Evaluation of primary flight display enhancements for improving general aviation safety

The information architecture of general aviation cockpits is shifting from one of independent mechanical instruments to one of digital sensors, common databuses, and liquid crystal displays. This integrated architecture presents an opportunity to improve general aviation safety through enhancements to the flight display utilizing the data, computing power, and display capabilities available on a modem integrated cockpit. A study of general aviation accident causes identified takeoff and climbout, stall, and spatial disorientation as potential root causes that could be addressed with enhancements to the Primary Flight Display of an integrated general aviation cockpit. To address these accident causes, four prototype enhancements were designed, implemented on a PFD, and flight tested in a single-engine general aviation aircraft. A Takeoff Performance Monitor prototype demonstrated the usefulness of automating the published takeoff distance calculation required of, but seldom performed by, pilots and also showed that performance deficiencies as small as a 10% reduction in power can be detected within the first few seconds immediately after throttle-up. The prototype was also able to predict takeoff distance in real-time within 200 feet by 55 knots using a simple acceleration model. A Dynamic Stall and V-Speeds prototype calculated stall speeds, best angle of climb speed, best rate of climb speed, and best glide speed given the current flight conditions and marked them on the airspeed indicator. Subject pilots reported the speeds aided in maintaining awareness of stall margin and optimal performance conditions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Craig, Daniel R

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• R. John Hausman.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32524

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/32524