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Exploring the feasibility of the virtual environment helicopter system

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1. 8 Viewing of your kneeboard through the Head Mounted Display HMD was acceptable Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree o Strongly agree Page 1 of 3 Figure 40 Post Flight Questionnaire page 1 125 9 Viewing of the instrument panel through the Head Mounted Display HMD was acceptable Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree o Strongly agree 10 The terrain depicted in the VEHELO appeared realistic in size and dimension Yes No 11 Encountered no problem distinguishing the required level of ground detail for successful route navigation Yes No 12 The VEHELO made you feel queasy or nauseous Yes No 13 The VEHELO was disorienting because it is a motionless platform Yes No 15 The VEHELO currently provides a 60 degree field of view FOV Would it be more beneficial if a wider FOV was provided by the system Yes No 16 Ifa wider FOV were available by the system would it induce less discomfort or nausea a Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral n Agree a Strongly agree 17 The weight or complexity of the headgear was a factor in any discomfort that resulted from using the system Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree o Strongly agree 18 In your opinion the VEHELO simulator system may help reduce pilot work
2. Padfield G D amp White M D 1997 Measuring Simulation Fidelity through an Adaptive Pilot Model WWW Document URL http pcwww liv ac uk eweb fst publications htm June 2004 Micheletti J D amp Wurpts M J 2000 Applying Chroma Keying Techniques in a Virtual Environment Southwest Research Institute P O Drawer 28510 San Antonio TX WWW Document URL http www tss swri edu pub pdf 2000AEROSENSE HMD pdf June 2004 Barham P Plamondon B Dumanoir P amp Pat Garitty 2001 VICTER An Embedded Virtual Simulation System for Land Warrior LW 91 Dismukes K Young G Captain Sumwalt R 1998 Cockpit Interruptions and Distractions ASRS Directive WWW Document URL http asrs arc nasa gov directline issues June 2004 Mole Richardson Co Inc 2001 WWW Document URL http www studiodepot com store June 2004 Pelco 1999 WWW Document URL ftp www pelco com ProductSpecs 2752 PDF June 2004 Sullivan J A 1998 Helicopter Terrain Navigation Training Using a Wide Field of View Desktop Virtual Environment Unpublished Master s Thesis Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA Lennerton Mark 2004 Exploring a Chromakeyed Augmented Environment for Viability as an Embedded Training System for Military Helicopters Unpublished Master s Thesis Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA Ultimate Corp 2000 Ultimatte 400 Deluxe Op
3. 73 35 Relfecmedia s LED Liteting 2245259930 Sos RU eee Ro s 83 36 VEHELO Set up Configuration wale sees a ote ee ue LES 37 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 1 119 38 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 2 120 39 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 3 121 xiii Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig re re re Te re qe re re BRP RRB HB AD NYHA ORB WNEF O Post Fl Post Flight Post Flight Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject cr er cer cT CT ighi OW W NY Res Res Res Res Res CT 1 i IO UL UL UL estionnaire estionnaire estionnaire xiv page 1 page 2 page 3 125 126 SS aan aa ana LAT 129 131 133 135 137 QOO 1001 C0 PO ES 0000000000000000 O01 0o F52n o e LIST OF TABLES VEHE MO JNCONNSCE DONS s gui eer qu le puke eee 54 VEHELO Program Keyboard Instructions 57 Preflight Brief Items as Per T amp R 61 Preflight Questionnaire Results i c 99 e OS 68 Subject s Checkpoint Proximity 71 Onecwowy ANOVA x ate aie ak ao eret eth eq 72 One way ANOVAS CONE ivelkeeX4RIueemexdedu e ue eur Ur eos 73 Ene dye Idi Sanhs sgh ee eer ISSN Te 74 IP Proctor Summarized Results oreesa anea ee ee a a 78 VEHELO CONNECE PONS wq ea eee OO RAR Rue RU
4. AIRCRAFT VEHELO AIRCRAFT 0 00 368 50 VEHELO 368 50 0 00 Alpha 0 05 Table 7 One way ANOVA cont A plot of the average deviation from checkpoints for the VEHELO AIRCRAFT AVG AVG V A is shown below in Figure 33 against the same measure for the It depicts a high positive correlation suggesting that VEHELO may be a good predictor of performance in the aircraft Ideally the VEHELO could be used as a measure of readiness to perform a mission study Because of the small subject population in this the results are inconclusive but a trend is suggested This issue will require further research for verification TOD Inm EPA EBD Lj a Me aon enn ava fA Linear fs B Figure 34 Bi Variate Fit of AVG V by AVG A 73 AVG V 532 24506 0 316692 AVG A Summary of Fit RSquare 0 123822 RSquare Adj 0 75236 Root Mean Square Error 101 3082 Mean of Response 594 Observations or Sum Wats 3 Analysis of Variance Source DF Sum of Squares Mean Square F Ratio Model 1450 443 1450 4 0 1413 Error 10263 551 10263 6 Prob gt F C Tota e 11714 000 0 7711 Parameter Estimates Term Estimate Std Error tRatio Prob gt ttl Intercept 232 24506 74 3766 3 05 0 2016 AVG A 0316692 0 84243 038 207711 Table 8 Linear Fit 74 3 Debrief and Comments The value of the data obtained was described in the earlier body of work by Lennerton The metrics were
5. of this work The test subjects were previously designated military helicopter pilots after completion of initial helicopter training with the U S Navy at Training Air Wing 5 in Pensacola Florida All subjects were male novice pilots and were undergoing the Combat Capable Phase Helicopter Training in accordance with the U S M C Training and Readiness Manual Figure 30 Upon completion of the Combat Capable phase of training the pilots are designated as Helicopter Second Pilot H2P in the CH 46E and transferred to the Fleet Marine Force FMF for operational duty The subject pool was all eligible for the NAV 130 and NAV 131 day navigation flights IAW the CH 46E T amp R Manual Mission criteria and performance standards are shown in Appendix A All the students had completed all required prerequisites for these flights Those prerequisites consisted of completing a one hour academic navigation class and at least FAM 113 Familiarization The ability to dynamically prioritize tasks is a critical yet learned skill required for all helicopter flight regimes All test subjects were previously 58 designated pilots and thus they meet the expert criteria with regard to the knowledge about and skills involved in the activities of a multitasked cockpit environment Combat Capable Months Figure 30 Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS Training Timeline 2 Treatment Subjects wer
6. TRANSITION PILOT NO EVENTS NO HOURS CRP ACFT SIM ACFT SIM ACFT SIM EU 25 0 11 11 15 5 22 0 10 0 4 5 4 3 6 0 6 0 4 0 3 0 a o 6 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 2 0 1 5 0 5 2 1 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 5 1 1 1 5 2 0 1 0 0 5 1 0 1 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 1 1 5 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 27 18 39 5 36 0 25 0 10 0 45 75 5 35 0 45 75 5 60 0 Mos CREW POSITION REFLY INTERVAL CRE 95 PILOT 3 Navigation NAV a b Purpose To develop navigation skills using charts and maps General Conversion aircrews qualified and current in navigation in previous type aircraft are exempt c a NAV 130 1 Pilots will be prepared to discuss the seven critical steps of CRM as applicable to each event Crew Requirement IP RAC CC Plight Training 4 Flights 6 0 Hours 1 5 1 CH 46E A Goal Introduce day visual navigation Requirement 1 Discuss ref CH 46E NATOPS Manual CH 46E Flight Standardization Manual CH 46E TAC Manual a CRM b Lost plane procedures c Time distance checks d Distance estimation and map legend information e Map Preparation f METT TSL considerations on route selection 2 Introduce a Navigation procedures emphasizing use of terrain contour features and triangulation to determine position b Use of 1 250 000 maps c Point to point navigation to at least five checkpoints at 200 to 500 feet AGL Remain within 500 meters of course line Perf
7. 3 Mission essential equipment a Personal b Aircraft c Passengers E Emergency Procedures 1 Aborts PAC PNAC CC 2 Downed aircraft controlled uncontrolled PAC PNAC CC 3 Loss of communications PAC PNAC CC 4 Inadvertent IMC procedures PAC PNAC 5 Aircraft emergencies actual simulated PAC PNAC CC 6 Aircraft system failure actual simulated PAC PNAC CC PAC PNAC H Training Information 1 T amp R requirements Discussion items Demonstrate Introduce Review n Crew coordination 1 Pilot at the controls terrain obstacles radio calls clearance emergencies 2 Pilot not at the controls navigation barriers monitor performance ruments inst gauges normal duties emergencies 3 Aircrew lookout navigation obstacles clearance emergencies 124 APPENDIX G POST FLIGHT QUESTIONNAIRE Please read first The following post flight questionnaire is completely confidential Nothing you do or answer will be related to you in any manner Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire which is organized into two sections Section A Evaluation of System and Section B Comments Remember there is no time limit Hand the completed questionnaire to the Instructor when you are done Subject Number Instructor use only Date Flight in AC A Evaluation of System 1 Navigating in the VEHELO re
8. LQLUEZOZCZ IC Laptop Console Computer EOS USA Kramer Video Splitter Electronics Israel 818525008E1107 Spectrum S2 Converter Ultimatte Video Mixer Ultimatte 400 Ultimatte Mixer Remote Comoe 2 12182 11296 Smart Remote Camera and Camera Control Panasonic GP US532H Unit Virtual HMD Reasearch USA HMD Control 9Z2175 112 9 V8EBY26 and lt BOX USN 62271A2703 99 InertisCub 100 1MU00 0210 Head Tracker Intersense SC2 0210282 D Instrument MultiSync 1880SX Panel Monitor ADC 6801 Signal Leitch 0126364 Mix Box Converter Multi Signal Leitch SDC 100 Converter One Case consisting of Center Case w intern Quadraflex al racks Equipment Case Thermodyne a 12107L Cover Qty2 12108R Cover Qty 2 Rack Mounted SMART450RT 9142ALCSM m ind Network Hub Netgear iz S105 NOTE TrippLite UPS Transient Surge Protector All are quantity of one 1 except were indicated rj 100 APPENDIX C HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS A VRS V8 HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY From Virtual Research Systems Display Mechanical Control Box Electrical Dual 1 3 diagonal Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays Resolution per eye 640x3 x480 921 600 color elements COmtrasit racti s 200521 Field of view 60 diagonal Multi element glass fully color corrected design Interpupillar
9. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CALIFORNIA THESIS EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT HELICOPTER SYSTEM VEHELO FOR USE AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR MILITARY HELICOPTER PILOTS by W W Kulakowski September 2004 Thesis Advisor Rudolph Darken Thesis Co advisor Joseph A Sullivan This thesis done in cooperation with the MOVES Institute Approved for public release distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response including the time for reviewing instruction searching existing data sources gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information including suggestions for reducing this burden to Washington headquarters Services Directorate for Information Operations and Reports 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway Suite 1204 Arlington VA 22202 4302 and to the Office of Management and Budget Paperwork Reduction Project 0704 0188 Washington DC 20503 1 AGENCY USE ONLY Leave blank 2 REPORT DATE 3 REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED September 2004 Master s Thesis TITLE AND SUBTITLE Exploring the Feasibility of the Virtual 5 FUNDING NUMBERS Sh een Helicopter System VEHELO for Use as an Instructional Tool for Mil
10. ise Network Hub In from CPU LAN connection Power Strip To external power source Table 1 VEHELO Connections Laptop Interface Panel 6 Connect external power II START UP PROCEDURES 1 Turn the UPS and Ultimatte 400 on 2 Turn CPU after step 47 3 After CPU boots log on with Username Seahawks Password Seahawks 4 Start VEHELO program via shortcut on desktop 5 NOTE Database for each specific application is assigned in software directory files 6 Adjust laptop monitor to reflect flying view and instrument monitor to reflect just the instruments This is accomplished vie the set up menus for the system in the Microsoft Windows environment 54 II NOTE The system is configured to utilize two monitors simultaneously in the Microsoft windows environment Test the system by checking that the HMD tracks with head movements Also ensure that instrument displayed on panel reflect valid movements coinciding with the flight program I EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION The following steps are generalized procedure that could be used by a proector Instructor Pilot IP They would use these steps during a period of instruction for the completion of an initial navigation flight while using the VEHELO It is suggested that an IP from the local command instruct the curved can be achieved e training requirements set forth in the Trainin
11. turn to the right 150 turn to the right 180 turn to the left F7 150 to the left 120 to the left Advanced Commands 90 to the left iode Te WIEG Trame display Frame F10 60 to the left Rate Geometry F11 30 to the left Data F12 or Q EXIT Program toggle graphics state lighting Decrease Airspeed by 5 kts on off cycle motion model type Toggle fog on off toggle transparency Toggle texture on off on off cycle statistics toggle backface display on off toggle buffer mode single double toggle channel rendering on off toggle channel state on off print current eye point location toggle Z Buffer on off toggle runtime Climb 500 fpm VSI key display in Nulls to zero overlay on off Pause program Once SRT Twice SRT m eu 7 Change direction of flight to 12 o clock Ye All turns are SRT or 90 of turn in 30 seconds Table 2 VEHELO Program Keyboard Instructions 57 E EXPERIMENT SETUP 1 Subject Pilots PUI This experiment was designed around the evaluation of seven novice helicopter pilots with the U S Marine Corps Th experiment was conducted at the CH 46E Fleet Replacement Squadron Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 164 HMMT 164 located at Marine Corps Air Station MCAS Camp Pendleton California The novice pilots will be referred to as Replacement Aircrew RACs for the remainder
12. 17 B CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Aircraft today are very complex machines and to successfully fly a modern aircraft requires the combined effort of more than one member of the aircrew As mentioned earlier there are normally four aircrew positions onboard the CH 46E helicopter that was used for evaluation in this thesis Terrain flight and navigation are some of the most demanding activities a helicopter pilot will encounter during most missions To be successful it requires precis aircrew teamwork and coordination This is particularly true with respect to pilot and copilot aerial observer flight duties and cockpit coordination Crew Resource Management CRM is a philosophy that addresses the requirement for crew coordination CRM is has been defined as management of human error This arises from the fact that error is universal and in some instances it is unavoidable Previous research has indicated that pilots are able to perform two tasks even if familiar with each at a time only in certain circumstances Humans have two thought process systems cognitive with which they complete tasks One uses conscious control The other is an automatic system that operates separately from the conscious control The conscious system is slow and effortful and performs one sequential task at a time The automated cognitive processes develop as the pilot obtains skill These processes are task speci
13. The specific cockpit duties and responsibilities will vary with each mission s tactical situation and which terrain flight profile is utilized Each air crewmen s duties and responsibilities will be assigned and discussed thoroughly by the Helicopter Aircraft Commander HAC during the preflight brief 1 Division of Duties a The Pilot at the Controls PAC The pilot at the controls of the helicopter has two primary responsibilities They are controlling the 19 helicopter and avoiding all obstacles He must concentrate on keeping his vision outside the helicopter maintaining an effective scan pattern He must also avoid any distractions particularly those that are cockpit related that could hinder his scanning pattern The Pilot at the Controls will also report key terrain and landmark information to the non flying pilot and other crewmembers to assist in navigation of the aircraft He will accomplish this coordination through the use Of standardized terminology Standardizing terminology is a skill that becomes automated through practice and often only reaches a mature level with experienced pilots On the other hand the skill is not automated for the novice pilot In fact it is historically one of the more difficult tasks for the novice pilot to master The skill requires the novice pilot to actively think of each term to be used and the steps required to deliver
14. created to be easily reconfigured to generically represent many different helicopter cockpits The system employs three collapsibl blue screen curtains mounted on portable stands The screens represent the left front and right side views Additionally it uses a smaller blue screen sheet to represent the view out the left chin bubble It is this three sided configuration 4 when the chin bubble is included that provides the immersive visual aesthetics to the pilot under instruction PUI An obstruction was installed over the right screen to represent the viewing area that would normally be hindered by the PAC if he were sitting in the seat on the right side 31 Figure 6 Student in Mock Cockpit with Blue Screen Matting 2 Mock Cockpit Equipment a Portable Pilot Seat and Flight Controls A cyclic collective and rudder pedals are also employed to represent normal obstacles in the helicopter cockpit A PNAC of an aircraft would normally be impeded by theses structures at some point during the flight The items are used for ergonomic considerations learning to work around and are not connected for flight model manipulation 32 Figure 7 Flight Controls and Seat b Mock Cockpit Walls A backdrop made of standard entertainment industry chromakey blue cloth panels The walls consist of the panels being set up on three sides of the mock cockpit The collapsible curtains were se
15. 15 Aircraft Flight Data Legend Subject 4 136 WAS cy 2 1 w A S Subject 5 Results Figure 47 137 Proposed route of flight to be flown in VEHELO and aircraft Route of flight flown by student pilot in aircraft w out VEHELO experience Data obtained from portable GPS unit Route of flight flown by student pilot in aircraft w out VEHELO experience Data obtained from aircraft GPS system Table 16 Aircraft Flight Data Legend Subject 5 138 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST Defense Technical Information Center Ft Belvoir Virginia Dudley Knox Library Naval Postgraduate School Monterey California Marine Corps Representative Naval Postgraduate School Monterey California Director Training and Education MCCDC Code C46 Quantico Virginia Director Marine Corps Research Center MCCDC Code C40RC Quantico Virginia Marine Coros Tactical Systems Support Activity Attn Operations Officer Quantico Virginia 139
