Target detection with helmet-mounted displays in low visibility helicopter operations

Poor visibility can pose a serious safety hazard in helicopter flight, leading to a loss of situation awareness, spatial disorientation, and high pilot workload. Therefore, the use of helmet-mounted displays recently became increasingly important for rotary-wing aircraft. To assist pilots in degraded visual environment, new HMD symbology designs were developed at the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance. They were tested in a simulator study with 18 civil and military helicopter pilots and compared to a state-of-the art PFD/ND test condition. Concurrent task performance was investigated, which included the detection and identification of targets in the environment. Hit rate was analyzed as a function of display type, visibility, target type, and the presence or absence of cueing. Moreover, differences between pilot experience and operational area were assessed. Results revealed a significant HMD detection cost for un-cued targets compared to when no symbology was presented. In contrast, cueing significantly increased hit rate, resulting in substantial HMD benefits when proper attentional guidance was provided. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.