SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AEROSPACE REPORTS

A Biweekly Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 4 - February 24, 2006

06 AVIONICS AND AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION
Includes all avionics systems, cockpit and cabin display devices, and flight instruments intended for use in aircraft.

For related information see also 04 Aircraft Communications and Navigation; 08 Aircraft Stability and Control; 19 Spacecraft Instrumentation and Astrionics; and 35 Instrumentation and Photography.

20060006316 Air Force Research Lab., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA

Spatial Audio Displays for Improving Safety and Enhancing Situation Awareness in General Aviation Environments

Simpson, Brian D.; Brungart, Douglas S.; Gilkey, Robert H.; McKinley, Richard L.; New Directions for Improving Audio Effectiveness; April 2005, pp. 26-1 - 26-15; In English; See also 20060006290; Original contains black and white illustrations; Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy; Available from CASI on CD-ROM only as part of the entire parent document

Most current displays in general aviation (GA) environments employ, at best, relatively simple audio displays that do not fully exploit the operator s sensory processing capabilities, and thus may not allow pilots to take full advantage of the available information. This paper describes a series of four experiments conducted in an actual flight environment at the USAF Test Pilot school that evaluate the utility of spatial auditory displays as a navigation aid and an attitude indicator. Performance was measured in tasks that required pilots to fly in the direction of a spatial audio 'navigation beacon,' and use an auditory artificial horizon display to detect changes in attitude and maintain straight and level flight when no visual cues were available. The results from these studies indicate that spatial audio displays can effectively be used by pilots for both navigation and attitude monitoring. In addition, because the stimulus employed in the audio horizon display was self-selected music, pilot acceptance was high and it was possible to provide ongoing information to the pilot without the risk of annoyance. Although performance with standard display configurations remains superior, spatial audio displays may be used to supplement these existing displays, and to provide cues when critical information is either obscured or missing, such as in low-visibility conditions or when the pilot's attention is focused on another task. Thus it appears that spatial audio may be used to support situation awareness and improve overall safety in the general aviation environment. Author

Display Devices; Navigation Aids; Visibility; General Aviation Aircraft; Attitude Indicators; Visual Stimuli

20060006330 Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ, USA, Honeywell Labs., Phoenix, AZ, USA

Safety and Certification Approaches for Ethernet-Based Aviation Databuses

Lee, Y. H.; Rachlin, E.; Scandura, P. A.; Dec. 2005; 128 pp.; In English Report No.(s): PB2006-103438; No Copyright; Avail.: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

With the advent of higher-performance computing and communication systems, aircraft will have the capability to process an unprecedented amount of information pertaining to performance, safety, and efficiency. Flight instruments will be integrated to share information and to cooperate with each other. It is inevitable that a high-speed and versatile network infrastructure will be required in the next generation of aircraft. One commercial off-the-shelf technology, Ethernet, is seen as potentially attractive in avionics systems due to its high bandwidth, low wire count, and low cost. Ethernet has been used in the Boeing 777 to transmit non-flight-critical data and in the Boeing 767ER within a flight-critical display system. There are many safety concerns, however, when Ethernet is applied to flight-critical systems. The inherent nature of the Ethernet protocols can easily result in nondeterministic behavior and interference. These are significant technical hurdles that must be overcome before Ethernet will be a viable candidate as an aviation databus technology. NTIS

Avionics; Certification; Ethernet; Safety

Source: NASA