16. Power On and Stereo modes A standard 15 pin VGA type connector accepts the VGA 640 x 480 60Hz inputs Figure 12 V8 HMD With normal systems that utilize a monitor for viewing the PUI wanting to inspect specific area of terrain would have to fly in that direction to see the terrain The HMD provides a constant angular FOV through the use of the head tracking unit The PUI can dynamically affect the view independent of the flight direction Lennerton referred to this as the dynamic point of view Head movements in the VEHELO provide all views out of the cockpit that would be available in the actual aircraft The training afforded from using HMD is more than just immersing the PUI in a realistic simulated 37 environment The use of the HMD may lend itself to training the military helicopter pilot in the proper use of Night Vision Goggles NVGs b Camera The camera used in the VEHELO is different from the one that used in initial version of the system The camera selected for the VEHELO system continues to utilize monocular vision The lens is selected upon consideration of many factors Some of these factors as discussed in earlier work are the visual requirements such as first order parameters focal length FOV and f number performance parameters emphasizing limits of distortion and other parameters such as size weight shape and zoom The Panasonic G
17. T Ethernet 100Base TX Data Transfer Rate 100 Mbps Data Link Protocol Ethernet Fast Ethernet Communication Mode Half duplex full duplex 111 Features Full duplex capability uplink MDI MDI X switch Dimensions Ht Width Depth Weight in In In 0 6 kg 23 77 15 cm 10 3 cm cm APPENDIX D USER S MANUAL VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT HELICOPTER SYSTEM VEHELO SET UP GUIDE AND PROCEDURES I SET UP INSTRUCTIONS Place the three collapsible Blue Screens represent the 8 to 2 o clock perspective of PUI Additionally place the loose piece to the of matting in a position to represent the chin bubble view Ensure all seems are covered and material flat and taut Install a whiteboard or similar material in position on the pilot s side of the mock cockp This is to represent the area that could not seen by the copilot during normal flight because the pilot s body position Place the Flight Link Flight Controls and Seat the center of the three collapsible screens Set up the instrument console CRT on its woo bas centered in front of the pilot s s position Install the short 2 foot fluorescent li fixture ahead of the CRT facing the front b Screen matting Position the two vertical light fixtures to att the required amount of light reflected from blue matting Ensure all components are connected IAW Figure and Table
18. a ee eS 36 T2 WEBMD 4 e E ense Rie vel tg UR te Rois canes ve doe oS er Bem nes eon e e Bui HR EAS e 37 13 Camera Control Unit and Camera Head Minus TEMS Se hon dede EE a E a mud sura Me dia she eared os qur eu 39 L4 Camera lens disseste EO ex Is emere ere te eni era alte ie eR ie 40 5s Motuxon Pra KS ieena wA IegOGOR Rege ux Ree onu E E eim len et te 41 16 Schematic of the VEHELO System o b RR e n 42 IT Ultimatte 400 Vides Miket z2 e sees eRE EE Sas 43 18 Smart Remote Ultimatte Corporation 44 19 VGA to Digital Signal Scan Converter 44 20 Analog to Drgital Converter 2 m o Sha dae 45 21 Digital to VGA CONVELte 2400s wee neo enews as 45 224 LFZ VGA Dustrrb utOE as oe es wa Ba we Ee wa ae ee we ares 46 23 Central Processing Unit CPU cz no we ae ee as 47 247 Laptop CPU CONSOLES 4 ee seis Sue De ae te hus Se US 48 25 INSEEWORK Switches 4s UR Ug Ala ae Re a eis 49 26 Thermodyne Quadraflex Equipment Cart 49 27 BacGk Mount WPS sk E RR tese e EDGE RE ad E OR NUR 50 28 Rack mounted Surge Protector eee 51 29 WMEHELO Set up ConfriquratlOong ere6 b 944 eR 53 30 Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS Training PMG MIO Peak seb ce RH EUR Se Ste Me Sa ad ae es 59 315 Experiment Flight Route Cards sisust ieseni anae des 66 32 Subject s Checkpoint Proximity 4 o eR Rn 70 33 One way Analysis of AVG A by Group 72 34 Bi Variate Fit of AVG V by AVG A
19. are responsible for monitoring the mechanical function of the helicopter They also assist in terrain recognition and nsur the aircraft has the required clearance from obstacles during hovering and landed Crewchief Aerial Observer Gunners within the helicopter should be positioned where they can best observe outside often requiring them to move about the cabin while 22 in flight This requires ffective communication between the pilots in the cockpit and the crewmembers in the aft section 2 Communications and Situational Awareness Communication is defined as the ability to clearly and accurately send and acknowledge information instructions or commands It is also the ability to provide useful feedback In general there are two types of communication Verbal Nonverbal Verbal communication involves words that are either Spoken or written Nonverbal communication is everything else but words It can be in the form of gestures and voice intonation The sender or receiver of the communications both have the responsibility to ensure that the communications are concise clear provide useful feedback and are completed in a timely fashion Communications between all members of the aircrew are essential to any successful flight Terrain flight requires an exchange of information between all crewmembers on board the aircraft The copilot or Pilot Not at the Controls PNAC
20. further evaluation As discussed by Lennerton cockpit management skills conform to the cockpit environment and can only be practice in such an environment This thesis continued to experiment at immersing the novice pilot in an ergonomically correct environment to learn and practice critical skills By being confined in an ergonomically correct environment the novice pilot could learn and practice terrain appreciation as well as crew coordination skills All of this will be directed at improving the level of Situational Awareness SA and cockpit management skills of the novice pilot prior to his first navigational flight in the actual aircraft E ORGANIZATION OF THIS THESIS This thesis is organized into the following chapters 1 Chapter I Introduction This chapter is an introduction to the problems and motivation for the problems stated earlier Chapter II Training Tasks and VEHELO Background This chapter explains the basis and emphasis of helicopter navigation training It also delves into the background of the VEHELO training system Work completed by Lennerton is explained and used as a stepping off point for this thesis Chapter III VEHELO Specification Configuration and Use This chapter covers the current physical configuration of the VEHELO as tested during this thesis It also includes a suggested User s Manual to successfully employ the System in an experimental environmen
21. overwhelmingly appreciated the terrain appreciation the system afforded them but all disliked the level of detail from the database Although it was not the intent of this experiment they all disliked the lack of manmade cultural features They detailed items to add such as more roads buildings and structures like power lines The results also included a natural phenomenon to add such as weather and time of day changes 5 Instructor Pilot Comments The intent was for the Squadron s Instructor Pilot IP to fly the students in the VEHELO and in the aircraft This experiment deviated from that intent because of scheduling issues The VEHELO portion of the xperiment utilized me in the capacity of the IP My qualifications include my recently having been the Standardization Pilot and a Instructor Pilot at the FRS for three years 1999 2002 The Instructor Pilot IP for this experiment was an experienced standardization pilot with the Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS He was responsible for the training of not just the student pilots but also that of the Instructors Under Training IUT I briefed the IP prior to the experiment and we ran both portions of the experiment VEHELO and aircraft in the same manner With minimal training an IP can be taught to use the VEHELO in a manner in which they can run the experiment 76 After all this is the goal of any system develope
22. terms that are not universally defined Use of the terms terrain contour features and triangulation are considered skills for the purpose of this thesis There is much work to be done to properly establish definitions for the two terms Ongoing research has yet to properly define a skill that which can be learned and improved upon versus a trait that ability which already exists in the pilot c Debrief A debrief was conducted by the Instructor Pilot IP after the completion of all flights simulated and actual A thorough debrief is required after all flights It allows both pilots IP and test subject to go over the flight details This step was completed prior to the subject completing the post flight questionnaires Again the Standardization Manual T amp R Manual and NATOPS Manual are normally used for debrief guidelines d Exit Questionnaire Each novice pilot completed a postflight questionnaire after the flight debrief with the IP The questionnaire is shown in Appendix F The questionnaire was 61 an attempt to gauge the subject pilot s opinion of the VEHELO system The questions were created to appreciate the fact that the subject pilots were new to this aircraft type and had yet to acquire any fleet experienc 3 System Artificialities The VEHELO maintains some of the same built in artificialities that had been noted in the previous version ChrAVE As with t
23. that many pilots are familiar with turns that are much tighter This created a need for all turns in the simulated flight to be much wider than in 64 the actual aircraft It did however provide a smooth transition into and out of all turns thus providing a steady platform that is required for effective navigation training d Task Artificialities Many of the task artificialities from the previous version of the VEHELO were addressed and overcome This experiment concentrated on the system being used in the navigation syllabus and represented the NAV 130 and NAV 132 flight IAW the Training and Readiness T amp R Manual as shown in Appendix A This afforded the proctor or IP to conduct user s map preparation exactly as would be required for an actual flight in the aircraft The preparation included manual map products produced by each subject It also included the use of normal squadron assets such as the Falconview flight planning system The subjects were all given the task of preparing a route card IAW the IP s route selection using all available assets within the Squadron The route card is depicted in Figure 31 below 65 Figure 31 Experiment Flight Route Card F EXPERIMENT PROGRESSION AND RESULTS 1 Preflight Questionnaire Results The preflight questionnaire contained some questions that proved useless for the data collection required for this thesis Many of the questions they cont
24. worlds displayed Head movements will allow the PUI to have natural interaction with and investigation of both the real and virtual worlds Feedback will also be provided to the PUI via the instrument panel display The instruments it displays are all important tools for successful navigation The RMI is most useful for determining and maintaining aircraft heading The attitude indicator assists in determining the aircraft s orientation relative to a virtual world s pitch roll and yaw axes The VSI displays information pertaining to the aircraft rate of climb or descent The turn rate indicator provides information about the aircraft s orientation about its roll axis In normal flight theses instruments are all cross referenced to maintain normal and controlled flight The VEHELO systems all versions are motionless platforms This causes a mismatch between the visual perception and physiological percepts 30 C SYSTEM HARDWARE AND SETUP The VEHELO consists of some new hardware and the deletion of other units The current configuration consists of the equipment listed in the inventory located in Appendix B 1 Mock Cockpit Configuration The VEHELO configuration has been modified from that of the earlier version used by Lennerton The portable VEHELO attempts to mock the left half of a side by side dual piloted helicopter in this case the CH 46E It was
25. 0 o 1000 21 Do you have at this time any unanswered questions concerning low level helicopter navigation Yes No If so address them to the Instructor 22 Do you have at this time any unanswered questions concerning the use of the VEHELO experimental trainer Yes No If so address them to the Instructor Page 2 of 3 Figure 38 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 2 120 C Comments Please use this section for any additional comments or suggestions you may have regarding your training and preparation for your experience with the VEHELO experimental trainer Thank you for your time and attention to this questionnaire The information gathered from these questionnaires will be used to further develop and refine the VEHELO experimental trainer Pleas nsure your Instructor collects them Page 3 of 3 Figure 39 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 3 121 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 122 APPENDIX F CH 46E NATOPS BRIEFING GUIDE Briefing Guide Areas shown that are applicable for NAV 130 131 and VEHELO flights A Administrative Information 1 Time hack 2 Local area weather forecast a Sunrise sunset b Moonrise moonset c Moon angle illumination 3 En route weather forecast 4 Destination
26. 1 Connect external power to the equipment box and power strips 113 is a Lts be of in den eat ght lue ain the 29 HARDWARE DEVICE CONNECTIONS In from Head Tracker In from Keyboard to Laptop Interface CPU In from Mouse to Laptop Interface Out to Video conn Instrument co ron VSC 200 Converter to Ultimatte Smart Remote rom ADC 6801 Mix Box woro DECIDAN Ultimatte 400 Smart i l timatte 400 Mixer Remote PU VP 200 Video Splitter Extron VSC 200 Converter Laptop Interface warn Ultimatte 400 Mixer SDC 100 A EUMD ME H SDC 100 E Camera Control Unit CCU AD 1 Mix Box Ultimatte 400 Mixer Camera Control Unit Ultimatte 400 Mixer Extron VSC 200 Converter VP 200 Video Splitter timatte 400 Mixer SDC 100 A Laptop Interface Panel D Camera Camera Control Unit Extron VSC 200 Converter DC 6801 Mix Box Camera rom HMB Box t Tracker Out to CP Instrument Panel CRT VP 200 Video Splitter In SDC 100 B N A Laptop Interface Panel In HMD Box Out CPU Keyboard connection Out CPU Mouse connection Uninterruptible Power Uu E amp J wer Ys rom ipmen Supply UPS owe ords om equipme Network Hub Power Strip Table 10 VEHELO Connections 114 LAPTOP CONSOLE DEPLOYABLE EQUIPMENT BOX installed in Equipment Box Figure 36 VEHELO Set up Configuration II START UP PROCEDURES 1
27. 3 Distance One subject corrective lenses 20 40 corrected to 20 20 N A No subject had VE Results described below experience n 66 500 meters 33 400 meters 33 500 meters 66 200 meters 66 NO 33 YES Table 4 Preflight Questionnaire Results All the subjects stated that accurately knowing present position was the second most important item on the list The remainder of the answers reflected a sense of not knowing USMC requirements and lack of experience in using CRM 68 Additionally the results cumulatively reflect the advantages of having a tool such as the VEHELO to first teach the skills of terrain appreciation and CRM These skills are normally introduced in the aircraft thus making the flights less effectiv 2 Recorded Data from VEHELO System and Aircraft The VEHELO system recorded the data onto its hard drive as the subject pilots flew the system Additionally the subjects actual flight path in the aircraft were recorded via a handheld GPS which was carried onboard each flight by the Instructor Pilot IP The two data files were overlaid upon the preplanned flight route as shown in Appendix G It is from this GPS data that the conclusions for flight path deviation were made Results were tabulated and quantified as described in the following section The data depicts the VEHELO group th
28. Awareness SA achieved by the novice pilot prior to the aircraft flight The modified system will also have the ability to be used as an effective tool in teaching Crew Resource Management CRM to the novice pilot D RESEARCH QUESTIONS The primary focus of this thesis is to validate the VEHELO being used as an instructional tool in the training of novice pilots during the navigation phase of their flight training The viability of the system s instructional potential will be proven if pilot performance improves during the navigational flight in the Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS This thesis will specifically address the following questions 1 Can augmented training using the VEHELO be expanded to improve initial training instruction of student pilots while still being used to increase proficiency amongst experienced pilots 2 Is there an increased level of proficiency afforded student pilots through the use of augmented 7 training What is the value of the savings in terms of reduced flight hours or increased proficiency during instructional flights 3s What possible modifications can be implemented in the VEHELO system to improve levels of augmented training and student pilot performance in the aircraft The earlier work by Lennerton proved the system viability as a helicopter pilot proficiency tool This thesis used the latest modified version of the system for
29. Level flight will be the only evaluated profile 2 Contour Flight The next flight profile is that of contour flight It is a flight conducted at low altitude It allows for the aircraft to be flown at an altitude that conforms generally and in proximity to the contours of the Earth s surface It takes advantage of available cover and concealment to avoid an enemy s observation or detection of the aircraft such as when departing and landing from a landing zone This level is usually flown at altitudes of 50 to 100 feet AGL Again it requires the helicopter pilot to conform to contours of the Earth s surface in order to maintain a level of tactical necessity as vegetation and obstacles permit It is normally flown at varying airspeeds The minimum airspeed for this profile is 40 knots The altitudes flown can also be varied throughout this flight profile 15 Figure 3 Contour Terrain Flight 3 Nap of the Earth Flight The final flight profile is Nap of the Earth NOE It is normally flown for much shorter distances than the previous two flight profiles This profile allows the aircraft to fly as close to the Earth s surface as vegetation and obstacles permit It is accomplished while generally following the contours of the Earth s surface Altitudes for NOE flight permit the aircraft to fly as close to the terrain as conditions permit The NOE profile allows the aircraft to be flown a
