Flight simulator evaluation of advanced MLS procedures

Abstract

The flight simulator study described in this report concerns an evaluation of manually flown, flight director aided, curved MLS approach and departure procedures with a simulated wide-body transport aircraft. Four curved approach paths and two departure procedures have been evaluated, where these procedures were determined to be beneficial from an ATC point of view. Test objects were: - To expose crews, while flying a moving-base flight simulator programmed with the flying qualities of a wide-body transport aircraft, to MLS based curved path approach and departure procedures which have been determined to be beneficial from an point of view. - To collect pilot perception and performance data while flying these curved path procedures. - To measure the crew's ability to detect insidious failures and to respond to these failures. - To measure crew performance and to collect perception data when the crew must revert to basic MLS position awareness data in the presence of a navigation or guidance failure. - To evaluate performance on a complex approach path with one (critical) engine inoperative. Test condition included various wind and visual conditions. Both wind and visual conditions were selected yielding realistic and representative situations. Test data have been obtained as subjective and objective results. Subjective results concern pilot questionnaire responses and pilot comments, while the objective results concern among other things path tracking accuracy, including isoprobability contour plots. Many of the results of this test program apply to curved path procedures in general, independent of the navigation sensor.