Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Sierra Martinez, Senior Frank Cunningham, Nicole Giordano, Olivia H. Honan, Katie Stubits, Heather Bond, Paul Seal, Brandon Ibarra
Lead Presenter's Name
Sierra Martinez
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Alex Chaparro
Abstract
Air taxis are meant to perform short-distance, lower-altitude flights in challenging terrain- whether it be maneuvering around skyscrapers in urban areas, or for emergency responders in remote, difficult to access areas. It is paramount that the control system is intuitive and user friendly, since air taxi pilots will likely receive less training than commercial airline pilots. The Human Factors Department is working to advance Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiatives by evaluating alternative inceptors (ie. control systems) that might be used in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) air taxi designs. The controller itself needs to have specific and distinct enough operations so that tasks aren’t “contaminated” by the controller, as action overlap gives pilots less precise control, and can be dangerous. Beyond safety and functionality concerns, the inceptor must also be comfortable for extended pilot use. Overall, the aim of this work is to identify which type of inceptor supports superior performance in terms of pilot flight performance and workload. This study is in progress, our next step is to use prior research regarding pilot perceptions of existing inceptors in order to determine the best designs for our upcoming data testing on pilots at novice, medium, and expert experience levels. Participants will be asked to perform a series of maneuvers in a flight simulator using an array of potential inceptor designs. They will then be asked to provide feedback and scale ratings for each design. Finally, we will compare flight performance to pilot feedback in order to determine the best option for air taxi implementation. Benefits of the study include identifying pilot preferences, handling quality of inceptors, and the effects of inceptors on Flight Performance Metrics.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Included in
Aeronautical Vehicles Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons
Simplified Flight Controls for Urban Air Mobility (UAM)
Air taxis are meant to perform short-distance, lower-altitude flights in challenging terrain- whether it be maneuvering around skyscrapers in urban areas, or for emergency responders in remote, difficult to access areas. It is paramount that the control system is intuitive and user friendly, since air taxi pilots will likely receive less training than commercial airline pilots. The Human Factors Department is working to advance Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiatives by evaluating alternative inceptors (ie. control systems) that might be used in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) air taxi designs. The controller itself needs to have specific and distinct enough operations so that tasks aren’t “contaminated” by the controller, as action overlap gives pilots less precise control, and can be dangerous. Beyond safety and functionality concerns, the inceptor must also be comfortable for extended pilot use. Overall, the aim of this work is to identify which type of inceptor supports superior performance in terms of pilot flight performance and workload. This study is in progress, our next step is to use prior research regarding pilot perceptions of existing inceptors in order to determine the best designs for our upcoming data testing on pilots at novice, medium, and expert experience levels. Participants will be asked to perform a series of maneuvers in a flight simulator using an array of potential inceptor designs. They will then be asked to provide feedback and scale ratings for each design. Finally, we will compare flight performance to pilot feedback in order to determine the best option for air taxi implementation. Benefits of the study include identifying pilot preferences, handling quality of inceptors, and the effects of inceptors on Flight Performance Metrics.