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Assessment of Advanced Cockpit Displays for General Aviation Aircraft – the Capstone Program

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Assessment of Advanced Cockpit Displays for General Aviation Aircraft – the Capstone Program DOT/FAA/AM-02/21 Assessment of Advanced Cockpit Displays for Office of Aerospace Medicine Washington, DC 20591 General Aviation Aircraft – The Capstone Program Kevin W. Williams Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Federal Aviation Administration Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Alan Yost Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Cambridge, MA 02142-1093 Jeff Holland Aircraft Certification Office Federal Aviation Administration Wichita, KS 67209 Robert R. Tyler Trios Associates, Inc. Washington, DC 20024 December 2002 Final Report This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161. NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents thereof. Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. DOT/FAA/AM-02/21 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Assessment of Advanced Cockpit Displays for December 2002 General Aviation Aircraft – The Capstone Program 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Williams KW1, Yost A2, Holland J3, and Tyler RR4 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 1FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Oklahoma City, OK 73125 2USDOT Volpe Center, Cambridge, MA 02142-1093 3FAA Aircraft Certification Office, Wichita, KS 67209 11. Contract or Grant No. 4Trios Associates, Inc., Washington, DC 20024 12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Aerospace Medicine Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplemental Notes This work was performed under Task AHRR-521. 16. Abstract Since the inception of the Capstone Program, approximately 150 aircraft in the area of Bethel, Alaska have received a suite of ADS-B displays. Despite the opportunity provided by the large number of ADS-B-capable aircraft in the Bethel area, very little information has been collected from the owner/operators and pilots of these aircraft that might help in transitioning the technology to the rest of the country. To remedy this situation, a team of human factors experts was tasked with travelling to Bethel in March 2002 to collect data regarding the use of these displays in day-to-day flight activities. A total of 41 pilots participated in the interview process, representing nine different flight companies in the Bethel area. All of the pilots were male. The average age was 37, ranging from 21 to 58. The average number of flight hours for the pilots was 4,962 hours, ranging from 950 hours to 30,000 hours. The median number of total flight hours was 3,250. Over 95% (39) of the pilots were instrument rated. Results from the pilot interviews and self-administered questionnaires revealed a number of human factors design, safety, and training issues. Discussion of these results will focus on display design and training recommendations for ADS-B displays that will ease the training burden, mitigate safety hazards, and accentuate safety improvements. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement ADS-B Displays, General Aviation Navigation Displays, Document is available to the public through the Cockpit Displays, Psychology, Applied Psychology National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 36 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized i ASSESSMENT OF ADVANCED COCKPIT DISPLAYS FOR GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT – THE CAPSTONE PROGRAM INTRODUCTION with airport and other information. The display also provides traffic and weather information to the pilot. Background Certain capabilities available with the Capstone dis- In an effort to improve flight safety in Alaska, the plays, like the display of traffic information, are de- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been con- pendent on a ground/air/space infrastructure known ducting an assessment of new cockpit avionics for as Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, or general aviation (GA) aircraft. The assessment is be- ADS-B. Some of the capabilities being offered to the ing performed under the FAA’s Alaska Capstone Pro- GA community under the Capstone program have gram, which has focused its efforts in and around the only been generally available before to commercial town of Bethel, located in the southwest region of the airlines and high-end GA aircraft. The ability to see state. The avionics system, developed by UPS Avia- traffic and weather on a cockpit display is usually tion Technologies, consists of a multi-function dis- provided by expensive onboard detection systems. To play unit, the Apollo MX-20, and an accompanying provide such capabilities in a less expensive manner, a Global Positioning System (GPS) display, an Apollo ground-, air-, and satellite-based infrastructure was GX-60. In addition, each aircraft is equipped with a created — ADS-B. Unlike radar systems that