30. NNAIRE e 119 APPENDIX F CH 46E NATOPS BRIEFING GUIDE 123 APPENDIX G POST FLIGHT QUESTIONNAIRE 125 APPENDIX H SUBJECT S SIMULATOR AND FLIGHT DATA 129 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST cele 139 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xii Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Te re Te re re re re Ee re re re re re BE re re ES ES re re re re re re re re re re EE re re re re Te Te re re re re LIST OF FIGURES ale Basic VEHELO Implementation c n 6 2 Low Level Terrain Elqxghtawveeszaov9 wee eee LA 3 Contour Tenra KIIJA s 4 sg seg as des ee vex Ier ees ered ae O 4 Nap of the Earth terrain Flight 17 5x Effective CommunicatiOn o zeeew dg eX 94 RU Y ENS 24 6 Student in Mock Cockpit with Blue Screen Mattie Gis ue Wie ohh wie IRL Pec ahd We Bia eu RR RA AR wk 32 e Elight Controls dnd Seat ssent akadi ERR 33 8 VEHELO Portable Mock Cockpit and Matting 34 9 VEHELO Instrument Panel eee nnn 35 TO Pi orescent LAMP oie s ewar Gane Bie wie alleles Se eve ILE Ru Eye p sm 35 Tl OVEHELO HeadO9ea8EP zx Seed ee eee Rye
31. O SPECIFICATION CONFIGURATION AND USE 27 A EXPERIMENTAL OPERATING MODES 28 B SYSTEM FEEDBACK 2 9 9 oL Bw RU EU BS Rum See we Ses 30 C SYSTEM HARDWARE AND SETUP cer 31 1 Mock Cockpit Configuration 31 2 Mock Cockpit Equipment 32 a Portable Pilot Seat and Flight Controls 32 b Mock Cockpit Walls b e 33 c Instrument Panel 34 d Lighting 4 41224 seuda 4v wu e ewe 35 35 Headgear es eee Si x Oe See Sele Se UPS 36 a Head Mounted Display 36 b GCamera ooswov gue eee E he 38 e Lens sudoku gba gipthgrie Wie une pite uites 39 d Motion Tracker 9 xc 9 Sd ee a e E 40 4 Electronic Hardware and Software 41 a Ultimatte 400 Mixer 42 b Extron VSC 200 Scan Converter 44 c Analog to Digital Signal Converter 45 d Leitch SDC 100 Signal Converter 45 e 1 2 Video Distributor Splitter 46 f Rackmount CPU 420054050 w esee exis 46 ix g Rackmount Laptop with LCD Keyboard Mouse len 47 h Network Ethernet Switch 48 i Equipment Cart cee eee 49 Je CPU SOftWare ooh ee eS Le Be xe ee ee 50 5 Miscellaneous Hardware 50 a Rack Mounted UPS een 50 b Rack Mounted Surge Protector 51 6 Overall System G
32. P US532H Digital Signal Processing DSP Color CCD micro camera was chosen as the best fit for the current application It is a high performance micro camera that is designed around three 1 3 inch Charge Coupled Devices CCD It uses one CCD for each color red green and blue and is controlled via the Camera Control Unit CCU It has an Automatic Gain Control AGC and Electronic Light Control ELC The camera used in the VEHELO was selected to balance all of theses to include budgetary considerations and is compatible with the V8 HMD 38 Figure 13 Camera Control Unit and Camera Head Minus Lens An additional area of concern when selecting which camera to use was the eye to lens displacement ELD The ELD Lennerton 2004 represents both a rotation and translation between the user and camera s optical path origin The ELD affects the user s ability to interact with and manipulate objects The weight and balance of the HMD with camera and lens mounted can create user fatigue and interferes with his ability to effectively use the system Future modification will involve mounting the hardware on the user s flight rated helmet for simulation flights C Lens A variable 6 13mm F1 8 manual camera lens is used in the VEHELO system The lens has two adjustable rings one is used for camera focus The other is to adjust the aperture f stop settings Adjusting the aperture t
33. Pot a Sean ASN CCS T adi af X i t Er m ol m ey 2 ncm n Y t 57 2 pa p i e Figure 44 Subject 2 Results 131 Proposed route of flight to be flown in VEHELO and aircraft ecco Route of flight flown by student pilot in VEHELO ac Route of flight actually flown by student pilot in aircraft Table 13 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 2 132 m AG 90 J t 2 7 siroe r A J Q y LS 1 Y 2 t k 17 M zy a I i M y M c P 6 J Ac doy Q z De D 7 A alee 5 ARANAGA TE ie w BEMER As or ia re Bs at We eae POLE 8h j LE e M E ME u 2 E v z at i EM 2d A a 2 m Ba i x N Z 3 epa S P Au EL dee 7 j 1 dh NS Figure 45 Subject 3 Results 133 Proposed route of flight to be flown in VEHELO and aircraft jeooo Route of flight flown by student pilot in VEHELO em 08 Route of flight actually flown by student pilot in aircraft Table 14 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 3 134 Sig a 492 5 PALA ci au Jus T X T t C y i Fh D Z j ze TeX r 7 4 D X Figure 46 Subject 4 Results 135 Proposed route of flight to be flown in VEHELO and aircraft Route of flight flown by student pilot in aircraft w out VEHELO experience Data obtained from portable GPS unit Route of flight flown by student pilot in aircraft w out VEHELO experience Data obtained from aircraft GPS system Table
34. Turn the UPS on Ensure it is operating on AC power and not battery power 2 Turn on Ultimatte 400 3 Turn on CPU after step 2 4 After CPU boots log on with Username Seahawks Password Seahawks 5 Start the desired VEHELO program via shortcut on desktop NOTE Database for each specific application is assigned in software directory files 6 Adjust rack mounted laptop monitor to display flying view and the instrument CRT to reflect just the instruments This is accomplished via 115 INN NYOM LO Md the set up menus for the system in the Microsoft Windows environment NOTE The system is configured to utilize two monitors simultaneously in the Microsoft Windows environment NOTE It might be necessary to move the curser onto the bottom edge of the flight simulator window and tap SHIFT V three times to get the proper display flight sim view on laptop and instrument panel only on CRT in front of the pilot Test the system by checking that the HMD tracks with head movements Also ensure that instrument displayed on panel reflect valid movements coinciding with the flight program III EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION tha ins The following steps are generalized procedure t could be used by a proctor Instrusctor Pilot IP They would use these steps during a period of truction for the completion of an initial navigation flight while using the VEHELO It
35. a Sw p 114 VEHELO Program Keyboard Instructions 118 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 1 130 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 2 132 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 3 134 Aircraft Flight Data Legend Subject 4 136 Aircraft Flight Data Legend Subject 5 138 XV THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xvi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research would not have been possible without the knowledge and dedication of several individuals I would like to start with a show of appreciation to co advisor CDR Joe Sullivan His contagious enthusiasm and incredible knowledge was really the genesis behind the whole idea of embedded environments and the VEHELO for training There ar some other individuals that I would like to thank for all of their assistance as well First is LtCol Hahne Commanding Officer of HMMT 164 at Camp Pendleton California He was a great help in providing the environment in which to test He hosted our effort on numerous trios and was always enthusiastic in his support This experiment would not have been possible without his efforts I would also include the support of Major Mark Lennerton for his work and support in bringing this idea to fruition He accomplished this via his previous vast amount in creation of the ChrAVE and his continued interest I would also like to thank Captain Pre
36. able menus Quick save and recall Ht Width TO im 19 40 ium Depth Weight 1 4 7535 lbs J LEITCH SDC 100 CONVERTER Serial Digital to VGA Monitoring Converter from Leitch Dl to VGA Serial Digital Input Input Return Loss VGA Monitor Output RGB Frequency Response Luminance Chrominance Gamma Correction Standards Signal to Noise 625 line 50 Hz mode with line doubling e Horizontal Frequency e Vertical Frequency 525 line 60 Hz mode with line doubling e Horizontal Frequency e Vertical Frequency BN 75 olime Z7OMis sp 259Mc Up to 100m automatic cable equalization 13 9 dB at 270 MHz Sub D 15 pin female connector 3 dB 0 7V H V TTL 0 5 dB from DC to 5 25 MHz t3 dB up to 10 MHz t3 dB up to 4 MHz Automatic 525 line and 625 line auto switching 64 dB 469 kHz 94 Hz K STEALTH SR 4500 RACK MOUNT CPU Manufacturer Model Dell Dimension 8100 CPU Intel Pentium 4 108 Memory Operating System Monitor Power Dimensions 1300 MHz 128 MB RAM Microsoft Windows 2000 5 00 2195 Service Pack 2 Set to 640 x 480 for HMD compatibility 60 Hz Industry Standard for U S desktop computers Ht Width Depth Weight d um 19 sum Le aug 35 los STEALTH VR100 RACK MOUNT LCD KEYBOARD MOUSE Manufacturer Model Construction amp Design Type Screen Size Resolutions Supported Native Mode Color
37. acher Gwynne and Major Mark Otter Welch both instructor pilots and the remainder of the Marines at HMMT 164 All of these Marines were of immense help in setting up the logistics of th xperiment assisting in the conduct of it and supporting it at a variety of levels Lastly although it currently beyond their comprehension I would like to thank my two sons Richard and Adam They likely have no idea how much their love xvii means to me and how it is actually a framework of support for me to completing this body of work xviii Ii INTRODUCTION A PROBLEM STATEMENT The Weapons Systems Trainer WST Aircrew Procedures Trainer APT should be used in those flights designated sS or S A within the syllabus Demonstration and exercise modes of the flight simulator shall be used within the training syllabus If the flight simulator is not available simulator periods designated as S may be waived Crew Resource Management CRM shall be stressed in the training of all pilots From MCO 3500 Ch 1 2004 Low cost availability and usability three things that are required of all simulation Systems to be effective Today s systems can be significantly more useful and realistic than any systems that pilots have had access to in the past Today s systems also come at varying costs The costs go beyond the basic facet that the systems are inherently expensive
38. ain proved valid for this body of work Table 4 summarizes the results There were a few of the questions that were worth further discussion The results showed that the subject pool was really a novice group with all having less than 120 hours in the past 12 months and less than 280 hours total The overall trend noted was that most thought that timing was more important than distance from the intended flight path 66 Also the subjects would most likely benefit from standards by the IP proctor being addressed while flying the VEHELO This is because the whole group believed that aircraft could be further off of the intended flight than at the checkpoint They missed the correlation that quality navigation enroute allows the aircraft to arrive within an acceptable distance from the checkpoint Question 18 proved to be the best gauge as to the subject s perception of skill required for proper navigation The results show the varying degrees of instruction the subjects had received to the point prior to this experiment Two of the subjects thought the most important item was voice communication between the aircrew One subject thought knowing aircraft position in relation to a terrain feature was most important 67 Question Question Results Results Number Number N A All subjects rcvd Navigation academic class w in 30 days All subjects over 6 months Flight School 66 Timing 3
39. aining as defined in the T amp R Manual Current training requires no simulated navigational training and does not provide an atmosphere in which Crew Resource Management CRM and communication skills can be learned or practiced This thesis will address that need by proposing a product to address this need of the fleet The product is an affordable simulation system that a pilot can utilize to maximiz the ffectiveness of his training flights in preparation for deployment The new version of the system will be mobile and will be easy to use by personnel with minimum training The VEHELO will allow deployed pilots to maintain acceptable levels of proficiency It will also provide the pilot the ability to train and prepare for training flights while in an immersive and familiar flight environment The pilot is able to apply piloting tasks to include multi place communications as faithfully and rigorously as if he were flying in the actual aircraft B MOTIVATION This thesis concerns the training deficiencies related to the military helicopter community The previous body of work by Lennerton concerned an in depth discussion of the 3 limitations involved with simulated pilot training That work concentrated on the limitations of the current generation simulation systems user perspectives and possible solutions It also discussed the need for a deployable training system to support pilot
40. al Positioning Satellite GPS systems Additionally this thesis will also address the ability of the VEHELO to be used as a Crew Resource Management CRM and communications resource platform The previous work by Lennerton presented research into many different simulation systems They all were described as having to proceed through three basic steps The steps are 1 research into the psychology and potential of training via the use of embedded simulators 2 the production of a fully operational embedded trainer and 3 verification of the results of using an embedded trainer The first step was researched and reported upon in the works of Lennerton 2004 and of Sullivan 1999 The work completed by Lennerton proved the feasibility of the training via the use of embedded simulators which used the chromakey technology This thesis will demonstrate and attempt to prove that the scope of the VEHELO system can be expanded to include many more functions The system has the capability of being modified to allow it to satisfy it being used as an instructional tool This functionality compares with earlier work in which it was suggested to be used to maintain levels of pilot proficiency To summarize it will be a step closer to achieving Lennerton s step two mentioned above C THESIS OVERVIEW Embedded training systems must fulfill more than one or two basic needs in the training environment to
41. also verified in that body of work The empirical data is shown below in Table 5 It reflects the closest proximity to each checkpoint by each subject during t he simulated flight and the actual flight in the aircraft The column on the right side depicts the average distance in meters from the checkpoint for all of the checkpoints on that pilot s flight The squadron instructs each PUI to the USMC standard which is plus or minus 500 meters from course line As can be seen in the table subjects performance was notably improved after completing training in the VEHELO system It can also be noted when using the averaged data that the two of the three students who utilized the simulator first were able to maintain navigation to within the standards described above The two students who flew the aircraft with no VEHELO exposure failed to meet the minimum criteria set forth for this level of training 4 Postflight Questionnaire Results The postflight questionnaire proved to have a few answers from which some valid assumptions could be made The first was that the majority of subjects thought the system was good as a rehearsal tool before flying the route in the aircraft Second was that the majority of subjects believed the voice communications introduced and practiced in the simulator were very much like those 1D experienced in the actual aircraft And lastly was that the group
42. and difficult to maintain Today s Systems are extremely large and complicated pieces of hardware and they must also remain stateside when the military pilot is required to forward deploy This puts the deployed pilot into a situation in which extremely perishable piloting skills can quickly degrad over the length of the deployment The skills referred to here are not the basic stick and rudder skills They are the skills or tasks that are accomplished in an automatic fashion by the pilot These could include the pilot s ability to navigate communicate and interact with the various crew members onboard the aircraft In the past it has been proposed to utilize personnel computers PCs to replace or augment pilot training As 1 discussed in previous work by Lennerton 2004 the PC s limitations far outweighed any observed gains PG applications remove th pilot user from his normal environmental interfaces and require additional learning on the part of the pilot The additional learning was actually a form of negative training and provided no net gain to the level of proficiency if the pilot using the system When it comes to advanced training today military pilots are being taxed more than at any time in the past two decades Today s military pilot is experiencing xtended deployments in often hostile environments These environments whether sea b
43. anipulate the many variable encountered during set up The Ultimatte Company refers to this unit as the Smart Remote This unit has 640 x480 VGA display for effective navigation through the available menus Communication between the Ultimatte 400 Main Unit and the Smart Remote is through an RS 422 interface at a data rate of 115 Kbps At the completion of the experiment this unit was replaced by a software upgrade to the PC Future versions of the VEHELO will include this software upgrade incorporated and be afforded a space saving in the equipment cabinet 43 Figure 18 Smart Remote Ultimatte Corporation b Extron VSC 200 Scan Converter The system utilizes an Extron VSC 200 Video Scan Converter for VGA to Digital 601 Signal Conversion It converts the video signal from the CPU into a digital CCIR 601 signal The Extron unit has five levels of vertical filtering which assists in eliminating flicker It also has four levels of horizontal filtering to accomplish scan conversion The unit also has a 24 bit color sampling which provides 8 bits per color for a total of over 16 million colors The unit has front mounted controls allowing it to be easily mounted in the VEHELO cabinet Figure 19 VGA to Digital Signal Scan Converter front and back shown 44 c Analog to Digital Signal Converter The Leitch ADC 6801 signal converter serves the purpose of converting RGB into d
44. annel 0 1 dB to 5 5 MHz Cr Cb Channels 0 2 dB to 2 75 MHz gt 64 dB RMS relative to 0 714 V 10 kHz to 5 5 MHz 50dB 0 5 1 1 typically better than 0 5 Typically within 1 quantization level on field average 259 EH 4 2 2 two BNCs as per SMPTI 3 6us G ULTIMATTE 400 DELUXE COMPOSITE VIDEO MIXER From Ultimatte Corporation 106 Specifications Internal Foreground and Matte processing 4 4 4 4 Conforms to CCIR 601 10 bit or 8 bit SDI inputs and outputs 525 625 Auto selectable Video e I O Resolution 4 2 2 e FG Input 4 2 2 BG Input 4 212 e Matte In 4 0 0 e Digital Reference zd nz e FG and BG Out c dz e Internal FG Processing and Matte 4 4 4 4 Generation e Inputs Serial CCIR 601 BNC 75 e Outputs Serial CCIR 601 BNC 75 H KRAMER 1 2 VIDEO DISTRIBUTER SPLITTER From Kramer Electronics USA Specifications e Model VP 200 Video Bandwidth Exceeding 345 MHz K Factor 0 05 Differential Gain 0 06 Differential Phase 0 13 Deg Coupling AC Dimensions I ULTIMATTE 400 SMART REMOTE From Ultimatte Corporation Specifications RS232 and RS422 computer interface Control up to 4 boards of Ultimatte 400 and or Ultimatte 9 simultaneously 107 Dimensions Internal Foreground and Matte processing High contrast 640x480 VGA display PC keyboard and mouse interface User configur
