The Effects of Head and Sensor Movement on Flight Profiles during Simulated Dive Bombing

Abstract

A dive bombing mission was performed in a simulator by 5 experienced USAF pilots. Their view out of the cockpit was provided by an aircraft-fixed or head-steered sensor. Despite significant differences in performance with the two sensors, the mean flight profiles flown with each sensor were similar. However, with the head-steered sensor, some subjects made consistently different head movements. The same subjects also flew different flight profiles. These subjects exploited the mobility of the head-steered sensor to make large amplitude head displacements during ascent. As a result, they sighted the target earlier. It is shown that these early-sighting subjects made changes to their flight profiles during ascent which allowed them, during descent, to aim their aircraft at the target earlier, while higher. Consequently, the early-sighting subjects released their bombs significantly higher than the late-sighting subjects (high bomb release is beneficial to aircraft survival).