bounce Universal Access Transceiver (UAT), which is a re- radio waves off of airborne targets and then interpret mote-mounted (i.e., outside of the cockpit) radio that the reflected signal, ADS-B relies on position infor- provides datalink communication between the air- mation that is transmitted by the UAT from each craft and a ground station or from one aircraft to another aircraft. Participants in the assessment are Part 135 airline operators and pilots in the Bethel area. Approximately 150 GA aircraft have been equipped with the advanced avi- onics equipment. Figure 1 shows the avionics that are installed in each aircraft participating in the Capstone program. Display Capabilities The Capstone displays provide pilots with a moving-map display that shows ownship (i.e., display aircraft) position. Flight plans that are input into the GPS display are presented as a magenta line on the moving map. The map can dis- play an instrument flight chart, with airways, intersections, airports, and other navigational points, or a visual flight rules (VFR) sectional chart that includes terrain features. Many types of informa- tion can be overlaid on the map at the pilot’s discretion. The display can also show relative terrain in the form of red, green, yellow, or black colored blocks that indicate the relative height of ter- rain to the aircraft. Using a custom map page, pilots can overlay relative terrain Figure 1: Capstone Avionics displays. 1 individual aircraft based on GPS technology. Each MX-20 and GX-60, it was also believed that informa- ADS-B-equipped aircraft broadcasts its precise posi- tion could be collected that would relate to safety, tion in space via a digital datalink, along with other training, and human factors design that could generalize data that includes the aircraft call sign. This informa- to other multi-function ADS-B displays. This report is tion can be transmitted directly from one aircraft to a summary of the Bethel data collection effort. another, or it can be transmitted to a ground station, combined with other aircraft data, and re-transmitted METHOD back to any aircraft within range of the ground sta- tion. The information can also be transmitted by Instruments landlines or other means to air traffic controllers in A set of data collection instruments was created. distant locations. ADS-B allows pilots in the cockpit This set included a self-administered questionnaire and air traffic controllers on the ground to “see” that focused primarily on training and normal usage aircraft traffic with much more precision than has ever issues, an interview form for gathering data about the been possible before. Unlike conventional radar, ADS- strengths and weaknesses of the display, and a form B works at low altitudes and is effective in remote for collecting demographic data from each of the areas or in mountainous terrain where there is no participants. The Demographic Data Form is shown radar coverage, or where radar coverage is limited. in Appendix A. The Interview Form is presented in In addition to information related to other aircraft, Appendix B, and the Self-Administered Question- other types of information can be broadcast from naire is shown in Appendix C. In addition, team ground stations to UAT-equipped airplanes. Flight members flew on 5 scheduled flights to observe the Information Services – Broadcast, or FIS-B, include actual operation of the equipment. graphical weather depictions, as well as text-based weather. Future implementations will include other Participants information such as notifications to airmen A total of 41 pilots participated in the interview (NOTAMS). Since weather plays a part in many process. Twenty-seven of the 41 also filled out the aircraft accidents, the display of current weather con- self-administered questionnaire form. The 41 pilots ditions in an easily interpreted graphical format is that participated represented 9 flight companies in the expected to be of great help to pilots. The graphical Bethel area. Only 2 companies with Capstone- depiction of NOTAMS, such as the fact that a runway equipped aircraft were not represented in the inter- has been closed at a particular airport, should also view or questionnaire process. Both of these companies make it easier for pilots to maintain awareness of were single-pilot operations. important information both before and during their All of the pilots were male. Their average age was flights. At present, however, only graphical and tex- 37, ranging from 21 to 58. The mean number of flight tual weather information is transmitted to pilots in hours for the pilots was 4,962 hours, ranging from the Bethel area. 950 hours to 30,000 hours. The median number of flight hours was 3,250. Over 95% (39) of the pilots Safe Flight 21 – Human Factors Team were instrument rated. Approximately 63% (26) of An opportunity was provided by the large number the pilots had used a handheld GPS unit, typically one of ADS-B capable aircraft in the Bethel area to collect of the Garmin models.
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