EVALUATION OF TWO INSTRUMENT-LANDING DISPLAYS IN SIMULATED IFR APPROACHES WITH A HELICOPTER

Two instrument displays that differed principally in the manner in which course guidance was presented have been evaluated in landing approaches with a helicopter. In one display, course guidance information was presented as a flight-director command on a conventional cross-pointer indicator; in the other display, the information was presented on a moving-map indicator. The tests of the two displays were conducted under simulated IFR conditions along a 6° glide slope at approach airspeeds of about 30 knots. The approaches were carried to a 50-foot breakout and a visual slowdown to hover. The results of the tests are presented in terms of (1) flight performance (i.e., tracking along slope and course) and (2) pilot evaluation of the display concepts. The implications of the results to the design of improved displays are discussed.