Geographic Orientation in Aircraft Pilots: A Post-Flight Method of Reporting Navigation Performance

摘要

The purpose of this study was to develop a method of obtaining data on pilot navigation performance from operational sources. The primary requirement of the method was to obtain these data in a form that would be useful in the design of aeronautical charts and map displays. The report describes the method in detail and gives some results of a pretest conducted with a sample of Navy and Air Force pilots. The method requires pilots to record certain aspects of their navigation performance after the completion of a sortie. They record (1) their track and, at specific intervals along their track their actual elapsed times, (2) their use of navigational checkpoints, and, (3) their subjective awareness of position (geographic orientation) at specific intervals along their track. This information is recorded on the chart used by the pilot on the sortie. The pilots also record other information regarding the characteristics of the mission, the aircraft, the operational conditions and pilot experience. This information is recorded on a questionnaire. The pretest of the reporting method indicated that it is a feasible means of obtaining data on navigation performance from operational squadrons and can be implemented without interfering with squadron routine. A follow-up study will assess the validity of the data. If the data prove valid, the method can be implemented within a wide variety of military squadrons and the results used to construct standards of performance for different missions and types of aircraft.