Aeronautical Systems 1

Human Factors

dr inż. Maciej Zasuwa

maciej.zasuwa@pw.edu.pl
Introduction 2
Avionics development
• Humans senses insufficient in modern AC
• Crew reduction:
• training costs,
• salaries,
• weight,
• human loses (combat)
• Performance index higher
• Increased safety
• ATM requirements
• Better performance in poor weather conditions
• Reduction of fuel consumption
• Reduction of maintenance costs
MCU (Modular Concept Unit) 3
Abbreviations FMS
OMS
– Flight Management System
– On-Board Measurement System
4
EIS – Electronic Instrument System
EFCS – Electronic Flight Control System
AFCS – Automatic Flight Control System
SAS – Stability Augmentation System
CAS – Controllability Augmentation System
AP – Autopilot
FBW – Fly-By-Wire
FADEC – Full Authority Digital Engine Control
TMS – Thrust Management System
EFIS – Electronic Flight Instrument System
COM – Radio Communication System
ECAM – Electronic Centralized Aircraft
Monitor
FWS – Flight Warning System
EICAS – Engine Indication and Crew Alerting
System
TRA – Transponder
GPWS – Ground Proximity Warning System
WAGS – Wind Shear Alert & Guidance System
TCAS – Traffic Collision Avoidance System
FDR – Flight Data Recorder
CMS – Centralized Maintenance System
Aeronautical Systems classification 5

• Control systems
to control the spatial position of AC, make steering the AC possible

• Guidance and navigation systems

to determine the position of AC, its velocity vector (direction of flight) and heading

• Propulsion control systems

designed to control the propulsion, allow proper and economic operation of propulsion

• Actuators
execute command signals

• Flight data display systems

Avionics contribution to the overall AC cost 6

• General aviation – 10%

• Commercial jets – 30%
• Combat – 40%
• AWACS – 75%
Integrated Avionic Systems 7

Advantages
• Easy installation and maintenance - modular avionics design allows for the simplification
of the assembly line
• Increased reliability and accuracy of the results - information from several sources
• Simple expansion and modernization - the installation of new hardware requires minor
changes to software
• Lower costs - avionics maintenance takes ~50% less time

Disadvantages
• The possibility of programming errors (the practice shows that the software errors in
computerized A320/330/340 can be very dangerous, though rare
• Advanced avionics may be sensitive even to minor mechanical damage
Construction of avionics systems - definitions 8

• Element - the smallest functional part of the system.

• Component - the group of elements

• System - a set of interoperable components.

• System architecture - includes the type of systems/subsystems used and describes the
interfaces

• Conventional system - the same or similar principle of operation is applied in another

system already approved for use.
Human perception limitations 9

• Data overflow
• sensors
• systems
• redundancy
• displays, indicators

• Measurement errors
• instrumental
• noninstrumental (human)
Pilot response time 10

The connection of the cerebral cortex with the external environment, through the senses,
lets you "feel" the outside world.

Pilot response time is dependent on:

• receiption of information (read conditions, the number and location of the observed
indicators, the rate of change of parameters)
• processing information (complexity of the task, pilot training, type of an indicator)
• an action (the complexity of the task, pilot training)
Human senses receiving information 11

• optical (eye)
• shape, size and color of the object
• direction and distance in which the object is located
• movement - responding to changes in the position of the observed object
• acoustic (ear)
• kinesthetic (muscular and articular sensations, sense of balance)
• touch (mechanical, thermal)
• smell
Eyes 12

• Used for determination of:

• the shape, size and color of the object
• direction and distance in which the facility is located
• movement, a reaction to changes in the position of the object
• Pilot’s eyes provide 85% - 95% of incoming information
• Effective field of view:
• in a vertical plane 0-20 deg down
• in a horizontal plane from
-30 to 30 deg
Eyes 13

• Pilot can track multiple display devices, even if they are on the limits of
the field of view, sight is focused on basic indicators

• For a quick and error-free reception of information it is required to place

the indicators in an effective field of view

• Colors
- white - information
- green - normal operation
- amber - caution
- red - warning
Hearing 14

• It allows to specify
- frequency
- direction from which the sound comes
• Less useful then eyes
• The accuracy of direction determination
- does not depend on the distance of the sound source
- depends on whether it reaches the right or left side, back or front
- it is much more difficult to determine the source of sound when it is located in the back or front of
the pilot
• Sound informs about
- equipment malfunction
- emergency
- event (eg flight over marker)
Orientation Triad 15

• Eye
• Vestibular organ (balance)
• Kinesthesia
• ability to identify the location (orientation) and speed of
movement of different parts of the body)
Area of handling 16

• Knobs
• Buttons
• Touchscreens
• Voice control
• Sticks
- HOTAS (Hands on Throttle and Stick)
- HOCAC (Hands on Collective and Cyclic)
Area of handling 17
• Pilot enters data to devices using control panels

• Also obtain information by pressing the appropriate buttons on the instrument panel,
and sometimes directly on screens

• Distance to the instrument cluster is determined not only by the field of view but also
by the reach of hands
Optimum handling & observation area 18
• The full range of movement of the head includes both horizontal and vertical space in the range of
-60 to 60 deg
• Peripheral indicators of less important information can be effectively outside the view
(pilot watches them with rapid eye movement and head)
• Peripheral devices require head movements in the horizontal plane from -15 to 15 deg
• Additional surface obtained by allowing movement of the head in the vertical direction by an
angle of -10 deg down
Displays & indicators 19

Indicators
• analog
• digital
• symbolic
• imaging
Indicators & controls distribution principles 20

Distribution depends on:

- type of aircraft
- its purpose
- crew

Principle
- functions
- importance
- order of use
- frequency of use

Problem: the contradiction between the principles

- order and frequency of use
21
Indicators & controls distribution principles 22
T Standard 23

FAR 23.1321 regulations

determined the location of the
following indicators:
• artificial horizon
• airspeed indicator
• altimeter
• Heading indicator
so called T standard

These indicators provide an

information necessary to
control the plane.
T indicators 24
Distribution of set of indicators 25

If the pilot is to read out simultaneously two or more indcators, they can be
arranged to read them as fast and accurate as possible.

Such an arrangement is to create groups of instruments, with a "normal"

position of a pointer

Four ways to arrange normal needle position (what means proper operation
of the controlled system)
- symmetry
- the same direction
- the most appropriate direction in this case is 9 o’clock
Distribution of set of indicators 26
Distribution of set of indicators 27

The single pilot aircraft

- guidance and navigation indicators occupy the left and the
central part of the panel
- engine controls - the lower-right part of the panel

The two pilots aircraft

- captain’s guidance and navigation indicators occupy the left
part of the panel
- first officer’s guidance and navigation indicators occupy the
right part of the panel
- engine controls - the central part of the panel