Cockpit Displays is an in-depth examination of the design rationales, test philosophy and test procedures for cockpit systems. Whilst its main emphasis is on cockpit displays, it also includes an important discussion of flight management systems and mission computers. Areas covered include: the cockpit design process, test techniques for flight displays and equipment, and situation awareness testing. Comparing civil and military requirements, it is an important analysis of the lessons learned from test and evaluation and will be of interest to cockpit systems design engineering staff at major airframe manufacturers, procurement executives and program managers at military aircraft program offices and flight test engineers and test pilots.

A user's review of the design rationales, test philosophy and procedures of cockpit systems; emphasizing displays, flight management systems and mission computers, military and civil, for engineers, procurement executives and program managers.

Proceedings of SPIE present the original research papers presented at SPIE conferences and other high-quality conferences in the broad-ranging fields of optics and photonics. These books provide prompt access to the latest innovations in research and technology in their respective fields. Proceedings of SPIE are among the most cited references in patent literature.

Cockpit Engineering provides an understandable introduction to cockpit systems and a reference to current concepts and research. The emphasis throughout is on the cockpit as a totality, and the book is accordingly comprehensive. The first chapter is an overview of how the modern cockpit has evolved to protect the crew and enable them to do their job. The importance of psychological and physiological factors is made clear in the following two chapters that summarise the expectable abilities of aircrew and the hazards of the airborne environment. The fourth chapter describes the stages employed in the design of a modern crewstation and the complications that have been induced by automated avionic systems. The subsequent chapters review the component systems and the technologies that are utilized. Descriptions of equipment for external vision - primarily the windscreen, canopy and night-vision systems - are followed by pneumatic, inertial and electro-mechanical instruments and the considerations entailed in laying out a suite of displays and arranging night-lighting. Separate chapters cover display technology, head-up displays, helmet-mounted displays, controls (including novel controls that respond directly to speech and the activity of the head, eye and brain), auditory displays, emergency escape, and the complex layers of clothing and headgear. The last chapter gives the author's speculative views on ideas and research that could profoundly alter the form of the crewstation and the role of the crew. Although the focus of the book is on combat aircraft, which present the greatest engineering and ergonomic challenges, Cockpit Engineering is written for professional engineers and scientists involved in aerospace research, manufacture and procurement; and for aircrew, both civil and military - particularly during training. It will also be of great interest to university students specialising in aerospace, mechanical and electronic engineering, and to professional engineers and scientists in the marine, automotive and related industries.