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NASA Helps Clearing The Fog
Roland Piquepaille writes "NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program wants to cut fatal accident rates by 80 percent over the next ten years. To reach this goal, NASA researchers used "tunnel-in-the-sky" synthetic vision systems (SVS) in recent flights on a Gulfstream V over Reno, Nevada. A guest pilot for Aviation Week & Space Technology (AWST) went onboard and writes that 'NASA Team Brings Synthetic Vision to Maturity.' He was able to see that SVS concepts, such as voice-controlled synthetic vision displays, a runway incursion protection system, database integrity monitoring technology, and enhanced vision sensors meshed with SVS images, were really effective in eliminating low-visibility-induced accidents. However, NASA doesn't say anything about the availability of SVS for commercial airlines. This summary contains more details and illustrations about key SVS concepts."
Oh, it's much prettier than radar.
Art Schools Dietzilla
CLEARING THE FOG
."--Charles A. Lindbergh.
"What I really need is a pair of spectacles to see through the fog. . .
Almost eight decades and a host of hard-won technological advances later, NASA's Langley Research Center and its government, industry and university partners are delivering the equivalent of Lindbergh's fog-penetrating spectacles.
Recent flights here on a Gulfstream V (GV) testbed demonstrated that NASA's consortium of researchers has brought "tunnel-in-the-sky" synthetic vision systems (SVS) to an impressive level of functionality. Tweaking of some features is still warranted, and a suite of enhanced-vision sensors (EVS) is yet to be fully incorporated, but a transition from research to commercial products is clearly in the offing.
The research and demo flights at Reno/Tahoe International Airport last month marked the latest phase of NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program, which aims to cut fatal accident rates by 80% over 10 years. In 2001, similar evaluation flights on a NASA-Langley Boeing 757 were flown at Eagle County Regional Airport near Vail, Colo. Those highlighted individual elements of SVS, and garnered valuable inputs from NASA, airline, FAA and Boeing pilots (AW&ST Oct. 29, 2001, p. 78).
This summer's Reno deployment focused on integrating several SVS elements to give pilots not only excellent airborne situational awareness, but also runway incursion protection on the ground, and a means of ensuring computer-generated displays are accurate depictions of the environment. I was one of several guest pilots given the opportunity to fly in the GV's left seat and see a number of NASA and Rockwell Collins SVS concepts. Specifically, new integrated concepts included:
* Synthetic vision displays.
* A runway incursion protection system (Rips).
* Enhanced-vision sensors, such as forward-looking infrared (Flir) and advanced weather radar systems, mated with SVS images.
* Database integrity monitoring equipment.
By most pilots' accounts, NASA's team has done an excellent job of meeting the goal of its Synthetic Vision Systems Project: finding ways to eliminate low-visibility-induced accidents. Specifically, the project sought to develop technologies and procedures to avoid CFIT--controlled flight into terrain--during poor weather and at night.
Researchers aimed to "make every flight the equivalent of clear-day operations--what we call 'virtual VMC' [visual meteorological conditions]," said Daniel G. Baize, NASA-Langley's SVS project manager. "SVS is another layer of protection on top of enhanced ground proximity [warning systems]--a great tool in itself--but synthetic vision will give a more intuitive and more advanced warning of a potential terrain [encounter]."
Although definitions vary, NASA's team decided "enhanced vision" refers to sensor-based means of giving pilots information about terrain and man-made features when visibility is obscured. "Synthetic vision" is an artificial, computer-generated view based on a detailed terrain database. Combining the two can either be done via "fusion"--creating one image by melding sensor and database elements--or "integration," which overlays sensor and terrain data.
The latter "provides the flight crew with a synthetic view of the environment, regardless of the weather or time of day," Baize says. "We always start with the database, which includes terrain [and] obstacles. Then we position you within that database to the highest degree of accuracy possible . . . using a differential GPS system [at Reno]. We then confirm your position in the database with a variety of sensors."
During the Reno demonstration-flight phase, the GV's standard Kollsman Inc. "All-Weather Window" infrared-based system provided thermal imagery to both head-up and head-down displays, when selected. A recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2004 Technology Innovation Award, the Kollsman EVS operates in the 1-5-micron region, which allows b
as in more visual. Most ground-based beacons and VORs and the like can provide "tunnels" to airplanes, and autopilots can bridge the gap in between places with beacons, but until now it was rather conceptual. That new technology allows pilots to visualize directly the virtual route.
Commercial airplanes could benefit from this today, which is what's great.
The ILS (instrument landing system) allows very low visibility (zero-zero) approaches using a glidesope indicator for height and localizer for direction, however, often flights are cancelled because fog prevents safe manouvering on the ground. What is really needed is a way to see static and moving objects through the fog. The visualization technology is cute and would be especially useful for training.
A runway incursion protection system (Rips).
Guess they really had to add "system". Too bad, this screwed up an interesting acronym.
It's been three decades since the average number of incident per million movement has stagnated, how do this project's managers think they'll be effective where nothing was in all this time ?
