Extending helicopter operations to meet future integrated transportation needs

Neville A Stanton,Katherine L Plant,Aaron P Roberts,Catherine Harvey,T.Glyn Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.001

Neville A Stanton, Katherine L Plant + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.001

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Journal: Applied ergonomics	Publication Date: Jul 27, 2015
Citations: 17	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of Southampton

Abstract

Helicopters have the potential to be an integral part of the future transport system. They offer a means of rapid transit in an overly populated transport environment. However, one of the biggest limitations on rotary wing flight is their inability to fly in degraded visual conditions in the critical phases of approach and landing. This paper presents a study that developed and evaluated a Head up Display (HUD) to assist rotary wing pilots by extending landing to degraded visual conditions. The HUD was developed with the assistance of the Cognitive Work Analysis method as an approach for analysing the cognitive work of landing the helicopter. The HUD was tested in a fixed based flight simulator with qualified helicopter pilots. A qualitative analysis to assess situation awareness and workload found that the HUD enabled safe landing in degraded conditions whilst simultaneously enhancing situation awareness and reducing workload. Continued development in this area has the potential to extend the operational capability of helicopters in the future.

Highlights

In most cities the dominant car-road transport system is already reaching a saturation point (Tibbs, 1998)
This paper presents a study that developed and evaluated a Head up Display (HUD) concept to assist rotary wing pilots landing in degraded visual environments (DVE)
The helicopter only has a marginal role in our lives and is still a socially exclusive mode of transport used for specialist tasks or niche environments

Summary

Introduction

In most cities the dominant car-road transport system is already reaching a saturation point (Tibbs, 1998) This issue is going to be exacerbated when we consider that by 2040 the world's population is expected to reach nine billion, with 64% of the world living in urban areas (Ministry of Transport (2013)). One of the biggest limitations on rotary wing flight is their inability to fly safely in degraded visual environments (DVE) during critical phases of flight (such as approach and landing). The HUD was developed with the assistance of Work Domain Analysis phase of the Cognitive Work Analysis method as an approach for analysing the cognitive work of landing the helicopter in order to identify the critical information requirements associated with this task

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Discussion

Conclusion