This study was conducted to determine the effect of a range ring and intruder vertical rate on pilots’ perception of aircraft separation as viewed on a cockpit display of traffic information. A group of 30 pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated as subjects. SuperCard® Version 1.6 software and a Macintosh IIsi® personal computer were employed to generate the simulation of a cockpit display of traffic information. Each pilot monitored 80 unique scenarios in which they determined, as early as possible, what the vertical miss distance would be when a single intruder passed ownship. The pilots’ decision time and perceived vertical miss distances were compiled for each scenario. Range ring did not have a significant effect on the perception of vertical miss with regards to time or error while vertical rate had a significant effect on time and error. Exploratory research was also performed on miss distance and approach angle.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study was conducted to determine the effect of a range ring and intruder vertical rate on pilots’ perception of aircraft separation as viewed on a cockpit display of traffic information. A group of 30 pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated as subjects. SuperCard® Version 1.6 software and a Macintosh IIsi® personal computer were employed to generate the simulation of a cockpit display of traffic information. Each pilot monitored 80 unique scenarios in which they determined, as early as possible, what the vertical miss distance would be when a single intruder passed ownship. The pilots’ decision time and perceived vertical miss distances were compiled for each scenario. Range ring did not have a significant effect on the perception of vertical miss with regards to time or error while vertical rate had a significant effect on time and error. Exploratory research was also performed on miss distance and approach angle.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wassell, Paul V."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Aeronautical Science","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Graduate Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["John A. Wise","Daniel J. Garland","David Abbott"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1993,"date_issued":"1993-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1993-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:16Z","subjects":["range ring","intruder vertical rate","aircraft separation","air pilots","cockpit display","Aviation"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/218","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["John A. Wise","Daniel J. Garland","David Abbott"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wassell, Paul V."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Graduate Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["range ring","intruder vertical rate","aircraft separation","air pilots","cockpit display","Aviation"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/218"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study was conducted to determine the effect of a range ring and intruder vertical rate on pilots’ perception of aircraft separation as viewed on a cockpit display of traffic information. A group of 30 pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated as subjects. SuperCard® Version 1.6 software and a Macintosh IIsi® personal computer were employed to generate the simulation of a cockpit display of traffic information. Each pilot monitored 80 unique scenarios in which they determined, as early as possible, what the vertical miss distance would be when a single intruder passed ownship. The pilots’ decision time and perceived vertical miss distances were compiled for each scenario. Range ring did not have a significant effect on the perception of vertical miss with regards to time or error while vertical rate had a significant effect on time and error. Exploratory research was also performed on miss distance and approach angle.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effect of a Range Ring and of Intruder Vertical Rate on Pilot Perception of Separation on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["John A. Wise","Daniel J. Garland","David Abbott"],"dc:creator":["Wassell, Paul V."],"dc:description.abstract":["This study was conducted to determine the effect of a range ring and intruder vertical rate on pilots’ perception of aircraft separation as viewed on a cockpit display of traffic information. A group of 30 pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated as subjects. SuperCard® Version 1.6 software and a Macintosh IIsi® personal computer were employed to generate the simulation of a cockpit display of traffic information. Each pilot monitored 80 unique scenarios in which they determined, as early as possible, what the vertical miss distance would be when a single intruder passed ownship. The pilots’ decision time and perceived vertical miss distances were compiled for each scenario. Range ring did not have a significant effect on the perception of vertical miss with regards to time or error while vertical rate had a significant effect on time and error. Exploratory research was also performed on miss distance and approach angle.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/218"],"dc:subject":["range ring","intruder vertical rate","aircraft separation","air pilots","cockpit display","Aviation"],"dc:title":["Effect of a Range Ring and of Intruder Vertical Rate on Pilot Perception of Separation on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Graduate Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:16Z"}