Among the numerous human factors issues related to Enhanced Vision Systems the decision making process appears quite critical for certification purpose. An experimental setup based on a simplified aircraft environment including a HUD was developed in the framework of the FANSTIC II program. A stimulation technique based on recordings of IR sensors obtained during weather penetration test flight were used to study visual cues involved in decision process during approaches on IR imagery. A study of visual scanning strategies was also conducted in order to follow dynamically the process. Results show a good consistency in the pattern of visual cues used by different pilots in making their decision. Decision delays were found to be in the region of 5 - 6 seconds with little difference between FLIR and visible images. The introduction of symbology superimposed on the imagery sensibly modify visual scanning patterns. In this case, scanning is deeply influenced by pilot's previous experience.

Date Published: 31 May 1996
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 2736, Enhanced and Synthetic Vision 1996, (31 May 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.241033

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2736:
Enhanced and Synthetic Vision 1996
Jacques G. Verly, Editor(s)