Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!ricko@rosevax.Rosemount.COM
From: ricko@rosevax.Rosemount.COM (Rick O'Brien)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: advances in cockpit design?
Summary: Try 'Aviation Week'
Message-ID: <3348@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 23 Jan 89 02:23:48 GMT
References: <3286@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
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In article <3286@cbnews.ATT.COM>, johnson@gregsun.cs.umd.edu (Greg Johnson ) writes:
> I am curious about what might be called `computer aided pilot
> environments.' [ some editing done].  So, my questions:
> 
> 1) Are darpa pilot's associate research programs still going?  If so,
> where?  Could someone give a synopsis of the kinds of things that have
> been attempted in the pilot's associate program?  What journals,
> conferences, or books describe results in this area?
> 
> 2) What companies and academic sites are doing research in modern
> cockpit design? [more editing ]
> Again, where in the literature is this sort of thing discussed?
> - Greg Johnson
A lot of these questions, and those of other people, are discussed in
great detail in 'Aviation Week', it's an expensive magazine ( especially
if you don't fit into the 'qualfied subscription' category; i.e. profesional
involved in the aerospace or defense fields) but it is generally available
in most libraries.

To answer some of your questions; there is still quite a bit of research 
going on on the "pilot's assiciate."  I believe Lockheed is one of the
companies involved.  Progress has been so good that early versions are
being considered for use in the ATF program.  The Jan. 9 issue of AvWeek
has an article on an 'integrated pictoral cockpit display.'  A flight
path is programmed into an on board computer that projects a '3-D segmented
highway' over the couse the pilot is to fly.  A 'wingman' aircraft is
projected just ahead and to one side of the ribbon through the sky.  The
pilot will pick up visual cues from his wingman and the ribbon as to 
speed, altitude, attitude, etc.  The system was used in simulators and in
an F-14 in a series of tests in 1985. It is also being evaluated for
use with helicoptors.  The pilot's associate is intended to do similar
things but will incorporate threat information and recommended avoidance
measures.

By the way, details of the AEGIS systems, detailed descriptions of all kinds
of military toys including some very nice photos of the B-2 ( AvWeek rented
a plane for the rollout and overflew the field.  It seems that no one
thought to prohibit that kind of thing.) can all be found in AvWeek.  

Rick O'Brien  --No, I don't get a commision on subscriptions.