Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a novel concept of air transportation using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to move passengers and cargo between urban, suburban, and interregional transportation networks. The AAM domain is introducing new pilot interfaces aimed to facilitate reduction in pilot training and the eventual transfer of pilot-in-command responsibility to automated systems on the aircraft. To achieve this, AAM is designing for simplified vehicle operations (SVO), which focus on the application of automation coupled with human factors best practices and approaches (General Aviation Manufacturers Association, 2019). The SVO concept aims to ensure seamless coordination and execution of both independent and joint pilot and automation functions eventually reducing the time and training required for new pilots to fly an aircraft. This aligns with the current focus in the military to accelerate training and reduce the time required to complete training.
A market survey was conducted to identify leading eVTOL aircraft configurations and trends in SVO pilot interfaces. Common trends identified included large displays, integration of flight information such as speed, altitude, heading, climb and descent rate, flight path, battery power information, origin and destination of the flight, weather information, aircraft range and location, tilt information, and rotation per minute (RPM). Proposed pilot interfaces range in their level of landing precision information, the number of displays, checklist presentation, and how battery information is presented. Interviews were then conducted with civilian and military helicopter pilots, military UAS operators, and fixed-wing electric aircraft pilots to understand the major differences between traditional and SVO pilot interfaces and to obtain expert pilot reactions to SVO pilot interfaces, including what they foresee as the benefits and challenges. Findings from the market and interview studies will be presented, including relevancy to the design of future pilot interfaces for both commercial and military applications.
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Additional Keywords
Advanced air mobility, eVTOL, Simplified vehicle operations, Pilot interface, Human factors,