Subjective Measurement Assessment in a Full Mission Scout-Attack Helicopter Simulation

Abstract

A full mission helicopter simulation was conducted in support of the US Army's Rotorcraft Pilot's Associate Advanced Technology Demonstration. Four crews flew four doctrinally correct scenarios under two mission equipment package conditions. The Advanced Mission Equipment Package (AMEP) contained additional equipment and longer sensor ranges than the Baseline Mission Equipment Package (BMEP). Following each run, pilots filled out the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) workload scales and a perceived situation awareness (SA) scale. TLX ratings were lower for the AMEP, while SA ratings were higher for the AMEP. A similar inverse relationship was found in the scenario effects. A stepwise multiple regression found a significant relationship between SA ratings and three of the component TLX subscale ratings. Both perceived workload and situation awareness ratings indicate a benefit from the advanced technologies available on the AMEP. These measures were also sensitive to the varying demands of the scenarios and pilot responsibilities.