45. ar environment While the pilot is immersed in this environment he will be free to exercise and practice a large number of tasks normally assigned to the crew position called pilot not at the controls PNAC The pilot under instruction PUI is given the ability to complete these tasks in a simulated environment that is as realistic as any he would encounter during an actual flight The focus of this thesis will assess the feasibility of the system being used in a configuration that supports it being used as an instructional tool for terrain appreciation and CRM The system will be utilized to instruct RACS prior to their first low level navigation flight in the CH 46E aircraft IAW the CH 46E Training and Readiness Manual T amp R The current version VEHELO tested for this thesis as well as the original ChrAVE is comprised entirely of affordable commercial off the shelf COTS equipment The equipment is mounted in a boxed electronic equipment stack that is capable of being deployed and or embarked aboard ship The original configuration was modified to afford the system a higher level of mobility and usability The opinions of inexperienced RACs novice pilots and experienced Instructor Pilots IP were collected for analysis in this thesis The subject pilots were tasked with numerous realistic PNAC tasks both while flying the VEHELO and the aircraft Their performance was used to validate the feas
46. ased or land based do not afford the deployed pilot any opportunity for simulated training This lack of training also extends to the Fleet Replacement Squadrons FRS There are three levels of training required for all novice pilots in the CH 46E helicopter The template for this training is defined in each aircraft s Training and Readiness Manual T amp R There are thr levels of required training Combat Capable Combat Ready and Combat Qualification Phases The completion of the Combat Capable Phase is required before the student can proceed to a Fleet squadron This training cannot be abbreviated in an effort to reduce the tim before th pilot reaches the Fleet squadron But it can be improved in an attempt to increase pilot performance Increased pilot performance could reduce FRS time to training TTT This in turn could assist the fleet via pilots arriving and deploying in a more timely fashion Th Fleet Replacement Squadron is responsible for completing the Combat Capable Phase of training for novice pilots The primary purpose of this phase is to develop the student s preliminary flight skills in the CH 46E It also is where the student will become familiar with flight characteristics limitations and emergency procedures of the helicopter Lastly they will develop proficiency in all maneuvers contained in the familiarization FAM stage of tr
47. being used as an instructional tool The basic configuration of the VEHELO is depicted in Figure 16 41 oi f Foreground from Camera Background from CPU I Mock Cockpit Environment Combined View inside HMD n 2 Video Signals before combination HMD AZ y AM N L 2 HMD Box Laptop Monitor Console Instrument Panel Display SDC 100 Signal Converter Rudder Pedals Nonfunctioning VP 200 Video Splitter Ultimatte 400 Chromakey Mixer ADC 6801 Cyclic Joystick Nonfunctioning I l l Collective Joystick Nonfunctioning l U Extron l ccu Spectrum Converter I PERPE APRES EMEN I Head mounted Display fF Wong 0 77 ee eR RR RR ee eR ee ee ee PS Motion Tracker Figure 16 Schematic of the VEHELO System Ultimatte Remote Control Unit a Ultimatte 400 Mixer Ultimatte 400 Mixer is a fully linear matting system able to produces realistic composites It accomplishes this even when the foreground contains smoke shadows soft edges motion blur or other translucent and transparent qualities It is used to produce composite signals digital CCIR 601 signal of two inputted video images As used in the VEHELO there is a camera signal and a CPU Virtual Environment signal that the mixer combines 42 Figure 17 Ultimatte 400 Video Mixer The Ultimatte mixer requires a controller to effectively m
48. bility of using embedded trainers for helicopter simulation The ChrAVE Helicopter Simulation System was an initial attempt to produce an effective tool to suit a common yet important need That need was the lack of an available Simulator That need becomes critical while military helicopter pilot is deployed away from the continental United States CONUS in support of worldwide operations There has always been a deficiency in maintaining the level of pilot proficiency while away from CONUS While deployed aboard ship or overseas the only available training platform available is the actual aircraft The aircraft is an expensive option but provides the only means by which deployed pilots can maintain an acceptable level of proficiency and readiness This thesis continues with the development of the ChrAVE implementation of the VEHELO and achieves a more useful and updated configuration of the system This thesis also validates the possible capability of the modified system to support instructional level of training versus the proficiency level addressed in earlier work The original ChrAVE system has been modified for the purpose of it being used as an instructional device In this newer configuration the system can address a known training weakness involving the training of new pilots or Replacement Aircrew RAC at the Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS The new pilots lac
49. d for the fleet It must be easily used by the intended audience for it to b ffective His overall statement was The VEHELO trainer seemed 4 beneficial in several areas The summarized comments from his After Action report are shown in the following Table 7 below All subjects received the same route via checkpoints circled on a map Preparation All prepared their own cockpit maps for both flights The instructor in the VEHELO device can teach standard terminology right hard right easy Standard right creek saddle etc terminology If the pilot can practice this on the ground he will be much better prepared to navigate Students got a feel for how fast the aircraft will move across the map at the selected airspeed This could be great when flying routes that switch from one map scale to another IP inbound Students were not shy about giving commands to the pilot at the controls PAC and when they practice in the trainer they are forced to tell the Crew operator where to fly and they get used to directing the aircraft Resource Lastly they were better at using the crew chief to Management aid in navigation perhaps because the operator of the simulator was pretending to be the crew chief on the opposite side of the aircraft pointing out things from the map Overall these students navigated a little better than normal particular
50. e aircraft When used as an instructional tool the VEHELO can accomplish all of the above when related to low level navigation The VEHELO system can be used in many different operating modes for instructional or proficiency training For the purpose of this thesis the system was tested in only two instructional modes The two types of instructional operating modes used in this experiment wer the Instructor PUI Instructor Pilot or proctor student and route rehearsal The Instructor PUI mode of operation will be used to teach and practice navigational CRM and other crew coordination skills required in a multi place aircraft This method allows the IP to devote th ntire period of instruction to increasing the PUI s level of skill in any and all of the areas The route rehearsal method allows a navigational route to be practiced This will provide the PUI with an 29 acquired spatial knowledge of that area of flight without ever having actually flown there in an actual aircraft B SYSTEM FEEDBACK The PUI PNAC will have a merged view of the real world and the virtual world displayed in the Head Mounted Display HMD The real world consists of the mock cockpit objects within that cockpit and the PUI s views of himself The virtual world will consist of a computer generated world Head movements of the PUI will affect viewpoint changes in both the real and virtual
51. e all issued a preflight questionnaire prior to beginning the experiment Each participant was then briefed by the common Instructor Pilot IP The IP used in this experiment was a Standardization pilot and is in charge of qualifying all new student pilots and Instructor Pilots Additionally he was in charge of the Academics Department at the training squadron a Entrance Questionnaire Each novice pilot completed a pre flight questionnaire prior to the flight brief The preflight questionnaire is shown in Appendix D The questionnaire was an attempt to gauge the subject pilot s level of training proficiency and simulator experience of any type It was also used to ascertain the subjects perception of criteria used to evaluate low level navigation flight b Flight Briefing The preflight brief is important for safety and to have effective aircrew management The preflight brief for the VEHELO flight was conducted with the same resources 59 and in the same manner as the brief conducted for the aircraft It was performed by the Instructor Pilot IP using the CH 46E NATOPS briefing guide and required Squadron Standard Operating Procedures SOPs The Briefing Guide is depicted in Appendix E and reflects those areas that are pertinent to these NAV flights and CRM training Each subject was briefed individually for the VEHELO flight and the aircraft flight It is the IP s respon
52. e subjects head Future modifications will involve mounting the system on actual flight rated helmets to be worn by the test subjects The instrument panel CRT was designed to accurately represent the instruments of the aircraft the Ch 46E utilized during this experiment It did not represent all the instruments but just those required for normal completion of navigational tasks c Flight Profile Artificialities Again as in the previous version airspeeds were preplanned by the subjects 100 knots was used for this experiment The airspeed was able to be varied by the proctor or IP via keyboard inputs This allowed the subject to communicate th need to vary airspeeds to accommodate changing flight profiles The simulated flights were all flown during windless conditions This allowed subject performance to be evaluated much easier in relation to time distance and heading The lack of any pitching moment or change in pitch during changes in flight profiles proved to provide a very artificial feel for all participants Turns were restricted to standard rate turns SRT and SRT SRT are conducted by 6 of heading change per second using a 45 angle of bank The SRT is conducted with 3 of heading change per second and a 22 angle of bank The system is designed in this fashion to prevent any disorientation on the part of the subject This also provided artificiality in
53. eep him on track Had a little trouble with one road intersection and then the Lancaster Mtn checkpoint Back yourself up with altitude when using a hilltop as a checkpoint Good crew coordination Gave the crew specific things to look for and gave good commands to the PAC Overall effective navigation will get better at map ground comparison with time Subject 3 Managed to get PFPS and a brick loaded by launch time so we were able to demonstrate GPS navigation Navigation AA Good terrain association and dead reckoning He was on track the entire route and seemed of limit and kept to know where he was throughout Good use ting features and vertical relief Good crew coordination gave the crew specific tasks aircraft the flying pilot s eyes outside the Overall effective navigation skills ready for more challenging routes conditions 79 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 80 IV MODIFICATIONS AND RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS A MODIFICATIONS COMPLETED The experiment conducted for thesis provided results from which data could be used for future modifications The conclusion resulted from conducting the experiment as much as from the data themselves Some modifications have already been incorporated into the VEHELO system 1 Poor Communications Problem Audio communication with the PUI proved to be slightl
54. el Terrain Flight Terrain flight consists of three basic forms below 200 feet above ground level The Assault Support Helicopter Tactical Manual CNO 1992 defines three different profiles or levels in this environment The different forms are predicated by the altitudes flown for each The levels are Low level Contour and Nap of the Erath NOE Figure 2 below depicts a simplified example of each level of terrain flight Figure 2 Low Level Terrain Flight The first and most commonly utilized flight profile used by military helicopter pilots is Low Level Flight Low Level flight provides for the flight is pre selected and is to be conducted at a selected altitude That altitude is one at which detection and observation of the aircraft or of the points which or to which it is flying are minimized or avoided Low Level flight is flown at minimum altitudes of 100 feet above ground level AGL This altitude profile provides the pilot with the ability to follow a pre selected route It also affords the pilot the opportunity to maintain a constant altitude and constant 14 airspeed The airspeed can be any that is required for safe and successful accomplishment of the mission This thesis will focus on flights in the Low Level flight profile In actuality the aircraft will most likely transit between various flight profiles But for the ability to asses ffectiveness in the instructional environment Low
55. em The commercial version of the light ring only comes in three sizes the smallest of which is still too large to effectively mount around the system s Head Mounted Display HMD mounted camera The light ring could be slightly modified to more closely fit around the current camera lens used on top of the HMD 2 Modified Equipment Case s The mobility of the VEHELO is much mor ffective than that of th arlier version tested by Lennerton As convenient as the box on rollers is it can be improved upon The easier the system is to transport set up and operate the more useful it will be for the intended users M ond The software modification described above allows for a savings of seven inch tall shelf location and approximately 1 55 cubic feet inside the mobile equipment box All this would allow the system to be mounted in two half size equipment cases These cases would be man portable and would allow much more portability of the system In this configuration transportation would not be a major concern as it is with the current configuration 84 3 Equipment Selection Modification Some trouble concerning equipment fuses were experienced during the experiment and subsequent testing All equipment unit used are commercial off the shelf units This maintains a low overall price but does not address the support and time lines unique to NPS Suggested
56. erating Manual Chatsworth CA ReflectMedia 2003 WWW Document URL http www planetdv net frameset asp show content cat 16 June 2004 Flight Link Inc 2001 WWW Document URL http www flightlink com hardware rotorwing index html June 2004 Flo Co Inc 2001 WWW Document URL http www flo co com June 2004 InterSense Inc 1999 IS 600 Series Precision Motion Tracker User Manual Burlington MA InterSense Inc 2001 WWW Document URL http isense com products prec is600 is600plus pdf June 2004 92 Matsushita Electric Corporation of America 2002 WWW Document URL http www panasonic com medical industrial gpus532 asp June 2004 Virtual Research 2000 WWW Document URL http www virtualresearch com index html June 2004 93 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 94 APPENDIX A Weapons Qualification Mission Planning NATTP 3 22 5 CH46E CH 46E Tactical Manual Academic Training Syllabus 120 1 Combat Capable Phase STAGE Basic Qualification Familiarization Instruments Navigation Confined Area Landings Formation External Loads Terrain Flight Review Combat Capable Pilot Check TOTAL FOR PHASE COMBINED TOTALS ACCUMULATION FOR BASIC POI AIRCRAFT CH 4EE EVENT STAGE TRENG CODE HRS COMBAT CAPABLE PHASE HAW 130 131 132 133 FLIGHT TRAINING FOR BASIC AND CH 46E TRAINING AND READINESS MANUAL Volumes I and II
57. ession only Output Quantity Type Overload Protection Resettable input circuit breaker Battery Full Load 4 minutes 450VA Time Par tery alvo 14 minutes 225VA Time Battery Recharge Rat 2 4 hours at 90 Dimensions Ht Width Depth Weight 1 75 im 17540 am 11 9 3m 13 5 los 44 5 mm 43 2 mm 27 9 mm 7 0 kg N LEVITON RACK MOUNTED SURGE PROTECTOR Manufacturer Model Leviton 5500 Series Rated Line Voltage 120 Vol VRMS ad Load Current 20 Amps Maximum Continuous 1 Vol Operating Voltage oD NOLES Operating Frequency Range 50 60 Hiz Staged Multi component 10 Rear 110 Circuit Type Outlets 2 Front Dimensions Ht Depth Weight 1 71 in 4 55 in 15 5 lbs 43 43mm 115 57 mm 7 0 kg THERMODYNE QUADRAFLEX EQUIPMENT CART Manufacturer Model Thermodyne Rack Units 14 Custom Frame Depth Suenos Color Olive drab Green Unit Includes Heavy Duty Hardware Anodized Rack Frame Footman Loops Sliding Shelf Stainless Hardware Heavy Duty Removable casters Power Industry Standard for U S desktop computers Dimensions Ht Width Depth Weight ENT in in Empty Lbs Weight Operational Lbs NETGEAR HUB Description Netgear FS105 switch 5 ports Device Type Switch Form Factor External Compliant Standards EEE 802 3U IEEE 802 31 IEEE 802 3x Ports Qty 5x Ethernet 10Base
58. fic and they operate rapidly requiring little of the pilot s effort or attention The actual tasks required of a helicopter pilot require a combination of both types discussed above An 18 experienced pilot can complete the flight via the automatic system This provides th xperienced pilot enough surplus conscious capacity to carry on a conversation Cognitive process without conscious supervision is vulnerable to error That error is called Habit Capture An example of this type is if the pilot intends to take a different route than that briefed and is then distracted by conversation in the aircraft The pilot stands a chance of performing the automatic response and taking the briefed route Aircrew coordination is fundamental and a prerequisite for the safe and effective mission accomplishment while flying in the low level environment The automatic systems processes of the pilots must be constantly monitored by the pilot s cognitive system This allows the automatic system to be updated with current information thus preventing the above scenario Additionally research has indicated that pilots can combine the two systems simultaneously They can accomplish this if they practice the assigned tasks together and regularly CRM and aircrew coordination is used to establish a division of pilot responsibilities It is also used to organize required cockpit duties
