Advanced technology will allow many changes to the cockpit of a 1995 era transport aircraft. Hew information will be available to the pilot from airborne computers and data transfer with the ground. Sophisticated autoflight systems will save time and fuel. These advances can completely change the role of the pilots of future aircraft. Many questions must be answered before we can safely and efficiently take advantage of technological advances. To understand and evaluate advanced cockpit technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Lockheed-Georgia Company have completed three identical Advanced Concepts Flight Simulation Facilities.
Many advanced features have been incorporated in the simulators, e.g., cathode ray tube displays of flight and systems information operated via touch-screen or voice, print-outs of clearances, cockpit traffic displays, current databases containing navigational charts, weather, and flight plan information, and fuel-efficient autopilot control from takeoff to touchdown. More importantly, this cockpit is a versatile test-bed for studying displays, controls, procedures, and crew management in a full-mission context. The facility also has an air traffic control simulation, with radio and data communications, and an outside visual scene with variable weather conditions. These provide a veridical flight environment to accurately evaluate advanced concepts in flight stations.