UAS Pilot Assessments of Display and Alerting for the Airborne Collision Avoidance System XU

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-163
Author(s):  
Casey L. Smith ◽  
R. Conrad Rorie ◽  
Kevin J. Monk ◽  
Jillian Keeler ◽  
Garrett G. Sadler
Keyword(s):  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
National Airspace System ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Collision Avoidance System ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Initial Iteration ◽  
Integrated Display

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) must comply with specific standards to operate in the National Airspace System (NAS). Among the requirements are the detect and avoid (DAA) capabilities, which include display, alerting, and guidance specifications. Previous studies have queried pilots for their subjective feedback of these display elements on earlier systems; the present study sought pilot evaluations with an initial iteration of the unmanned variant of a Next Generation Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS XU). Sixteen participants piloted simulated aircraft with both standalone and integrated DAA displays. Their opinions were gathered using post-block and post-simulation questionnaires as well as guided debriefs. The data showed pilots had better understanding and comfort with the system when using an integrated display. Pilots also rated ACAS XU alerting and guidance as generally acceptable and effective. Implications for further development of ACAS XU and DAA displays are discussed.

scholarly journals Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System-Efforts by the University of Alaska to Support the FAA/NASA UAS Traffic Management Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3112
Author(s):  
Michael Hatfield ◽  
Catherine Cahill ◽  
Peter Webley ◽  
Jessica Garron ◽  
Rebecca Beltran
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Management ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
National Airspace System ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
The University

Over the past decade Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, aka “drones”) have become pervasive, touching virtually all aspects of our world. While UAS offer great opportunity to better our lives and strengthen economies, at the same time these can significantly disrupt manned flight operations and put our very lives in peril. Balancing the demanding and competing requirements of safely integrating UAS into the United States (US) National Airspace System (NAS) has been a top priority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for several years. This paper outlines efforts taken by the FAA and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system as a means to address this capability gap. It highlights the perspectives and experiences gained by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) as one of the FAA’s six UAS test sites participating in the NASA-led UTM program. The paper summarizes UAF’s participation in the UTM Technical Capability Level (TCL1-3) campaigns, including flight results, technical capabilities achieved, lessons learned, and continuing challenges regarding the implementation of UTM in the NAS. It also details future efforts needed to enable practical Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) flights for UAS operations in rural Alaska.

scholarly journals Human Factors Contributions to the Development of Standards for Displays of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Support of Detect-and-Avoid

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Phuong L. Vu ◽  
Robert Conrad Rorie ◽  
Lisa Fern ◽  
Robert Jay Shively
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
National Airspace System ◽  
Human In The Loop ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Human Systems Integration ◽  
High Level ◽  
Evidence Based Guidelines

Objective The aim is to provide a high-level synthesis of human factors research that contributed to the development of detect-and-avoid display requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Background The integration of UAS into the U.S. National Airspace System is a priority under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Modernization and Reform Act. For UAS to have routine access to the National Airspace System, UAS must have detect-and-avoid capabilities. One human factors challenge is to determine how to display information effectively to remote pilots for performing detect-and-avoid tasks. Method A high-level review of research informing the display requirements for UAS detect-and-avoid is provided. In addition, description of the contributions of human factors researchers in the writing of the requirements is highlighted. Results Findings from human-in-the-loop simulations are used to illustrate how evidence-based guidelines and requirements were established for the display of information to assist pilots in performing detect-and-avoid. Implications for human factors are discussed. Conclusion Human factors researchers and engineers made many contributions to generate the data used to justify the detect-and-avoid display requirements. Human factors researchers must continue to be involved in the development of standards to ensure that requirements are evidence-based and take into account human operator performance and human factors principles and guidelines. Application The research presented in this paper is relevant to the design of UAS, the writing of standards and requirements, and the work in human–systems integration.

scholarly journals UAS Pilot Evaluations of Suggestive Guidance on Detect-and-Avoid Displays

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Monk ◽  
Zachary Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Performance Data ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
National Airspace System ◽  
Clear Preference ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Subjective Assessments ◽  
Objective Performance

Minimum display requirements for Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) systems are being developed in order to support the expansion of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). The present study examines UAS pilots’ subjective assessments of four DAA display configurations with varying forms of maneuver guidance. For each configuration, pilots rated the intuitiveness of the display and how well it supported their ability to perform the DAA task. Responses revealed a clear preference for the DAA displays that presented suggestive maneuver guidance in the form of “banding” compared to an Information Only display, which lacked any maneuver guidance. Implications on DAA display requirements, as well as the relation between the subjective evaluations and the objective performance data from previous studies are discussed.

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