Adding information to the pilot's input is probably not a good idea. Risk management experts such as René Amalberti have explained in great length that sensory overload exhausts cognitive resources, leaving little for actual piloting. The only few occasions where some new information technology would probably prove useful are situations where lack of information leads to a dangerous difference between what the pilot THINKS is happening, and what is REALLY happening. These sorts of difference is what leads to catastrophe (Sharm el Cheik being only one). I think there are a number of occasions where the SVS would help, but how many new loopholes, how many false assumptions ("The system does not show THAT so the situation is safe") will it introduce ?
I'll keep my doubt until I see the system's limitations.
Maybe we deserve this world ?
Wonder when we'll get to see this same technology on production automobiles. I remember hearing about multiple-car pileups in larger cities due only to foggy or otherwise low-visibility conditions. Think of the number of lives this could save.
Don't blame me -- I voted for Roslin.
From the statistics on this web site it becomes clear that low-visibility landings account for far less than 80% of the crashes. So other measures are necessary as well if plane crashes are to be reduced by that factor.
As I get it, the point is not that the position information is more accurate,as it still comes from the same mix of radio beacons, inertial navigation systems an GPS datas. It is just that the data is more readable for the pilot.
;-)
Yet i'm not sure it's more useful: Commercial airliners are _all_ equiped with "Flight directors", with seems to be the best info a pilot could get. It is displayed as two bars on the artificial horizon, and tells the pilot which way he should move the commands to follow in the best possible way the planned route, heading, vertical speed, ILS, speed, whatever the pilot chose to follow.
It uses derivates to the second degree of the raw position data to compute intercept path and anticipations, and following it is a breeze : just keep the cross centered, and you'll get a smooth, perfect trajectory. Cross up, you pull until it's centered. Cross left, bank left until centered. No brain required.
I'm not sure fancy graphics would be quite as reliable or useful: have you ever tried following a tunnel thing in some flight simulator ? It's much harder than stupidly keeping a cross centered, especially after a long trancoceanic flight
better visualisation.
you know, like when you play all those fancy pc space sims and there's helper virtual tunnels and shit to help you land and see the planned route 'floating' in air.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
the whole point of this system is to remedy sensory underload. when you've got good visibility, if the synthetic displays get in the way, you just turn them off.
How expesive is it going to be ??????
HSI's are expensive enough that not every one has them...!!!
80%.... I dont think so.
More over, this is so unrealistic, that it really makes me think this is being done by scientists with 0 flight hours, not pilots.
I love flying, and I think the situation is so sad.
The FAA presumes every year of declining accident rates, yes, sure, what they dont tell you is that their pretty charts dont show the also declining number of total pilots every year.
I can see it, by 2020, new mandatory equipment for all IFR flight!!! Great 100 less accidents on its first year....... beacuse 100 less pilots who could nor afford it....
We dont need new fancy computer equipment, we need
to make more efficient what we already have.
We need for airplanes, what Robinson just did for helicopters
Instead of adding fancy equipement NASA should invest
in making current equipment more efficient and cheap!
Most GA airplanes are over 20 years old!!!
The radios are around 5-15 years old on average in a GA airplane, the VOR navigation dates from the second world war!.......
We dont need to add toys to this, we need to fix what we already have.
... I'm surprised no one has noted the acronym for Tunnel In The Sky.
:-)
I'm so immature (though probably older than 95% of Slashdot posters).
- S
Ever have it all go black as pitch in a heartbeat, with you fumbling for your flashlight, and half an antiquated partial panel, a stopwatch, a wad of Jepp charts and a merrily bouncing mag compass between you and destiny?
What saved you then, brave airman, as your synthetic vision system "tunnel in the sky" caressed you with its blank black silence?
http://www.syntheticvision.com/
If you want to see a demo of what does means "tunnel in the sky" download this demo http://www.dynamitechs.com/ and open the project "path tube Demo" and run the simulation.
You have a point there.
At least price-wise, I can see that, after adding up what you pay for all the normal instruments in a regular GA airplane, probably its about the same.
But, at the same time you hit on one problem.
-Reliability
If the vacuum quits, you know you have the turn coordinator, a completely separate piece of equipment, with a completely different power source.
And, if you need to replace it, you only replace that part, not the whole panel!
I have seen LCD's die on me. What will you do then? IS that going to last 10 > 20 years like
a good old VOR indicator, or a gyro compass?
I dont think so. That is not theri market
There are several practical reasons, not only economical, why this could not be a full gauge replacement,and, anyway, I dont think this is the intent of the designers.
Im just talking for all the GA pilots not flying jet powered Gulfstreams, or almost supersonic Citation Jets, that can not afford this, and have been forgotten by the FAA who only cares about airliners, or looking good infront of Congress.
Since we are not paying a million or two for a gulfstream, or own an airline , the only way we can see this improve is with goverment money.
Dont get me wrong, this technology is great. But, last year there were ZERO deaths in US ariline flights. They have the latest in flight directors, MFDs, radio alts.... thats great.
What is being done for the almost 1000 GA pilots who died that year because of using ancient vaccum designs or >10 year old VORS, just because it take years for the FAA and the industry in general to do something about us ?
My 2 cents, and thats it, cause flying leaves me with not much else