Previous studies have shown that display scale compression of three-dimensional aviation displays influences the perception of flight path deviation, although less is known about the causes that drive this effect. This study reports on two experiments that were conducted to assess the impact of display size on flight control, airspace surveillance and goal-directed target search. In the first experiment, 16 pilots completed a low-fidelity flight control task under single- and dual-axis control. In the second experiment, the control task from the first experiment was scaled up to a more realistic flight environment, and pilots performed hazard surveillance and target search tasks. Findings show that pilots exhibited less path error and greater stick activity with a large display, which was attributed both to greater enhanced resolution and to the fact that larger depictions of error lead to greater urgency in correcting deviations. Size did not appear to affect hazard surveillance or search, since pilots were adaptive in altering scanning patterns in response to the enlargement of the displays.
Abstract