Electronic Flight Information System displays and colour defective observers

The use of colour in the Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) displays of modern commercial airliners has created an environment for pilots in which colour coding is used more extensively than previously. Therefore, more thorough diagnostic analysis of pilots' colour vision, before a full commercial licence is granted, has been proposed. The aim of the experiments reported here is to determine whether a reliable battery of diagnostic colour vision tests is able to predict the colour naming perforniarice of colour defective subjects when using Boeing 747–400 EFIS displays. Results show that observers with normal colour vision and those identified as hiing. mild deuteranomaly made significantly fewer errors than those with other types of defective colour vision. As protanomals, protanopes and more severe deitteranomals can only be identified reliably with a battery of colour vision tests, we propose that the lantern test be supplemented by other tests for aircrew colour vision testing.