Task Loading of Pilots in Simulated Low-Altitude High-Speed Flight

Abstract

Pilots were task-loaded to various degrees in simulated low-altitude, high-speed flight. Approximately 210 hours of flight were made in a moving-base simulator that had a total vertical travel of 12 feet and an acceleration capability of ±6G. A jet aircraft in the light fighter or attack category was mechanized on the simulator's analog computer. Flights were made over several types of terrain at several airspeeds under different conditions of navigation task and emergency task loading. Medium-heavy turbulence was simulated for the flights, each of which lasted one hour.

Performance deteriorated markedly as terrain slopes increased in steepness and as airspeed increased from .4 Mach and .7 Mach to .9 Mach. Navigation and emergency task performance did not vary with any of the experimental conditions, and did not affect the pilots' ability to maintain a 500 foot terrain clearance. There was no evidence of fatigue during the flights.

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