59. ft VEHELO Aircraft VEHELO Aircraft VEHELO Aircraft Notes 1 Subjects 6 and 7 had flights in aircraft cancelled Timeline did not permit inclusion in this study 2 Point Canyon checkpoint used for warm up Table 5 Subject s Checkpoint Proximity 71 AVG A na E mi ce ce ee e ce ca De Maximum 707 264 AIRCRAFT VEHELO GROUP Figure 33 One way Analysis of AVG A by Group Quantiles Level Minimum 1056 2596 Median 75 90 AIRCRAFT 420 420 420 563 5 707 707 VEHELO 100 100 100 221 264 264 Summary of Fit square 0 745438 Adj Requare 0 660584 Root Mean Square Error 136 1941 Mean of Response 342 4 Observations or Sum Wgts 5 Assuming equal variances Difference t Test DF Prob iti Estimate 368 500 2 964 3 0 0594 Std Error 124 328 Lower 9596 27 166 Upper 95 764 166 UnEqual Variances Difference t Test DF Prob Itl Estimate 368 5 2 430 1 23931 0 2080 Std Error 151 7 Lower 9596 645 0 Upper 95 1382 0 Analysis of Variance Source DF Sum of Squares Mean Square F Ratio Prob gt F GROUP 1 162950 70 162951 8 7850 0 0594 Error 3 55646 50 18549 C Total 218597 20 Table 6 One way ANOVA 72 Level AIRCRAFT VEHELO Oneway Analysis of AVG A By GROUP Means for Oneway Anova Number Mean Std Error Lower 9596 Upper 95 2 563 500 96 304 257 0 869 98 3 195 000 78 632 55 2 445 24 Std Error uses a pooled estimate of error variance Dif Mean i Mean j
60. furnishes the pilot with information required to for the aircraft to remain on the intended flight path To assist the copilot PNAC the pilot will communicate approaching terrain features to him Effective communications between the crewmembers will raise the Situational Awareness SA of all crewmembers It will also increase the chance of mission success SA is defined as the degree of accuracy by which a crewmember s perception of the current environment or situation mirrors reality 23 Pilot Flying Pilot Not Flying g gt c Wingman Outside Agencies Crew Chief Figure 5 Effective Communication Th crewmembers will utilize standardized terms to identify terrain features For example a body of water called a creek in some parts of the country is called stream or brook in others Standardized terms will help to prevent misinterpretations and reduce cockpit conversation brevity C VEHELO BACKGROUND 1 VEHELO Development M Motion simulators today have near full fidelity of the aircraft s cockpit environment Instrument displays in current systems provide flight information that replicates that from the actual aircraft The simulator s flight control response and feedback have improved greatly over the past 15 years but still fall short of replicating those in the aircraft It is an ongoing effort to improve Simulators by improv
61. g and Readiness manual T amp R The steps would also be altered to reflect local SOPs so that the student d simulator flights so that a maximum learning They would have to be altered to fulfill th would not receive any negative training in standar operating procedures lies Utilize the enroute portion of the first leg to familiarize the PUI with the system The PUI will quickly learn the ability of the system to depict terrain and gain an appreciation almost immediately The proctor IP will simulate calls from the PAC Crew Chief CC and Aerial Observer AO The two way communication dedicated to the mission is the primary method to teach CRM to the PUI The IP will also point out to the PUI distinct terrain feature so that he may garner an appreciation of scale and speed of the helicopter towards or away from them The IP vary parameters such as airspeed and altitude to ensure the PUI is maintaining a good scan under the HMD onto the instrument panel 55 The Proctor or IP will manipulate the flight and the flight parameters via keystroke entry on the laptop keyboard The commands are listed in Table 2 NOTE Advanced commands are not required to complete a training session They are intended more as system design and evaluation tools 56 Keystroke Keystroke F1 30 turn to the right F2 60 turn to the right 3 90 turn to the right hj
62. hat earlier System some of the artificialities wer desired while others were not The following descriptions refine previously noted aspects as well as introduce those that were found while using VEHELO a Visual Artificialities The subject pilots were exposed to a system in which the colors deviated slightly from the real world As discovered in th arlier testing it proved to be negligible as perceived by the subject pilots Also the camera used for the VEHELO in this thesis was one of the models used during the evaluation of the ChrAVE The camera had an inherent ability to display to the user varying levels of brightness during rapid head movements of the user This arises from the camera s automatic gain control not compensating effectively and giving the variations on the HMD that the views The camera also uses a fixed focal length which gives rise to the user perceiving anything beyond approximately 36 inches as being blurry This was not a serious problem as the majority of the User s scan was through the HMD viewed beyond the 36 inches interval Items viewed under the HMD were easily identifiable with no distortion 62 The basic design of the VEHELO system and the earlier ChrAVE involves a 60 degree field of view FOV This limited FOV causes the user to have a limited unrealistic periphery view displayed in the HMD Each user easily compensated for this by ut
63. ibility of the VEHELO as an instructional Empirical data was collected and evaluated according to the low level navigation performance thresholds set forth by the CH 46E Standardization Manual That publication is produced by Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 164 HMMT 164 which is the Model Manager authority vil THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK viii TABLE OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION o ceceni 9e x9 v RB GEN RU eoe Lc NR NL e xe SL wl ewe Se ae 1 A PROBLEM STATEMENT cer nn 1 B MOTIVATION nionee ve Ae See eA Sie EUR ERU RUE US 3 C THESIS OVERVIEW 2 49 Y ue E XRA US YS 5 D RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4J4 ww oV vSa YS S US Wu v 7 E ORGANIZATION OF THIS THESIS 8 II TRAINING TASKS AND VEHELO BACKGROUND 11 A HELICOPTER TERRAIN FLIGHT AND NAVIGATION 11 1 Low Level Terrain Flight 14 2 Contour Elxrxght Ps x AG AES 15 3 Nap of the Earth Flight 16 B CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT c cres 18 1 Division of Duties saso imere uere LEER US 19 a The Pilot at the Controls PAC 19 b Navigator or Pilot Not at the Controls PNAC 522 Suus iota t ode Eos 21 c Crewchief Aerial Observer Gunner 22 2 Communications and Situational Awareness 23 C VEHELO BACKGROUND eee nn 24 1 VEHELO Development eee 24 III VEHEL
64. iding a much more familiar physical environment for the PUI Observations made during th xperiment and interpretation of the data collected suggests that the latest VEHELO was successful at accomplishing the primary goal of this thesis The system proved that it can be used in the capacity as a trainer for initial navigational training It was effective at quantifying the advantages of a student learning the skill of terrain appreciation on the ground The student then brought that new skill and an increased level of Situational Awareness SA into aircraft Later research could suggest monetary or time Savings in the training commands as well as in the fleet squadrons It also showed how it can be used to instruct Crew Resource Management training This skill is required for all flight and not just in the navigational environment It is also a skill that does not get taught or practiced in other simulated flights in the training commands The comments by the Instructor Pilot IP proved to be as valuable as any of the data received It was his opinion 89 that the system made a noticeable difference in the performance of the two test groups of novice pilots In summation this research proves that the value of an embedded trainer beyond that which was tested earlier It shows a direction that future research with the system can take and suggests that there may be eve
65. igital signals The Camera produces an RGB video signal that is required to be converted to a digital CCIR 601 signal That digital signal is then inputted to the Ultimatte 400 Deluxe chromakey mixer Ultimatte 400 Deluxe Chromakey Mixer Figure 20 Analog to Digital Converter d Leitch SDC 100 Signal Converter The Leitch SDC 100 converts the serial digital CCIR 601 signal from the Ultimatte 400 mixer to a multi pin VGA type cable This allows the signal to be viewed on the V8 HMD Figure 21 Digital to VGA Converter 45 e 1 2 Video Distributor Splitter The VEHELO system requires that the video signal be split for multiple destinations the Extron Spectrum Converter and the Stealth laptop monitor The VP 200 is a high performance 1 2 distribution amplifier for VGA Signals The unit accepts one video input provides buffering and isolation and then distributes the signal to two identical outputs using 15 pin D connectors The unit requires a dedicated 12V power supply OUTPUT 1 OUTPUT 2 KRAMER TOOLS 1 2 High Resolution VGA DA INPUT Figure 22 1 2 VGA Distributor f Rackmount CPU The Stealth SR 4500B is an industrial rackmount computer The computer operates with Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 installed The computer also has a 2 8 GHz Intel processor mounted on an ATX Mainboard The unit installed in the VEHELO is configured wi
66. iguration with the Littering will permit all of these training scenarios Attempt an experiment inside the actual aircraft in the following fashion O Obtain authorization to use an aircraft inside the hanger deck HMMT 164 has already been briefed and approved this experiment when NPS is ready O Drape loose material over the windscreen and secure with removable nonmetallic fasteners FOD Hazard O Power the system from the hanger deck outlet O Construct extended cables for the Instrument monitor and headgear to reach the equipment cart O Install hook and loop fasteners to accommodate the instrument panel being installed in front of the left seat in the aircraft 86 All equipment and ICS cables will be routed from the PUI through the crew entry tunnel and onto the hanger deck to connect to the equipment case 87 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 88 V CONCLUSIONS The VEHELO proved itself to be an immersive and highly familiar environment in which a pilot could learn initial piloting skills as well as to conduct proficiency training The current configuration has addressed many of the issues that arose from arlier testing of the initial version system The lack of first person fidelity of the earlier system was addressed in the current VEHELO system The mock cockpit was configured for the Type Model Series T M S of the aircraft used for testing thus prov
67. ilizing more head movements As a side note this additional motion proved to be extremely similar to that required during flight involving the use of Night Vision Goggles NVGs NVG Simulation will be discussed in the last chapter The user s FOV of the VEHELO cockpit was set up to represent a left seat pilot s perspective This included the view though the left chin bubble of the mock cockpit It allowed the blue screen background to approximate the pilot s 8 o clock to his 2 o clock This accurately represented the left seat limitations of not being able to see past the pilot in the right seat of the aircraft b Ergonomic Artificialities The cockpit was set up to represent a generic configuration and not specifically the aircraft used for testing This still accurately provided the subject with the ergonomic restrictions encountered in the actual cockpit of the aircraft Restrictions such as pedal movement cyclic stick and kneeboard interference with navigational products prove to be educational to the novice pilots The weight of the combined HMD and tracker unit was comparable to what is actually worn in flight but the unit s balance was different User s reported the unit was weighted too heavily in the front and although adjustable proved to be bothersome during each flight In flight a helmet would evenly distribute the weight to avoid hot 63 spots on th
68. ing the interactive graphics of the virtual environment or display that the user sees Simulator improvement will involve the use of user centered design This design approach takes into account the way in which a pilot interacts with the cockpit 24 environment It accomplishes this by creating motion parallax with the dynamic head movements of the pilot Traditionally Simulators alone cannot replicate the feedback required for developing or maintaining the skill required to manipulate the flight controls of an actual helicopter The original Chromakeyed Augmented Virtual Environment ChrAVE research attempted to focus on the pilot task of low level navigation This is an extremely critical skill required of all helicopter pilots The skill of navigation requires none of the dexterity when compared to the flying pilot from the manipulation of the flight controls Lennerton s work showed that the task of low level navigation was a viable task that could b ffectively simulated in the ChrAVE This in turn allowed further research using the VEHELO system into the more complex tasks that might include successfully emulating the flight control feedback That ability could be used to maintain the level of pilot dexterity or skill proficiency The ChrAVE was built around the use of the chromakey technology The technology has been around for many years and
69. ion 85 4 Equipment Transportability 85 5 Future Research isco eee ee ia se ela ANS iss 85 V CONCLUSIONS s Ro REIR SARE Rel EHR RAR RG SLE A RR 89 LIST OF REFERENCES z23 x Rue xe ese nies eee fero e S mede Rye e De oe 91 APPENDIX A CH 46E TRAINING AND READINESS MANUAL 95 APPENDIX B HARDWARE INVENTORY eee 99 X APPENDIX C HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS 101 A VRS V8 HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY 101 B PANASONIC GP US532H CAMERA eee 102 C PELCO CAMERA LENS eee eee eee eens 103 D INTERSENSE INERTIACUBE llle ellen 104 E EXTRON VSC 200D VIDEO SCAN CONVERTER 104 F LEITCH ADC 6801 SIGNAL CONVERTER 106 G ULTIMATTE 400 DELUXE COMPOSITE VIDEO MIXER 106 H KRAMER 1 2 VIDEO DISTRIBUTER SPLITTER 107 I ULTIMATTE 400 SMART REMOTE een 107 J LEITCH SDC 100 CONVERTER eee ec eee 108 K STEALTH SR 4500 RACK MOUNT CPU 108 L STEALTH VR100 RACK MOUNT LCD KEYBOARD MOUSE 109 M TRIPP LITE RACK MOUNTED UPS 110 N LEVITON RACK MOUNTED SURGE PROTECTOR 110 Oo THERMODYNE QUADRAFLEX EQUIPMENT CART 111 P NETGEAR HUB 22 994 9 o GS ash RS UR RU ee RR Ur ee y dr 111 APPENDIX D USER S MANUAL eee 113 APPENDIX E PREFLIGHT QUESTIO
70. is suggested that an IP from the local command instruct the curved can be achieved e training requirements set forth in the Training and Readiness manual T amp R The steps would also be altered to reflect local SOPs so that the student d Simulator flights so that a maximum learning They would have to be altered to fulfill th would not receive any negative training in standar operating procedures 1 Utilize the enroute portion of the first leg to familiarize the PUI with the system The PUI will quickly learn the ability of the system to depict terrain and gain an appreciation almost immediately The proctor IP will simulate calls from the PAC Crew Chief CC and Aerial Observer AO The two way communication dedicated to the mission is the primary method to teach CRM to the PUI 116 The IP will also point out to the PUI distinct terrain feature so that he may garner an appreciation of scale and speed of the helicopter towards or away from them The IP vary parameters such as airspeed and altitude to ensure the PUI is maintaining a good scan under the HMD onto the instrument panel The Proctor or IP will manipulate the flight and the flight parameters via keystroke entry on the laptop keyboard The commands are listed in Table Zs NOTE Advanced commands are not required to complete a training session They are intended more as sys
71. is often used in the entertainment industry The basic chromakey process combines two different video signals a foreground and a background by overlaying one video signal over another The areas of overlay are defined by using a specific range of color called chrominance on the background signal An even simpler description is like having an individual stand in front of a blue or green screen background A device hardware or software is then used to remove every area of that color and replace it with 25 another image or video source This gives the observer th illusion of the individual being somewhere he is not The individual then is being keyed in front of a green screen or Chromakeyed The Chromakey Augmented Virtual Environment ChrAVE was an idea that was first explored in the body of work completed by Lennerton in 2004 His work followed the work by Sullivan 1998 and evaluated the basic idea of using this method of simulation for helicopter training Lennerton created the first ChrAVE system which was used for initial the evaluation The work by Lennerton validated the usefulness of using the Chromakeyed technology to overcome the many drawbacks of current simulation systems It successfully showed th ffectiveness of immersing the pilot in an environment similar to that in which he would encounter in actual flight It showed th ffectiveness of virtual environment
72. it to the rest of the aircrew This entails mentally rehearsing the term and then delivering it without disturbing the flight controls as set by the Pilot at the Controls He must also not interrupt any communications already in the process of being exchanged between members of the crew He also retains control of the helicopter during any aircraft or system emergencies He will also execute the emergency procedures required in accordance with appropriate aircraft publications Lastly he is responsible for accomplishment of any instructions received at the preflight briefing 20 b Navigator or Pilot Not at the Controls PNAC The Pilot Not at the Controls is referred to by different titles amongst the various references for the purposes of this thesis entry level navigation instruction the title PUI will apply to the PNAC The tasks and responsibilities of the PNAC are of particular interest to this thesis The VEHELO overall system goals are tailored to the needs of the PUI and each task has been faithfully emulated for evaluation in the experiment phase The primary duty of the PUI is accurate navigation To be successful he must remain oriented at all times during the flight He must inform the PAC of the proper direction of flight and appropriate airspeed adjustments for the purpose of correct mission timing He also assists the PAC by monit
