The material provided in this document consists of recommendations related to the design, analysis, testing, and intended functions of head up displays (HUDs) for transport category airplanes. The content of the document is limited to statements of general design and installation considerations, including display function criticality and compliance considerations; symbology, coding, clutter, dimensionality, and attention getting requirements; equipment installation; display visual characteristics; failure modes; information display and formatting; specific integrated display and mode; and system verification.

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) recommends criteria for the design and installation of Head-Up Display (HUD) systems. The recommendations are applicable to HUD systems for transport category aircraft, which display flight information (focused at infinity) in the forward field of view.The HUD total system requirement recommendations shall primarily lead to certifiable fail-passive CAT III characteristics and performance. This document forms a part of these recommendations.This document does not address devices for peripheral vision of displays worn by the pilot, nor the presentation of Enhanced Vision System (EVS) information. This document has been reaffirmed to comply with the SAE 5-Year Review policy.

This is a thorough description of this increasingly important technology, starting from the development of head-up displays (HUDs), particularly specifications and standards and operational problems associated with HUD use. HUD involvement in spatial disorientation and its use in recognizing and recovering from unusual attitudes is discussed. The book summarizes the design criteria including hardware, software, interface and display criteria. It goes on to outline flight tasks to be used for evaluating HUDs and discusses the impact of HUDs on flight training. Recent work indicates that a HUD may allow a significant reduction in the time required to train a pilot on a particular aircraft, even considering non-HUD-related tasks. The author concludes with a review of unresolved HUD issues and recommendations for further research and provides an impressive bibliography, glossary and index. Within the military aviation sector the book will be of use to industry, research agencies, test pilot schools and air force training establishments. In the civil area regulatory authorities, airlines and industry will also have an increasing interest.

This SAE Aerospace Standard (AS) specifies minimum performance standards for airborne binocular Head-Up Displays (HUDs) in fixed wing (14 CFR part 23, 25) aircraft; while this document is also applicable to rotorcraft (14 CFR part 27, 29) additional performance standards may be required for rotorcraft. This aerospace standard covers basic display standards, but does not include specific application requirements. Specific applications can include flight instrumentation, navigation, engine and system status, alerting, surveillance, communication, terrain awareness, weather, enhanced vision, synthetic vision and other displays.This document covers criteria for conformal and non-conformal HUD systems that are intended for use in the flight deck by the pilot or copilot. Display minimum performance characteristics are specified for standard and other environmental conditions for the purpose of product qualification.This document does not address sensor imaging systems, displays worn by the pilot (goggles, helmet mounted displays) or specific symbology to be displayed.This document is intended to be used in combination with other guidance material contained in current system specific, Technical Standard Orders (TSOs), Advisory Circulars (ACs), and other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved guidance material. This SAE Aerospace Standard can be applicable to HUDs used across multiple aircraft types. This SAE Aerospace Standard provides the Minimum Performance Standard for Airborne Head-Up Display (HUD) for use by the aerospace industry and may also be used by the FAA and other regulatory agencies in a technical standard order. The original version focused on CRT-HUD technology and Revision A updates the CRT requirements and extends the requirements to cover digital HUDs. This document was developed by the SAE A-4 HUD subcommittee and supersedes AS8055.

As the key source of information for pilots, the human visual system has necessarily driven much of the evolution in cockpit technology. In contrast to the complicated, gauge-based systems of the past, the electronic flight displays of today's modern airliners are testament to advances in human factors engineering. The next step in flight instrumentation, although already used for some 50 years in the military, is just beginning to emerge in civil transport aircraft. Head-up displays (HUDs) allow pilots to see key flight instrumentation while viewing the outside world. The need to look down at the flight instruments is removed by the HUD, resulting in increased situational awareness and greater precision in aircraft control. While the head-up display is a welcome development, as with many instances of human-technology interface, the benefits provided by HUDs are not without potential drawbacks.