Flying by Feeling: Communicating Flight Envelope Protection through Haptic Feedback

Modern aircraft can be equipped with a flight envelope protection system: automation which modifies pilot control inputs to ensure that the remains within allowable limits. Overruling may lead mode confusion, even when visual or auditory feedback is provided alert pilots. We advocate using active devices make system tangible pilot. This paper presents main findings of an evaluation three haptic designs for protection. The first concept used both force and vibro-tactile alerts, producing promising, yet inconclusive, results. second asymmetric vibrations give directional alerting cues, did not result in improved performance on initial use, but yield learning rate task. third employed physically guide away from limits, yielded safety improvements created dependence: degraded immediately after was removed. From this, we advise use during training excursions, leverage interfaces providing operation, reevaluate combination combine their advantages single-pilot operations.