73. itary Helicopter Pilots 6 AUTHOR Kulakowski Walter W PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME S AND ADDRESS ES 8 PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey CA 93943 5000 9 SPONSORING MONITORING AGENCY NAME S AND ADDRESS ES 10 SPONSORING MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect he official policy or position of the U S Department of Defense or the U S Government 12a DISTRIBUTION AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b DISTRIBUTION CODE pproved for public release distribution is unlimited 13 ABSTRACT maximum 200 words The requirement for low level navigation flight conducted between 200 and 500 feet above ground level s something unique to the military helicopter pilot Each novice helicopter pilot is introduced to his skill early and in a limited number of flights or flight hours A low situational awareness SA is torically noted among the novice pilots during their first few flights within this flight regime To hat end this thesis continues with the work conducted earlier to develop a trainer that places the ilot in an immersive and familiar cockpit environment for training through the use of chromakeyed hnology as employed in the Virtual Environment Helicopter System VEHELO The pilot will then be ble to learn and exercise required piloting tasks and multi place aircraft communications as hentically and as meticulousl
74. justify their existence They must be designed from a user centered perspective and from a machine centered design This thesis 5 continues the work completed by Lennerton 2004 which used the chromakey technology to address this simulation need It will take the VEHELO system beyond the simple tasks required during its initial testing and validation It will also attempt to validate its usefulness as an instructional tool It will accomplish this by comparing data obtained from simulation and from aircraft flights by students with that of students who fly in the aircraft only The basic configuration of the system is shown below in Figure 1 HEAD TRACKER C A7 MIXER HEAD MOUNTED 7 DISPLAY HMD AMERA STUDENT PILOT Da CONTROL CONSOLE INSTRUCTOR PILOT Figure 1 Basic VEHELO Implementation The initial version of the ChrAVE System was successful at validating the basic concept of using the 6 chromakey technology for static helicopter simulations In essence it could have been described as a tool used to maintain pilot proficiency The focus of this thesis will be one of the suggested uses from the Lennerton work The system through slight modifications has the ability to increase the performance of the novice pilot during their initial navigational training flights The increased performance will be realized by the higher levels of Situational
75. k the level situational awareness SA required during the initial low level navigation V flights The VEHELO can be used to increase the new pilot s SA prior to that first flight in the aircraft This will in turn provide an opportunity for increased pilot performance during the flights in the aircraft And that in turn could manifest itself in the form of increased pilot performance and a savings of flight time aircraft maintenance time and flight hour costs In addition to the required SA there are a number of other discrete new skills the novice pilot must learn The two most important are terrain appreciation at low level flight and inter crew communications and Crew Resource Management CRM The unique communications arise from the novice pilot flying a multi crewed position aircraft for the first time Currently there is not a system to facilitate this type of training The VEHELO would provide a means for the novice pilot to learn and practice these required skills prior to the first flight in the aircraft The net result would be that the novice pilot would enter the aircraft with a higher level of SA thus allowing the instructor to maximiz the ffectiveness of the limited fight time allowed for each training flight Irregardless of the format in which the VEHELO is used instructional or proficiency it will place the pilot in an immersed and famili
76. load during the actual flight after having flown the route in the simulator Oo Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree a Strongly Agree Page 2 of 3 Figure 41 Post Flight Questionnaire page 2 126 B Comments Please use this section for any additional comments or suggestions you may have regarding your experience with the VEHELO simulator system Please include any comments on a specific question and include the question number Thank you for your t questionnaire The i ime and attention to this nformation gathered from these questionnaires will be used to further develop and refine the VEHELO experimen Instructor collects tal trainer Pleas nsure your them Page 3 of 3 Figure 42 Post Flight Questionnaire page 3 127 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 128 APPENDIX H we A Jj f 2j y E ue S Y ES s o i y Q SUBJECT S SIMULATOR AND FLIGHT DATA Figure 43 E AN EX K l EA Subject 1 Results 129 Proposed route of flight to be flown in VEHELO and aircraft ceceo Route of flight flown by student pilot in VEHELO amaa Route of flight actually flown by student pilot in aircraft Table 12 VEHELO Data Legend Subject 1 130 Xe 3 E 8 r 7 e SS BER ee PA Pa Ae of eee E e Jp i
77. lution to the lighting is to use an LED light ring from Reflecmedia referred to by it s commercial product name Litering This product uses the Chromatte technology Chromatte technology is a different means of keying from chromakey now being used The technology utilizes a special reflective fabric and a circle of LEDs configured in a light ring which is placed around the camera lens This combination is able to generate the chrominance required Figure 35 Relfecmedia s LED Litering The LEDs shine their light onto the Chromatte material which is made up of millions of small hemispherical aluminum coated glass beads The net optical result is that the light shined onto the Chromatte material is only reflected back at its source with the camera lens in the center All required light is provided by the LED Litering and thus it can be used in most lighting conditions 83 A VEHELO system configured with the Litering and Chromatte material would permit additional training while using the system The newly configured system would permit critical simulated darkened cockpit and NVG flights It would also provide a savings in set up experiment time lighting and ease of use Initial testing without test subjects proved extremely successful Green LEDs provide more light than the optional blue and should be used for development in the next version of the VEHELO syst
78. ly deployable yet heavy duty mobile cart for the VEHELO configuration Inside equipment are mounted on the normal operation power applied and the external connections etc made in approximat the CWO box the various pieces of custom configured shelving For covers are removed external HMD monitor ely 10 minutes The unit was also configured with four remo Figure 26 vable heavy duty casters Thermodyne Quadraflex Equipment Cart Shown without casters removed 49 j CPU Software MultiGen Paradigm s Vega virtual environment software is used in the CPU This software was evaluated by Lennerton and selected for it being a fairly intuitive API application called Lynx that allows connectivity between objects observers models terrain effects etc 5 Miscellaneous Hardware a Rack Mounted UPS Tripp Lite s SMART450RT UPS System provides the VEHELO system with a line interactive battery backup It is designed to be rack mounted and has a 450 VA power handling capability and UPS battery backup The unit has 5 AVR protected outlets four of which are UPS and surge and one surge only outlet It also has diagnostic LEDs on the front and an accessory slot for use with optional SNMP card network management and connectivity products Figure 27 Rack Mount UPS 50 b Rack Mounted Surge Protector The transient surge protector for the equipment case is a
79. ly in general terrain orientation and crew coordination At this level and at flight school this device would be a great instructional tool If attached to a better database compatible with NVGs this could be a great tool for real world missions Table 9 IP Proctor Summarized Results The Academic Training Forms ATF are the official grading sheets produced by the IP after the flight in the aircraft is completed The following are comments taken from the ATFs of three subjects 1 2 and 3 who flew the VEHELO prior to the training flights in te aircraft Subject 1 Dead reckoning type navigation worked fairly well He used time tick marks to keep himself oriented and was able to identify all checkpoints Had trouble initially identifying one road intersection and picked the wrong town for another checkpoint Back yourself up with altitude if you are using a prominent terrain feature to identify a checkpoint picked the wrong mountain top Overall pretty good job of terrain associating and dead reckoning a little trouble with cultural feautres Would have successfully completed the mission if he was actually going somewhere 78 Subject 2 Was able to plug the route into PFPS make a route card and load a brick by the time we launched Demonstrated GPS navigation Dead reckoning navigation worked fairly well to keep him oriented with timing tick marks to k
80. mat Fleet Replacement Squadron FRS helicopter human computer interface mission rehearsal navigation route rehearsal spatial orientation Litering Refresher Aircrew Training RAC terrain association virtual environments VEHELO C E PRICE CODE 17 SECURITY 18 SECURITY 19 SECURITY 20 LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540 01 280 5500 Standard Form 298 Rev 2 89 Prescribed by ANSI Std 239 8 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release distribution is unlimited This thesis was done in cooperation with the MOVES Institute EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT HELICOPTER SYSTEM VEHELO FOR USE AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR MILITARY HELICOPTER PILOTS Walter W Kulakowski Major United States Marine Corps B S University of Florida 1992 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL September 2004 Author Walter W Kulakowski Approved by Rudolph Darken Thesis Advisor Joseph A Sullivan Thesis Co advisor Peter Denning Chairman Department of Computer Science iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT The Chromakeyed Augmented Virtual Environment ChrAVE system was initially developed to validate the feasi
81. n 102 Controls Computer Interface Lens Mount Power Source Power Consumption Ambient Operating Temperature Ambient Operating Humidity Dimensions Camera Head Excluding Mounting Adapter CCU Excluding rubber foot amp conn C 1 2 inch Format Varifocal Model Type Format Size Mount Type Focal Length Zoom ratio Relativ 2yoeicit bic Operation Iris Focus Zoom CAM BAR Gain 0 9 18dB ATW AWC MANU ELC On Off PAGE ITEM AWC UP Selection White Balance Selection Electronic Light Control ABC B Gain and ELC LEV EL R Gain RS 232C Control C Mount 12V DC 8 4 W 327 JI3E 0C 45 Ht 1 11 16 in 44mm Width 1 5 16 in 34 mm Ht 1 11 16 in 44mm Width 8 1 8 in 206 5 mm PELCO CAMERA LENS TT 12VA6 13 Varifocal A ae C 6 13mm 2 2X 1 8 close Manual Manual Manual 103 OFF LOW HIGH and gt Scene 1 2 D SUB 9 pin Connector x 1 0 24 lbs 110 g Weight 3 74 lbs 1 7 kg Lens model 12VA6 13 from Pelco D Min Object Distance 0 3 um Back Focal Length 8 7 mm Filter size N A Weight 0 20 lb O W 1 65 aim 4 19 cum L 191 in 4 85 cm INTERSENSE INERTIACUBE From InterSense USA Degrees of Freedom 3 Yaw Piicela ROLLY Angular Range Full 360 All Axis Maximum Angular Rate 120 per second Minim
82. n industry standard It is required to provide the needed number of outlets for all installed hardware and to easily connect the equipment case to an external power Source The unit is produced by the Leviton company Figure 28 Rack mounted Surge Protector 6 Overall System Goals As with the work completed by Lennerton the goals for the system remain the same There are two overall goals of the system m To exercise the task of navigation as faithfully and rigorously as the task is accomplished in the real world utilizing an actual aircraft and a To place the subject in an immersive and familiar environment true in first person fidelity 51 USER S MANUAL VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT HELICOPTER SYSTEM VEHELO SET UP GUIDE AND PROCEDURES I SET UP INSTRUCTIONS Place the three collapsible Blue Screens to represent the 8 to 2 o clock perspective of the PUI Additionally place the loose piece of matting in a position to represent the chin bubble view Ensure all seems are covered and material is flat and taut Place the Flight Link Flight Controls and Seat in the center of the three collapsible screens Set up the instrument console CRT on its wooden bas centered in front of the pilot s seat position Position the two vertical light fixtures to attain the required amount of light reflected from the blue matting Ensure all components are con
83. n more uses of the system than those already addressed in this and earlier work An easily deployable and easy to use system will benefit the training of helicopter pilots at many different levels of pilot training Whether the system is used to instruct novice pilots rehearse a planned route of flight or raise a pilot s levels of proficiency chromakey technology and an embedded trainer are tangible solution and merit further research 90 LIST OF REFERENCES Chief of Naval Operations 1992 NWP 55 9 ASH Vol I Rev F FMFM 5 35 Assault Support Helicopter Tactical Manual Washington DC Government Printing Office Chief of Naval Operations 1995 NWP 55 9 CH46 Vol I Al HA6AE TAC 000 CH 46E Helicopter Tactical Manual Washington DC Government Printing Office Marine Corps Order P3500 50 Ch 1 2004 Aviation Training and Readiness Manual T amp R CH 46E PCN 10203353500 Washington DC Government Printing Office Commanding Officer HMMT 164 2004 CH 46E Standardization Manual Marine Air Group 39 Camp Pendleton CA Funk Kenneth amp Colvin Kurt 2000 Cockpit Task Management WWW Document URL http flightdeck ie orst edu CTM June 2004 O Conner Paul University of Aberdeen Industrial Psychology Research Group 2001 An Interactive Virtual Environment for Training Map Reading Skills in Helicopter Pilots URL http www sardawg org alpadownloads aavpa 20crm 20survey pdf June 2004
84. n the aircraft It is the compilation of effort from all members of the aircrew In military aircraft there are numerous aircrew positions and each has its own set of responsibilities The Pilot at the Controls PAC is the crewmember actually manipulating the flight controls of the aircraft to accomplish it being able to fly The Pilot not at Control PNAC is th crewmember responsible for navigation He is also responsible for many other tasks involving crew coordination and aircraft system employment There are also other crewmembers on board certain types of military helicopters The CH 46E helicopter used for evaluation in this thesis has an additional two crewmembers The crew chief and aerial observer both provide input to the pilots from their vantage point in the rear of the aircraft A multi place aircraft such as this is a prime example of the importance of good crew coordination For the helicopter to successfully navigate a given route of flight the aircrew must work in a cohesive fashion Helicopter flight is normally flown at lower altitudes for a multitude of reasons Not the least of which is a tactical necessity Altitudes of 200 300 feet are considered the normal for most missions But the altitude flown is always threat dependent and can vary throughout any given mission It is for the above reason that training is also conducted at that altitude 13 1 Low Lev
85. nected IAW Figure 29 and Table 1 52 LINN NYOM LOTId LAPTOP CONSOLE DEPLOYABLE EQUIPMENT BOX installed in Equipment Box Figure 29 VEHELO Set up Configuration HARDWARE DEVICE CONNECTIONS In from Head Tracker In from Keyboard to Laptop Interface In from Mouse to Laptop Interface Out to Video conn Instrumen CRT OME Sc tete OT VAS 09 2010 98 GN OSIS e to Ultimatte Smart Remote In from ADC 6801 Mix Box 1 iE JSXDIQ AV Ultimatte 400 Smart timatte 400 Mixer Remote PU VP 200 Video Splitter 1 to Extron VSC 200 Converter 1 Laptop Interface wA rr rom Ultimatte 400 Mixer DS TOO to HMD Box SDC 100 B Not Required for VEHELO In Camera Control Unit CCU ADC 601 Mix Box Out Ultimatte 400 Mixer In from Camera Control Unit Extron VSC 200 Converter CCU In from VP 200 Video Splitter Ultimatte 400 Mixer pout to Ultimatte 400 Mixer from SDC 100 A Laptop Interface Panel O I O O HMD I O O Camera Extron VSC 200 Converter to ADC 6801 Mix Box Camera Control Unit Out to Camera Control Unit Camera CCU Head Tracker I Instrument Panel CRT In VP 200 Video Splitter In SDC 100 B N A for current version of VEHELO z In HMD Box Out CPU Keyboard connection Out CPU Mouse connection Doan bert ape D e LOW Power Cords from equipment Supply UPS
86. ns Section A Background Information Section B Navigational Skill Knowledge Section C Comments Remember there is no time limit Hand the completed questionnaire to the Instructor when you are done APPENDIX E PREFLIGHT QUESTIONNAIRE Subject Number Instructor use only Date Sim flight A Background Information 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 How many Flight Hours do you have in the past 12 months Hrs How many Total Flight Hours do you have approximately Hrs Are you prone to simulator sickness Yes No Do you require corrective lenses Yes No If so what is your uncorrected vision a ee Do you have any other history of eye disease surgery or injury Yes No Have you ever used a virtual environment for training Yes No If you answered yes to 7 where did you use the device Have you ever used a virtual environment for entertainment Yes No If yes did you use a head mounted display Yes No As a designated aviator how would you rate your low level navigational skills check one Novice o Average o Advanced o Instructor Level Expert List all type model series aircraft you are or have been qualified to fly Disregard Flight School unless you were an instructor When was the last Navigation class you attended Page 1 of 3 Figure 37 Pre Flight Questionnaire page 1 119 14 When was y
87. o CCIR 6011 ITU R BT 601 VSC 200D only or 1 S video or 1 NTSC PAL composite video 5 BNC female 1 RGBHV RGBS RGsB or component video 1 BNC female digital component video VSC 200D only 1 4 pin mini DIN femal S video 1 BNC female composite video RGBHV RGBS RGsB 0 7V p p S video and composite 1 0V p p 75 ohms Auto detect RGBHV RGBS and RGsB RGBHV RGBS and RGsB all RGB formats are swith selectable 1 BNC female genlock input 1 BNC female genlock output terminate w 75 ohms if unused NTSC 3 58 and PAL 1 5V to 5 0V p p SV p p 75 ohms 75 ohms Negative 105 F LEITCH ADC 6801 SIGNAL CONVERTER From Leitch RGB to Dl e Sampling Rate e Quantization e Input Standards e 5 BNCs Component Analog Input Connector e Impedance e Signal Level e Adjustable Gain e Time Adjustment Range e Return Loss Filtering As Per CCIR 601 Specifications e Frequency Response e Signal to Noise Ratio on all Channels e Interchannel Crosstalk e 2T K factor e Luminance Non linearity Gain Alignment e DC Clamping Output e Output Standard e Input to Output Delay 27MHz Y 13 5MHz Cr Cb 10 bits SMPTE EBU MII Betacam component or RGB at 525 or 625 lines rates Ext Sync Loop Through G Y B B Y R R Y BNC per IEC 169 8 75 ohms unbalanced bh V H 10 oo 1 8ys gt 40dB to 5 5 MHz Y ch
