NASA flight management research

The NASA Flight Management Research Program is committed to better understanding the aircrew role and human-system interface requirements within the air transportation system. Tradition pilot roles have been supplemented by the flight management concept where crew members become decision makers and monitors of aircraft status. The aircrew is viewed as skilled human operators in a complex environment. In a systems context, work is under way to better understand the theoretical basis for human performance. Applied efforts are aimed at investigating current and future problems which crews face as flight managers. Research areas include control-display development and evaluation; procedures for effective crew-system interface; and alternative, nonvisual communication techniques. These areas are investigated in laboratory, part-task simulation and full mission simulation studies.