| Technology today allows an advanced aircraft to take off, fly to its destination, and land almost entirely on its own. Most aircraft, however, do not have this capability, requiring skills by the cockpit crew to successfully perform the required tasks. The primary phases of flight are take off, climb, cruise, descent, initial and final approach, and landing. The largest numbers of aviation accidents occur during the initial descent through landing phases of flight.; Research literature and Federal Aviation Administration data have been reviewed to uncover information pertaining to the critical transition from instrument flight procedures to visual navigation in order to successfully, and routinely, perform safe landings. This research project was undertaken to test a variety of approach lighting systems designs using selected shapes and colors in various geometric patterns. The experiment was designed to uncover user needs, preferences, and performances, as they pertain to airport approach lighting systems.; A thorough analysis of the results indicates that current approach lighting systems do not provide the optimal cueing for flight crews. Another interesting result of the experiment demonstrates that user preference and performance do not necessarily match. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