88. o a lower f stop number will allow more light to reach the camera sensors It will also reduce the depth of field of the camera 39 Figure 14 Camera Lens d Motion Tracker The InterSense Inertiacube was chosen to be used for all motion detection in the VEHELO It is a motion tracker that utilizes inertial sensing technology to provide 3 Degrees of Freedom DOF This is a major simplification from the earlier ChrAVE which used 6 DOF and additional hardware It obtains motion sensing by using a miniature solid state inertial measuring unit This unit senses the angular rate of rotation gravity and the Earth s magnetic field along three perpendicular axes The angular rates of motion are combined to obtain the orientation yaw pitch and roll of the sensor 40 Figure 15 Motion Tracker The system utilizes the small InertiaCube approximately 1 5 inches square mounted to the top of the headgear worm by the user It is connected by a cable to the input of the CPU via the use of a serial port dongle and DC power connection It is nearly immune from interference in the area of the mock cockpit 4 Electronic Hardware and Software The VEHELO system includes many modifications from the previous version tested by Lennerton The improvements primarily focus on allowing the system to be more mobile and supportable They also included changes to allow it to perform functions such as it
89. oals e 51 D USER S MANUAL teh e Soe eg Re Rey REI mecs 52 E EXPERIMENT SETUP ox Ie nes ie Mos o es 58 1 Subject Pilots PUD beers 58 2 Treatment ccce ER ae ee UE E EIUS 59 a Entrance Questionnaire 59 b Flight Briefing 59 c Debrief siso c Webs 61 d Exit Questionnaire ce 61 3 System Artificialities 62 a Visual Artificialities 62 b Ergonomic Artificialities 63 c Flight Profile Artificialities 64 d Task Artificialiti s oree tinina lE 65 F EXPERIMENT PROGRESSION AND RESULTS 66 1 Preflight Questionnaire Results 66 2 Recorded Data from VEHELO System and Aircraft xl4g go ear ee CA SUE URN ad EUR We ee 69 3 Debrief and Comments e 75 4 Postflight Questionnaire Results 75 5 Instructor Pilot Comments 76 IV MODIFICATIONS AND RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS 81 A MODIFICATIONS COMPLETED eee 81 1 Poor Communications ees 81 2 Headgear Replacement 82 3 Smart Remote Replacement 82 B RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS AND RESEARCH 82 1l LED Litering ie tcc ea eu RE odere ed Wee ee 82 2 Modified Equipment Case s 84 3 Equipment Selection Modificat
90. oring aircraft instruments and the performance of the other crewmembers He will additionally complete any assigned procedures during aircraft emergencies and those assigned to him during the preflight brief The duties and responsibilities of the navigator or PUI PNAC during most tactical missions would be as follows e Navigating from checkpoint to checkpoint via the intended route of flight e Maintaining aircraft orientation O Utilize terrain appreciation as the primary means of monitoring aircraft location O Utilize timing as a secondary means of monitoring aircraft location a Dead Reckoning Utilize Time Distance Heading 21 O Associate 3 D terrain outside aircraft with the 2 D map representation O Utilize key terrain features to include a Limiting features Channeling Features m Vertical relief e Provide timely directional voice commands to the Pilot at the Controls 6p O tandard directional voice commands o Standard terrain feature terminology e Monitor and manage radios O HF VHF UHF e Monitor instruments e Monitor and manage navigational equipment Oo GPS PLRS ADF TACAN UHD DF c Crewchief Aerial Observer Gunner The remaining members of the aircrew aboard most flights in the CH 46E helicopter are those positioned behind the cockpit in the passenger cabin Crewmembers other than the two pilots have two primary responsibilities during flight They
91. ormance Standards Pilot shall perform a navigation route utilizing a 1 250 000 map remaining within 500 meters of course throughout tne route that consists of a minimum of five checkpoints Prerequisite FAM 113 FRS Navigation class Ordnance None External Syllabus Support None 96 NAV 131 1 5 l CH 46E A Goal Review NAV 130 Requirement 1 Discuss raf CH 46E NATOPS Manual CH 46E Flight Standardization Manual CH 46E TAC Manual a Comfort level b Navigation techniques c Map preparation d Boundaries e Wind correction for DR navigation f In flight route changes g onboard navigation systems n Basic Survivability Concepts 2 Plan and navigate at 200 300 feet AGL to a minimum of six predetermined terrain features using 1 50 000 maps Remain witnin 200 meters of course line Use appropriate onboard navigation systems if available Performance Standards Pilot shall perform a navigation route utilizing a 1 50 000 map remaining within 200 meters of course for a minimum of six checkpoints Prerequisite NAV 130 Ordnance None External Syllabus Support None 97 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 98 APPENDIX B HARDWARE INVENTORY The following inventory documents the current physical Serial Number STLO304SR3235 configuration of the VEHELO Nomenclatur Manufacture e r Stealth 1 CPU SR 4500B Computer Corp Stealth 129
92. orrectly concluded that while it is a crew coordination task to maintain situational awareness and knowledge of the aircraft s whereabouts at all times it is the navigator who through use of the map and the outside world challenges the certainty of the aircraft s place in space Successful navigation requires vigilant uncertainty management the degree to which uncertainty is minimized and considered acceptable As was the case with the earlier ChrAVE experiment manipulation of the flight model is accomplished via the keyboard Thus it will be done by the IP 27 A EXPERIMENTAL OPERATING MODES The VEHELO can be used as a proficiency tool This was discussed in the work by Lennerton It can also now be used as an instructional tool Human learning once acquired is not stored permanently in the mind Human information retention is selective Skills and knowledge can both be retained in proportion to their use and importance The Federal Aviation Administration conducted various studies in the area of pilot proficiency The studies were designed to track the retention and or loss of pilot skills over a given period of time One study found that newly certified pilots who do not fly regularly underwent rapid and Significant deterioration of their ability to perform given flight tasks The study did not quantify what was meant by fly regularly Skill retention or skill loss can be divided in
93. ose that flew the VEHELO and the aircraft against the AIRCRAFT group those student pilots that flew only the aircraft Comparing the VEHELO group to the AIRCRAFT only group on a measure of average proximity to checkpoints along the route it can be seen that the VEHELO group performs Significantly better than the AIRCRAFT only group P 0 059 F 8 785 suggesting that VEHELO had a strong positive effect on navigation performance 69 _ III pum mJ I EEE VIL pepe A e ALLL LLL LLL LLL UUU OU UOU UUU UU A E 7 BGB M MMAE DUE un 7 1 IIIA cv a ZA L1 BM zl LEA LZ 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 S19 0W juiod x2ouo uioJJ eouejsiq A JP ZL CLL BM 400 200 Henshaw Lake Wolford Lancaster Road Oak Grove Warner Intersection Temecula Golf Course Peak Dam Springs Checkpoint Bl Pilot 3 VEHELO E Pilot 2 VEHELO O Pilot 2 AC EI Pilot 1 VEHELO OPiloti AC Pilot 3 AC El Pilot 5 VEHELO Pilot 5 AC El Pilot 4 VEHELO SPilot 4 AC Subject s Checkpoint Proximity Figure 32 70 Checkpoints distance in meters Temecula Golf Course Road Oak Warner Henshaw Lake Lancaster Intersection Grove Springs Dam Wolford Peak Flight Mode 2 Avg Distance VEHELO Aircraft VEHELO Aircraft VEHELO Aircraft VEHELO Aircra
94. our last low level helicopter navigation map preparation 15 What do you consider to be the more important check one Timing along the route Distance from intended flight path 16 Are you familiar with the route you will be flying in today Yes No 17 Ifso have you ever flown this route before Yes No B Navigational Skill Knowledge The following questions ask your opinion of acceptable criteria for non tactical low level helicopter navigation based upon your current skill level You may refer to your map at any time 18 Number the following in order of importance 1 highest 8 lowest Maintaining the route of flight Accurately knowing your present location Accurately flying over your checkpoints Knowing your location by reference to a terrain feature Identifying seeing the checkpoint by not flying over it Being off the intended route of flight but correcting towards it Being off the intended route of flight and correcting by intercepting the follow on checkpoint Voice communications between aircrew 19 The acceptable threshold between acceptable and substandard navigational performance is meters of the intended route of flight 200 0 300 0 400 0500 0600 0 700 0 800 0 900 n 1000 20 The acceptable threshold between acceptable and substandard navigational performance is meters of the checkpoints 200 0 300 0 400 5500 0600 2700 0 800 0 90
95. s Contrast Ratio Viewing Angle typical Brightness INPUTS INPUT VAC VDC Keyboard Mouse Touch Pad Security Controls On Screen Display Dimensions Dell FR 1000 15 KVM 19 Rackmount steel chassis 1 U 1 75 or 44 5mm high TFT Active Matrix Liquid Crystal T5707 Auto Sync from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 768 1024 x 768 Analog Input 300 1 16 7 wn Libation 4 80 ta All Dirsecions 230 cd m White Luminance ANALOG 0 7 Vp p 75 Ohms 90 220VAC Adapter 12VDC Input 5A LOS iia 2 Button Glide Point Built in lock wita 2 kys Size etc Built in Controls for Brightness Contrast H V Position Frequency Ht 1h aon 482 6 mm Width 19 in 44 5 mm Depth Weight 26 6 in 600 mm 37 lbs 17 0 kg 109 M TRIPP LITE RACK MOUNTED UPS Manufacturer Model Rack Units Tripp Lite SMART450RT 1 U unit Output Power Rating 450 WA 27 watts Voltage Capacity 120 volts 60Hz 4 UP Number of outlets aS i Sumee LINE MODE Sine wave line voltage 120V 12 6 Opus Voltage BATTERY MODE PWM Sine wave output Regulation 7 within 5 of 120V AC LINE MODE Passes line frequency of 60Hz Output Frequency 10 Regulation BATTERY MODE Inverter output regulated to 60Hz 0 5Hz 5 NEMA 5 15R output receptacles 4 with UPS and surge suppression with surge suppr
96. s for use in stationary simulations It also showed that the system is a viable training tool for navigational training and the acquisition of spatial knowledge In this body of work that previous system will be referred to as ChrAVE The system was modified from lessons learned by Lennerton and to accommodate ideas for its future use The current version of the ChrAVE is now known as the Virtual Environment Helicopter or VEHELO and it is that nomenclature that will used for the remainder of this thesis 26 III VEHELO SPECIFICATION CONFIGURATION AND USE The VEHELO was intended to be used in a manner that replicated actual pilot performance in the aircraft That said the navigating pilot or pilot not at the controls PNAC will direct the flight path of the aircraft by giving appropriate voice commands to the pilot at the controls PAC or Instructor Pilot IP Standard terminology will be in accordance with IAW the aircraft Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization Program NATOPS Manual This standardization between the simulated and real world environments negates the need for any additional learning to accomplish the task in the VEHELO In Lennerton s work he discussed the workload of the navigational pilot PNAC He concluded that the navigator is generally mentally more active than the pilot at the Nw controls He also c
97. s that are deployed in support of military operations worldwide It spoke of the tendency of a pilot s abilities to atrophy while deployed It discussed why navigational training was a good area to begin exploring the feasibility of a Simulator using chromakey technology such as the VEHELO system that utilized immersion of the pilot into the environment The pilot skills in the Lennerton experiment will be referred to as the proficiency level of the in this thesis This thesis will expand upon the previous suggestion of low level or terrain flight navigation research The focus of this thesis will be to concentrate on using the immersed environment to increas the fficiency of early navigational training flights The training is more involved than just point to point navigation in the aircraft In addition to navigational skills the pilot must learn proper CRM and how to properly use and communicate with the other crewmembers in the aircraft This discussion will begin with the skill of aircraft low level navigation The ability for a pilot to effectively navigate is a skill that most other flying responsibilities build upon Navigation is one a fundamental underlying function to most every task of helicopter aviation The requirement for a pilot to be able to effectively navigate has not been negated with the advent of modern navigational aids such as embedded Glob
98. sembled the actual task in the aircraft o Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree a Strongly agree 2 Voice commands used in the VEHELO resembled those actual voice commands used in the aircraft Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral Agree n Strongly agree 3 The VEHELO performs as well as visual simulators you have used in the past with regard to flight navigation Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral Agree n Strongly agree 4 The VEHELO is more valuable as a flight preparation tool than desktop simulators that you have used in regards to flight navigation Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral Agree o Strongly agree 5 The VEHELO require you to use cockpit management skills similar to management skills required in the aircraft o Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral n Agree a Strongly agree 6 You would use the VEHELO simulator if it were made available in the Squadron s spaces Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree o Strongly agree 7 Viewing of your map through the Head Mounted Display HMD was acceptable Strongly disagree o Disagree o Neutral o Agree o Strongly agree
99. sibility to verbalize the plan He is also responsible for ensuring that each pilot understands and acknowledges the plan The preflight brief covered standard flight parameters such as airspeeds angle of bank altitudes and flight path to name a few The brief provides a basis on which to build a higher level of teamwork that will be required during the flight The IP would normally use numerous resources from which to brief the PUI and set up the training environment for the flight Some of these resources are the Standardization Manual T amp R Manual Appendix A and the CH 46E NATOPS Manual Appendix E The brief included discussion of but was not limited to the following items Introduce day visual navigation CH 46E NATOPS Manual Comfort Levels Standardization Manual CH 46F Boundaries uae Wind rrection CH 46E TAC Manual SE SINUS REUS for Dead CRM DISCUSS Reckoning Lost Plane Procedures Navigation Time Distance checks In flight route Distance estimation and map changes legend information Map preparation ETT TSL considerations Navigation procedures Point to point emphasizing the following to navigation of at determine position least 5 use of terrain checkpoints at INTRODUCE contour features 200 500 feet AGL triangulation Remain 500 Use of 1 250 000 and 1 50 000 meters of course maps line Table 3 Preflight Brief Items as Per T amp R The above table uses some
100. solution would be to have external easily accessible fuses as criteria in the selection of future equipment Also current units could be modified to accept an externally mounted replaceable fus All this is an attempt to save time money and research availability from a possible work stoppage for something as simple as a blown fuse 4 Equipment Transportability To ease the logistical burden of transporting the VEHELO system some minor modification should be completed prior to its next evaluation Some of these are Cut the PVC vertical screen poles in half and install an oversized sleeve to act as a cup to hold the upper piece when installed for use Modify the Instrument Monitor stand to be a foldable easily transportable unit Create a longer ICS cord for audio connection between the Proctor IP via ICS box to the PUI s flight helmet 5 Future Research Future research should focus on validating the use of the system with the Litering and Chromatte material for matting It should concentrate on the following areas 85 Testing using the flight rated hardware such as the flight helmet with ICS between the Proctor IP and the PUL Validate training of the unaided night navigation flights 100 level flights This would involve the system being used in a blacked out cockpit configuration Validate initial 100 level flights NVG flight training The conf
101. t Lastly this chapter describes the setup and execution of the experiment as it was conducted for this thesis Chapter IV Modifications and Recommended Improvements This chapter describes the possible modifications to be made to the current system It explains ideas that could further the training potential of the system as well as its increase its and ease of use and ability to deploy for testing Chapter VI Conclusions This chapter describes conclusions reached via evaluation of the test results and input from the users experienced and novice THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 10 II TRAINING TASKS AND VEHELO BACKGROUND A HELICOPTER TERRAIN FLIGHT AND NAVIGATION The task of helicopter navigation is the foundation upon which all other pilot skills are built upon Experienced helicopter pilots are accustomed to successfully navigating over terrain as it is seen with the visual perspective afforded by flight at or above an altitude of 500 feet above ground level AGL altitude or higher The skills that are successful for navigation at higher altitudes are not useful at the lower altitudes dictated by terrain flight The flat visual angle during terrain flight appears to distort terrain relief when compared to the two dimensional maps thus making the task of navigation much more difficult Also the vertical relief which is the most suitable means of identifying checkpoin
102. t up in such a fashion as to represent a virtual reference from the PUI s 8 o clock to his 2 o clock 33 Figure 8 VEHELO Portable Mock Cockpit and Matting c Instrument Panel There is also an instrument panel included in the mock cockpit Its purpose is to continue the PUI efforts to improve scan technique The CRT displays a fairly accurate representation of a SH 60 helicopter s instrument panel It includes an airspeed indicator an attitude indicator turn and slip indicator radar altimeter indicating height Above Ground Level AGL a barometric altimeter indicating height above Mean Sea Level MSL Radio Magnetic Indicator RMI and a Vertical Speed Indicator VSI Future variations of the system should include a more specific instrument panel to alleviate any negative 34 training from the PUI having to learn a new scan The modified display should accurately reflect the instrument panel of the aircraft in which the PUI will be flying 7 250 OUE 30 Su 30 RADAR z EN AP SN 7 e PU KN TS Wye NS NU So So 2 50 1 0Q P AE x o hnn E35 E 2839 3 Fe Figure 9 VEHELO Instrument Panel d Lighting Lighting proved to be the most critical aspect of the previous version of the system The chromakey technology requires very discrete lighting conditions The mixer unit must perceive the blue background or matting It must do
