Peripheral airspeed indication for manual visual approach

Abstract

This study investigates the design and effect of a peripheral display for airspeed indication.
This display may allow pilots to direct attention more on information outside the cockpit during visual approaches, which may decrease subjective workload and improve performance. A flight simulator experiment involving 24 general aviation pilots was conducted, comparing the combination of conventional instrumentation with and without the peripheral display, under low and high workload conditions and also during a simulated wind shear scenario. Results show that airspeed management generally improved significantly with the peripheral display, with pilots spending less time outside the target range, though a slight increase in overspeed error occurred. The display reduced subjective workload and increased outside-cockpit gaze without compromising glide path accuracy. No significant performance or gaze effects were observed in the wind shear scenario, suggesting limited benefit in highly dynamic conditions. Future work should focus on optimizing cue design and evaluating performance across diverse operational and environmental scenarios.