between and within the flight missions.

Kramer, Arthur F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Interaction of feel system and flight control system dynamics on lateral flying qualities

An investigation of feel system and flight control system dynamics on lateral flying qualities was conducted using the variable stability USAF NT-33 aircraft. Experimental variations in feel system natural frequency, force-deflection gradient, control system command architecture type, flight control system filter frequency, and control system delay were made. The experiment data include pilot ratings using the Cooper-Harper (1969) rating scale, pilot comments, and tracking performance statistic. Three test pilots served as evaluators. The data indicate that as the feel system natural frequency is reduced lateral flying qualities degrade. At the slowest feel system frequency, the closed-loop response becomes nonlinear with a 'bobweight' effect apparent in the feel system. Feel system influences were essentially independent of the control system architecture. The flying qualities influence due to the feel system was different than when the identical dynamic systenm was used as a flight control system element.

Bailey, Randall E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Timesharing performance as an indicator of pilot mental workload

Attentional deficits (workloads) were evaluated in a timesharing task. The results from this and other experiments were incorporated into an expert system designed to provide workload metric selection advice to non-experts in the field interested in operator workload.

Casper, Patricia A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Managerial leadership assessment - Personality correlates of and sex differences in ratings by leaders, peers, and followers

A performance appraisal was conducted at a Fortune 500 airline. Evaluations of each manager were taken from his or her management, peers and subordinates. These ratings were related to personality clusters revealing patterns for males similar to those found between personality and performance in pilot populations. A case is made that piloting aircraft requires similar skills to managing other complex enterprises and that similar profiles predict success in each.

Gibson, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Simulation evaluation of transition and hover flying qualities of a mixed-flow, remote-lift STOVL aircraft

Using a generalized simulation model developed for piloted evaluations of STOVL aircraft, an initial fixed-base simulation of a mixed-flow, remote-lift configuration has been completed. Objectives were to evaluate the integration of the aircraft's flight and propulsion controls to achieve good flying qualities throughout the low-speed flight envelope; to determine control power used during transition, hover, and vertical landing; and to evaluate the transition flight envelope considering the influence of thrust deflection of the remote-lift component. Pilots' evaluations indicated that Level 1 flying qualities could be achieved for deceleration to hover in instrument conditions, for airfield landings, and for recovery to a small ship when attitude and velocity stabilization and command augmentation control modes were provided. Level 2 flying qualities were obtained for these same tasks when only the attitude command mode was used, leaving the pilot to perform the task of thrust management required to control the flight-path and speed in transition and the horizontal and vertical translational velocities in hover. Thrust margins were defined for vertical landing as a function of ground effect and hot-gas ingestion.

Franklin, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Research On Controls And Displays For V/STOL Airplanes

Report describes continuing research into electronic control and display systems for vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing (V/STOL) aircraft. Objective of research to develop advanced digital control systems ("fly-by-wire" systems) integrating flight and propulsion controls. Intended to enable pilots to perform complicated landing maneuvers, including transitions from horizontal to vertical flight under visual and instrument flight conditions and landing in bad weather on decks of heaving ships, in confined spaces, and at ill-prepared sites.

Foster, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Controlling crippled aircraft-with throttles

A multiengine crippled aircraft, with most or all of the flight control system inoperative, may use engine thrust for control. A study was conducted of the capability and techniques for emergency flight control. Included were light twin engine piston powered airplanes, an executive jet transport, commercial jet transports, and a high performance fighter. Piloted simulations of the B-720, B-747, B-727, MD-11, C-402, and F-15 airplanes were studied, and the Lear 24, PA-30, and F-15 airplanes were flight tested. All aircraft showed some control capability with throttles and could be kept under control in up-and-away flight for an extended period of time. Using piloted simulators, landings with manual throttles-only control were extremely difficult. However, there are techniques that improve the chances of making a survivable landing. In addition, augmented control systems provide major improvements in control capability and make repeatable landings possible. Control capabilities and techniques are discussed.

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1938

The Focke Helicopter

This report presents some of the problems concerning tests of helicopters, such as forced landings, controllability and stability, general safety, piloting maneuvers, performance, servicing, and the production of lift of a propeller. Test flights are described including a 67.67 mph flight by Hanna Reitsch.

Focke, H↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hot gas ingestion effects on fuel control surge recovery and AH-1 rotor drive train torque spikes

This report summarizes the work accomplished through computer simulation to understand the impact of the hydromechanical turbine assembly (TA) fuel control on rocket gas ingestion induced engine surges on the AH-1 (Cobra) helicopter. These surges excite the lightly damped torsional modes of the Cobra rotor drive train and can cause overtorqueing of the tail rotor shaft. The simulation studies show that the hydromechanical TA control has a negligible effect on drive train resonances because its response is sufficiently attenuated at the resonant frequencies. However, a digital electronic control working through the TA control's separate, emergency fuel metering system has been identified as a solution to the overtorqueing problem. State-of-the-art software within the electronic control can provide active damping of the rotor drive train to eliminate excessive torque spikes due to any disturbances including engine surges and aggressive helicopter maneuvers. Modifications to the existing TA hydromechanical control are relatively minor, and existing engine sensors can be utilized by the electronic control. Therefore, it is concluded that the combination of full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) with hydromechanical backup using the existing TA control enhances flight safety, improves helicopter performance, reduces pilot workload, and provides a substantial payback for very little investment.

Tokarski, Frank↗
NASA NTRS1999

Initial Piloted Simulation Evaluation of the Reference-H High-Speed Civil Transport Design During Takeoff and Recovery From Limit Flight Conditions

An initial assessment of a proposed High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) was conducted in the fall of 1995 at the NASA Langley Research Center. This configuration, known as the Industry Reference-H (Ref.-H), was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company as part of their work in the High Speed Research program. It included a conventional tail, a cranked-arrow wing, four mixed-flow turbofan engines, and capacity for transporting approximately 300 passengers. The purpose of this assessment was to evaluate and quantify operational aspects of the Reference-H configuration from a pilot's perspective with the additional goal of identifying design strengths as well as any potential configuration deficiencies. This study was aimed at evaluating the Ref.-H configuration at many points of the aircraft's envelope to determine the suitability of the vehicle to accomplish typical mission profiles as well as emergency or envelope-limit conditions. Pilot-provided Cooper-Harper ratings and comments constituted the primary vehicle evaluation metric. The analysis included simulated real-time piloted evaluations, performed in a 6 degree of freedom motion base NASA Langley Visual-Motion Simulator, combined with extensive bath analysis. The assessment was performed using the third major release of the simulation data base (known as Ref.-H cycle 2B).

Glaab, Louis J.↗