103. t varying airspeeds below the maximum of 40 knots It also allows the aircraft to be flown at varying altitudes but the minimum altitude is 10 feet AGL The pilot preplans a broad corridor of flight operations based on known terrain features with a longitudinal axis pointing towards his objective While flying NOE the pilot will use a weaving and varying route within the corridor He will also remain oriented along the 16 axis to take advantage of the cover and concealment afforded by available terrain vegetation and manmade features Figure 4 Nap of the Earth terrain Flight The military helicopter pilot must follow certain fundamentals to successfully conduct terrain flight regardless of which flight technique is employed They are different than the fundamentals of conventional flight because terrain flight is conducted close to the Earth s surface at speeds that vary from a hover to maximum mission permissible airspeed The fundamentals are as follows navigation aircrew coordination pilot techniques tactical movement flight safety and weather It is the first two fundamentals that are addressed through effective use of the VEHELO system Previous versions of the system did not allow the opportunity for novice pilots to learn any Aircrew coordination skills Nor did the previous version allow novice pilots to build levels of proficiency involving the task of low level flight navigation
104. talling the head tracker unit more forward on the visor The associated cabling was also rerouted and condensed to be more user friendly The HMD also had snap on straps i e the same as those on the visor to allow it to mount in the same position as the visor would on the flight helmet An added benefit of this modification is that the HMD mounted in this fashion replicates the NVGs used by today s helicopter pilots The weight and distribution of the HMD mounted in this fashion appear to replicate the ANVIS 7 and ANVIS 9 NVGs now in use with the USMC and USN 3 Smart Remote Replacement Upon completion of this experiment the Smart Remote unit was replaced with newly available software The new software completely replaces the remote control unit This allows the Ultimatte 400 Mixer to be controlled via keyboard entry and a Microsoft Windows environment on the Stealth laptop console It also allows a savings on seven inches high shelf location in the mobile equipment box B RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS AND RESEARCH T LED Litering Advances in the Chromakey technology has advanced greatly sinc the creation of the early version of the VEHELO The most troublesome and cumbersome part of the 82 system involve the fluorescent light fixtures They are cumbersome to move and require a great amount of fine adjustments for the system to work effectively A so
105. tem design and evaluation tools Keystroke Keystroke F1 30 turn to the right F2 60 turn to the right 3 90 turn to the right hj turn to the right 150 turn to the right 180 turn to the left F7 150 to the left 120 to the left Advanced Commands 90 to the left iode Te WIEG Trame display Frame F10 60 to the left Rate Geometry F11 30 to the left Data F12 or Q EXIT Program toggle graphics state lighting Decrease Airspeed by 5 kts on off cycle motion model type Toggle fog on off toggle transparency Toggle texture on off on off cycle statistics toggle backface display on off toggle buffer mode single double toggle channel rendering on off toggle channel state on off print current eye point location toggle Z Buffer on off toggle runtime Climb 500 fpm VSI key display in Nulls to zero overlay on off Pause program Once SRT Twice SRT m eu 7 Change direction of flight to 12 o clock Ye All turns are SRT or 90 of turn in 30 seconds Table 11 VEHELO Program Keyboard Instructions 118 Please read first The following preflight questionnaire is completely confidential Nothing you do or answer will be related to you in any manner Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire prior to flying the VEHELO experimental trainer This questionnaire is organized into three sectio
106. th a hard drive 1 Gigabit of RAM floppy drive CD ROM and 300 watt power 46 Figure 23 Central Processing Unit CPU g Rackmount Laptop with LCD Keyboard Mouse The single CPU is controlled through the use of a Stealth laptop model FR 100 mounted in the equipment case It has an integrated 17 inch LCD monitor with a resolution of 1280 x 1024 It also has a built in keyboard and mouse mounted on a slide out tray It has eight video keyboard mouse ports on the backside to support various configurations The VEHELO configuration utilizes only two of the combination inputs in normal operation 47 Figure 24 Laptop CPU Console h Network Ethernet Switch The system built upon software that is itself installed on top of embedded HLA architecture The HLA architecture is responsible for the helicopter or helo flight model The software has internal defaults to search for and expect a network switch or connection For simplicity and future expansion the software was not modified to operate alone without the network capability Thus the network hub must be connected to the LAN port of the CPU for proper operation The switch utilized in this version of the VEHELO is manufactured by Netgear and allows expansion of up to four additional network stations to be installed 48 Figure 2 Lis Equipment The Thermodyne 5 Network Switch Cart Quadraflex was selected to be the easi
107. this under ideal lighting conditions to prevent any noise arising from shadow or it being unevenly lit psc Ri Figure 10 Fluorescent Lamp 35 The portable system required fluorescent lamps be placed in various positions to properly light the matting Two portable light fixtures each four feet in length and mounted vertically One additional fixture two feet long was mounted horizontally forward of the instrument display Each light fixture included a specular reflector and two adjustable lamp barn doors to control the direction and amount of light 3 Headgear Figure 11 VEHELO Headgear a Head Mounted Display The Head Mounted Display HMD is the same unit employed in the previous version of the system The Virtual Research Systems Model V8 utilizes an active matrix Liquid Crystal Displays LCD It has a Video Graphics Array VGA pixel resolution of 640x3 x480 This is not cutting edge technology but budgetary constraints prevented the purchase of a unit with higher resolution Future versions of the system will have an up grated HMD display Still the V8 HMD provides a CRT quality image when properly worn and 36 adjusted by the user The V8 HMD allows for inter pupillary distance IPD adjustments as well as eye relief adjustments fore and aft Inputs and outputs for audio video and power are handled through an external control box Red Light Emitting Diodes LED indicate
108. tion he must be able to anticipate how the surrounding terrain should appear from conducting a good map study prior to the flight If successful flight he will be able to look at the terrain during orient the map correctly and identify the position of the aircraft An experienced pilot will be meticulous during his map preparation for the flight Novice pilots lack many of the skills that are gained only from experienc They are taught from the first days of their flight training to aviate navigate and communicate These three skills must be mastered and must always be executed in order to succeed at becoming a military helicopter pilot After learning how to actually fly the aircraft novice pilots are next taught the aircraft from point A to B in the accompl to navigate lishment of the mission The requirement to be able to properly navigate while piloting a helicopter provides more than just knowing where the aircraft is on the map The skill of navigation is more than the aircraft transitioning from point A to point B It involves the pilots maintaining a high level of 12 Situational Awareness SA Maintaining a high SA allows the pilots and aircrew top remains ahead of the aircraft This in turn allows the aircrew to effectively use the aircraft to accomplish the assigned mission The task of navigation is not the work of one individual i
109. to two types The first is cognitive or procedural The second is control oriented The two types can more easily be described as mental tasks versus manual tasks The study confirmed the widely held belief that the most serious skill loss is in the mental area Ideally skill retention is best reinforced through completion of proficiency training Proficiency training is when the pilot is permitted continued flight practice training and evaluation An instruction is defined as a form of information which is communicated in order to explain how an action behavior method or task is to be begun completed conducted or executed Instructional training is initial training conducted by the instructor pilot towards the student It can be accomplished by various and situational 28 methods The instruction of any given skill can be presented to the student in the following ways a Instructor describes and instructor demonstrates Student describes and student demonstrates Student demonstrates and instructor evaluates B Integrated flight instruction Flight instruction during which the student is taught to perform a flight task The student will utilize outside visual references and insid reference to the flight instruments When used as a proficiency tool the system can supplement proficiency training that is already being conducted via th
110. ts is also distorted from the sight picture afforded the pilot at lower altitudes For a military helicopter pilot to develop the required level of proficiency requires that he train and practice terrain flight navigation repeatedly Historical analysis of initial navigational training has shown that the amount of training required to meet requirements varies from student to student This leads to some flights in the aircraft that are fruitless in terms of student training This is because the student has already attained th required level of navigational skill Yet other students require more flights than those scheduled in the Training and Readiness Manual for the navigational stage of training The lack of some students to attain the minimum acceptable level of proficiency requires additional 11 flight fligh S or reflys to be scheduled These additional ts increase the training and maintenance burden of the training squadron Additionally more flights are required in order for the student to proceed adequately through the remainder of the training cycle The pilot that is doing the actual navigation is required to be proficient in reading a map terrain appreciation and the correct correlation of terrain features with map symbols Identifying checkpoints is the critical task requiring the aforementioned tasks For a pilot to succeed at naviga
111. um Angular Rat 3 per second Static Accuracy 1 RMS Dynamic Accuracy 3 RMS Update Rate 180 Hz Latency 8 milliseconds Angular Resolution 005 O S Compatibility Windows 98 2000 NT Interface RS 232 Serial Power 6 VDC via AC to DC adapter Dimensions Ht Width Depth Weight 152 am 1 06 aim 1 34 35m 0 98 lbs EXTRON VSC 200D VIDEO SCAN CONVERTER From Extron Electronics VGA to D1 Video Input e Number Signal Type Connectors VGA 1 15 pin HD female adapter cable Mac 1 15 pin D female 1 VGA 1 Mac RGBHV RGBS and RGsB Nominal Level s Analog 0 7V p p Minimum Maximum _ Analog OV to 1 5V p p with no offset Level s Impedance 75 ohms or High Z switchable Horizontal Autoscan 24 kHz to 811 kHz Frequency Vertical Autoscan 50 Hz to 120 Hz Frequency 104 Resolution Range External Sync Genlock Video Processing Encoder Digital Sampling Colors Horizontal Filtering Vertical Filtering Encoder Filtering Video Output Number Type Format Connectors Nominal Level Impedance Sync Input Type Output Type Genlock connectors Standards Input Level Output Level Input Impedance Output Impedance Polarity Autoscan 560 x 384 to 1280 x 1024 0 3V to 1 0V p p 10 bit digital 24 bit 8 bits per color 80 MHz 16 8 million 4 levels 5 levels 3 levels 1 RGBHV RGBS RGSB or component video or 1 digital component vide
112. weather forecast 5 Helicopter assignment 6 Maps charts smart packs 7 Flight leader alternat 9 Call signs B Mission Information 1 Primary 2 Secondary implied 3 Sequence of events C Conduct of Flight 1 Times man APU RJO spin taxi takeoff Controlling agencies Frequencies Radio procedures PAC PNAC a Ww W N IFF procedures and codes PAC PBPNAC 6 Formation instructions 7 Routes checkpoint ID PAC PNAC CC 8 Operating and landing areas a Size and obstacles b Landing direction c Waveoffs PAC PNAC F Special Considerations 1 Bump plan 2 Go no go 3 Minimum operational weather 4 En route hazards 5 NVG considerations 6 Aircraft lighting PAC PNAC 7 Loss of visual contact with flight 8 Friendly fire plans 9 Rules of engagement for onboard defensive weapons PAC PNAC CC 10 TRAP SAR procedures 11 Debrief time and place G Crew Coordination 1 Use of checklists PAC PNAC 2 Control changes 3 Navigation procedures 4 Lookout doctrine PILOTS CC 5 Copilot pilot not at the controls duties a Takeoff PAC PNAC b En route PAC PNAC c Approach landing 123 d Alternates e Landing site lighting 9 Fuel required mission minimum 10 Flight Planning and Operational Data Fuel availability D 1 Navigational aids available and utilization 2 Load computation card
113. y artificial which resulted in a form of negative training Because of the aural variations within the test space in which the mock cockpit was set up the PUI had to assume many the IP communications There was also some level of interference with ambient noise within the local area Solution In an attempt to simulate a more immersiv environment in which to instruct the PUI an upgraded audio capability was added An voice operated transmit VOX and Intercommunications capability was incorporated into the VEHELO system This was accomplished through the use of a set of Dave Clark single sided headset for the IP Proctor It also allows the PUI to utilize his actual flight rated helmet minus the snap on visor The IP and PUI are connected through a commercial general aviation ICS The model incorporated is a PC 400 battery operated ICS communication box The PC 400 was modified with a pig tail audio cable to ce able to plug into the flight rated helmet worn by the PUI 81 2 Headgear Replacement Problem The headgear to support the V8 HMD was effective but unrealistic for the PUI to wear while training in the VEHELO Ideally the PUI should train with the same flight rated gear that he would wear in the aircraft This will eliminate any hotspots and PUI fatigue normally experienced by the existing headgear Solution The HMD was modified by reins
114. y as in actual flight The focus of this thesis is to continue validation of the ChrAVE VEHELO system This will be accomplished by comparison of data obtained from data collected by pilots flying the ChrAVE and flying the actual aircraft during initial navigational training flights Additionally this thesis will attempt to show that the latest version of the system has a previously unrecognized ability to improve pilot performance The system is capable of teaching novice pilots the important skill of Crew Resource Management CRM and the appropriate communication skills The original Chromakey Augmented Virtual Environment ChrAVE helicopter flight simulation system was developed to substantiate the feasibility of having embedded trainers for helicopters Both the D H o o a a go cr ocdoctrui c ct ChrAVE and VEHELO are comprised of commercial off the shelf COTS equipment in a mobile wheeled box To determine the effectiveness of the ChrAVE as an instructional tool the opinions of pilots and pilot instructors will be collected for analysis The subject pilots will be tasked with numerous realistic piloting tasks Empirical data will be collected and evaluated according to the low level navigation performance thresholds set forth by Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 164 HMMT 164 which is the CH 46E Model Manager 14 SUBJECT TERMS chromakey chroma
115. y distance IPD range 52mm to 74mm Eye relief Adjustable 10 30mm design accommodates glasses Rubber eye cups prevent eyeglasses and lens contact Overlap Standard 100 Sennheiser HD25 high performance headphones Headphones rotate above headband and snap off when not in use Single rear ratchet allows for quick precise IPD assembly moves fore aft to accommodate glasses IPD knobs accessible at sides of shell HMD overall length width height 17 5 x 8 x 43 x 20 x 15 cm HMD Weight 34 ounces 1 0 kg Description Custom molded cable Length 13 3 9m standard Connector 0 Me ETE esl VGA 640 x 480 60Hz input format Sync on green separate H and V or Composite r going verall brightness and contrast tereo or mono input auto detected ono input drives right and left eye with one ignal udio Input 3 5mm mini stereo phone jack onitor Output VGA 640 x 480 60Hz ower supply Universel 3bejone GPS x24 12 VDE utput Power consumption 30W eS SPH enoondo 101 B PANASONIC GP US532H CAMERA 3 CCD High Performance Micro Head Color Camera with DSP from Panasonic TV System NTSC Available in PAL Pick up System Micro prism optical system Pick up Device Pixels 768 H x 494 V Three 1 3 interline transfer IT supper high sensitivity CCDs Scanning System 2 1 Interlace 525 lines 60 fields 30 frames Horizontal 15 734kHz Vertical 59 94Hz Synchroni
116. zing System Internal or External Gen Lock Internal NTSC standard Available in PAL as GP US532E External Gen VBS VS HD VD Lock Input SC Phase for Gen Lock VBS Free adjustable over 360 H Phase for Gen Lock VS Adjustable Video Outputs Video 1 2 1 0V p p 75 ohms NTSC composite video signal BNC Connector S VIDEO Y C Y 0 714V p p 75 ohms C 0 286V p p 75 Out ohms S VIDEO Connector x 1 RGB SYNC R G B 0 7V p p each 750 SYNC 4V p p 75 ohms or 0 3V p p 1750 selectable D SUB 9 pin Connector x 1 Required Tliumiuation 0 Ib ae ren 320101 Minimum Illumination 9 Iux 0 9 foot candle at F2 2 with 18db gain 30 IRE level Signal to Noise 62dB Typical Luminance without aperture and Ratio gamma Horizontal Resolution 750 lines at center Y signal White Balance ATW Automatic Tracing White Balance Control AWO Automatic White Balance Control and Manual Black Balance ABC Automatic Black Balance Control and Manual Color Bar SMPTE color bar with 7 5 set up Electronic Shutter ELC Electrical Light Control and Manual STEP Selectable 1 60 OFF 11100 1 250 1 500 1 1000 1 2000 1 4000 and 1 10 000 sec SYNCHRO SCAN Selectable from 1 525 to 254 525 line Gain Selection AGC Manual Gain 0 9 18db Selectable Switches Power On Off POWER Camera Color Bar Selectio

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