A Simulator Study of a Flight Reference Display for Powered-Lift STOL Aircraft

The present study deals with a proposed flight reference display for powered-lift STOL aircraft. The display design was aimed at providing pilots with new control cues for keeping its flight safety in low-speed and high-power approach. The display utilizes angle of attack, pitch angle and airspeed to indicate the flight reference for maintaining the flight safety margins. The display integrates the flight reference into an analogue airspeed scale. Piloted simulation using a moving-base flight simulator was conducted to verify the display which was designed on the basis of the flight test results of “ASKA”, the experimental STOL aircraft of National Aerospace Laboratory. The test results confirmed that performance of the display was satisfactory for both flight reference tracking and safety margin monitoring, and proper values of coefficients of the display equations were obtained. Flight tests with the new display are scheduled to finally confirm the best combination of the coefficients which compromises sensitivity to change in safety margin with handling qualities of flight reference regulation.