OVERVIEW OF NASA ROTORCRAFT HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH

The Rotorcraft Human Factors Research Branch was established at Ames in 1987. Its goal is to develop human factors data bases and design principles which will improve the safety of current and projected military and civilian operations and aid designers and operators in expanding mission capabilities and optimizing training time and cost. There are four major program elements: (1) Situational Awareness, (2) Pilot/Vehicle Interface, (3) Mission Management, and (4) Training. Laboratory, simulation, and flight experiments completed in each of these areas are reviewed, and principles that are beginning to emerge are summarized.