The fourth dimensional cockpit

The major challenge for aircraft pilots has always been the timely management of information. This includes information about the systems of the aircraft that he is flying as well as information from the environment in which he is operating. The first key design limitation that cockpit designers encountered was space. The two-dimensional cockpit quickly ran out of physical space, resulting in the placement of lights, switches, and gauges in front, above, and to both sides of the pilot. Recent development of CRTs have led cockpit designers to exploit the third dimension by having displays in depth accessible through software switches and menus. With the space problem solved, the second key design limitation that the cockpit designers encountered was time. The pilot became quickly overwhelmed with the information available on the CRTs and the complexity of how to get to it. In a rapidly changing military environment there simply is not enough time to access, absorb, process, and act upon the amount of data available. The latest solution is to use Decision Support System (DSS) technologies to expand the time available by pre-processing information before it reaches the pilot-allowing him to become a decision maker rather than an information manager. But the DSSs with multiple information processing capability that tremendously enhance the operator´s potential information and therefore his decision making also requires additional mental effort to manage, prioritize, and operate the systems. Thus there is often a time-based tradeoff between information processing capability of the DSS and mental workload of the pilot. The central focus of this paper is that the effective fourth dimension cockpit requires both modem DSS technology and an intelligent, or active man-machine interface (AMMI), which “understands” the unfolding mission situation