Enhanced Flight Vision Systems and Synthetic Vision Systems for NextGen Approach and Landing Operations

Synthetic Vision Systems and Enhanced Flight Vision System (SVS/EFVS) technologies have the potential to provide additional margins of safety for aircrew performance and enable operational improvements for low visibility operations in the terminal area environment with equivalent efficiency as visual operations. A fixed-base pilot-in-the-loop simulation test was conducted at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center that evaluated the use of SVS/EFVS in Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) low visibility approach and landing operations. Twelve crews flew approach and landing scenarios to test the potential for using EFVS to conduct approach, landing, and roll-out operations in visibility as low as 1000 feet runway visual range (RVR). Also, SVS was tested to evaluate the potential for lowering decision heights (DH) on certain instrument approach procedures below what can be flown today. Expanding the portion of the visual segment in which EFVS can be used in lieu of natural vision from 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation to touchdown and rollout in visibilities as low as 1000 feet RVR appears to be viable as touchdown performance was acceptable without any apparent workload penalties. A lower DH of 150 feet and/or possibly reduced visibility minima using SVS appears to be viable when implemented on a Head-Up Display, but the landing data suggests further study for head-down implementations.

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