The emphasis on aviator workload has been of primary concern to the US Army aviation community since the incorporation of low altitude terrain flight techniques into the helicopter tactics repertory. Since navigation has been a particularly acute problem at low altitudes, this project examined the visual workload of the navigator/copilot during terrain flight (nap-of-the-earth, contour and low level) in a UH-1H helicopter. Visual performance was measured via a modified NAC Eye Mark Recorder used in conjunction with a LO-CAM high speed camera. This technique provided the means to objectively record and analyze the navigator's visual performance through the examination of: (1) visual time inside the cockpit on flight and engine instruments, (2) time inside the cockpit on the map or other navigation aids, and (3) time outside the cockpit in various windscreen sectors. A visual free time task (Strother, 1973) was utilized to determine the amount of visual time the navigator had available, during flight over the prescribed course, for a nonflight related task. The data indicate that the navigator's normal workload was demanding; the visual free time task was utilized only 3% of the total time. The data also indicate that the duty of navigating required 92.2% of the copilot's total visual time while the engine and flight instruments were utilized only 4% of the time. These data are discussed in relation to the copilot's specified duties.

No abstract

This report was initiated to review the techniques and modifications developed by the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory for assessing visual performance/workload of pilots during helicopter operations. Although the corneal reflection technique for gathering eye movement data is not new, innovative modifications had to be developed to permit accurate data collection in this flight environment. This study reports on these techniques, modifications, and applications.

The emphasis on aviator workload has been of primary concern to the U.S. Army aviation community since the incorporation of low altitude terrain flight techniques into the helicopter tactics repertory. Since navigation is a particularly acute problem at low altitudes, this project examined the visual workload of the navigator/copilot during terrain flight (nap-of-the-earth, contour, and low level) in a UH-1H helicopter. Visual performance was measured via a modified NAC Eye Mark Recorder used in conjunction with a LOCAM high speed camera. This technique provided the means to record objectively and analyze the navigator's visual performance. A visual free time task was utilized to determine the amount of visual time the navigator had available, during flight over the prescribed course, for a nonflight-related task. The data indicate that the navigator's normal workload was demanding; the visual free time task was utilized only 3% of the total time. The data also indicate that the duty of navigating required 92.2% of the copilot's total visual time, while the engine and flight instruments were utilized only 4% of the time. These data are discussed in relation to the copilot's specified duties.

No abstract