Investigation of the Role of Visual Cueing, Response Type, and Task on Mission-Oriented Flying Qualities

There ia a dichotomy between the government approach to the specification of aircraft flying qualities and the requirements for mission effectiveness. The present military standard for flying qualities of piloted air vehicles, MIL-STD-1797A, is a comprehensive document that has evolved over the past several decades into a "cookbook" of requriements. Unfortunately, the mission requirements for current and future aircraft include many aspects that are insufficiently covered by the specification. Primary among the shortcomings are three basic categories for research: the effect of the pilot's visual environment (cueing); 2) the effect of the response to task-tailored controls (response-type); and 3) the effect of the specific mission element (task). The Phase I program will have the following two major objectives: 1) Create the structure, format, and methodology to incorporate visual cueing, response-types, and modern tasks into a mission-oriented specification format; and 2) Generate the basic tables relating these elements in an integrated fashion. Included in this effort will be a definition of combinations of cueing/response-type/task for which further research is required. A system for evaluating the tradeoffs between advanced controls and displays will be generated.