The Effect of Instrument Approach Procedure Chart Design on Pilot Search Speed and Response Accuracy - Flight Test Results

Details

• Creators:
  Huntley, M. Stephen, Jr. ; Osborne, D.W. ; Turner, J. W. ; Donovan, C. M.
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  Unisys Corporation ; Battelle Memorial Institute
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Airborne Navigational Aids Airline Pilots Briefing Strip Cockpit Resource Management Human Factors Icons Information Management Information Transfer Instrument Approach Procedure Charts Instrument Flying Instrument Landing Systems Prototype Charts

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-VNTSC-FAA-95-13 ; DOT/FAA/AR-95/8
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Edition:
  Final Report January 1994 - December 1994
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration
• Abstract:
  Instrument approach procedure (IAP) charts can be densely packed with information. This high information density can
  
  make information difficult to find, particularly in a poorly lit cockpit during turbulence. The Voipe Center's Cockpit
  
  Hunan Factors Program conducted a series of evaluations to format IAP chart information to more closely conform to the
  
  way pilots actually use the information. All of this work has contributed to the evolution of the Voipe prototype IAP
  
  chart format. The prototype's major design features are the briefing strip and iconic missed approach procedure
  
  instructions. The briefing strip consists of three rows of tabularized information at the top of the chart. This feature
  
  is designed primarily for use in preparing for the approach. Each Information element is given in the order in which it
  
  will be used. The pilot no longer has to search through the entire chart to assemble this data. In the profile view, the
  
  "up and out" portion of the missed approach instructions is depicted in icons rather than text. This critical
  
  information is more easily located than if it were embedded in text. The objective of this study was to determine if the
  
  prototype IAP chart format would allow pilots to find information faster and more accurately during actual flight. Ten
  
  licensed pilots rated for instrument flight participated as subjects in this experiment. Each of the approaches were
  
  depicted in two chart formats: National Ocean Service (NOS) and the Voipe prototype.
  
  Pilots took advantage of the prototype's briefing strip to search for information to answer questions. They found
  
  Information faster on the prototype chart than on the NOS chart. No difference was found between the accuracy of the
  
  answers given when pilots used the prototype and when they used the H0S format. Pilots found information regarding the
  
  "up and out" portion of the missed approach instructions faster when they used the iconic missed approach instructions
  
  on the prototype chart than when they used text instructions on the H0S chart. All pilots preferred the prototype format
  
  for executing the missed approach because of the iconic instructions. Most pilots preferred the prototype format for
  
  studying for the approach. None of the pilots preferred the NOS format for executing any approach phase.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  FA5 E2 / A5 0 0 7
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:65a7d563f70a4aa016d0d99c1421894ae96e7f4a35545c82f37a7bc469e7faf5
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8650/dot_8650_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.98 MB ]