Chad Jennings

Synthetic Vision as an integrated element of an Enhanced Vision system

Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) and Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) have the potential to allow vehicle operators to benefit from the best that various image sources have to offer. The ability to see in all directions, even in reduced visibility conditions, offers considerable benefits for operational effectiveness and safety. Nav3D and The Boeing Company are conducting development work on an Enhanced Vision System with an integrated Synthetic Vision System. The EVS consists of several imaging sensors that are digitally fused together to give a pilot a better view of the outside world even in challenging visual conditions. The EVS is limited however to provide imagery within the viewing frustum of the imaging sensors. The SVS can provide a rendered image of an a priori database in any direction that the pilot chooses to look and thus can provide information of terrain and flight path that are outside the purview of the EVS. Design concepts of the system will be discussed. In addition the ground and flight testing of the system will be described.

Experienced pilot flight tests comparing conventional instrumentation and a synthetic vision display for precision approaches

The results of this experiment show that an aircraft primary flight display (PFD) with a flight path superimposed on a synthetic vision system (SVS) terrain image demonstrates a viable means for a pilot to confidently and consistently control an aircraft while flying highly accurate precision approaches to a 200 foot decision height (DH). The pathway, depicted as a Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS) in the display, provides a predictive method, as opposed to the reactive method associated with conventional needle and dial instruments, for controlling an aircraft. The intuitive nature of the HITS/SVS architecture provides greater situational awareness, less pilot workload, and improved accuracy during instrument flying compared to the conventional instrument landing system (ILS) round dials and needles.

Flight test measurement of pilot reaction times to runway incursions: out-the-window vs. synthetic vision

Researchers at Stanford University have developed and flight tested a runway incursion alerting system for aircraft on final approach. The system utilizes synthetic vision and ADS-B. The objectives of the flight test were to conduct a proof of concept and to compare the reaction times to incursion between pilots looking out the window and pilots looking at the display. In April 2001 we flew 98 approaches (incursions occurred on 72 approaches) into Moffett Federal Airfield. A specially equipped Ford Winstar Van generated the incursions while a Cessna Caravan flew approaches. Pilots looking out the window tended to see incursions at the runway threshold before the pilot using the display. The reaction time of the out the window pilot was a function of visibility conditions and the location of the incursion along the runway. The reaction time of the pilot looking at the synthetic vision display was insensitive to these factors.