An airborne navigation aid to alleviate general aviation pilot workload

General aviation (GA) aircraft have often been involved in accidents caused by excessive pilot workload in the terminal phases of flight, particularly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). A special contributory factor is often the need to land at some diversionary airfield with which the pilot is unfamiliar. In such a situation, a pilot needs to consult the appropriate approach and landing procedures. The increased workload inevitably caused by the careful study of unfamiliar terminal navigation charts whilst flying towards an unfamiliar airfield can lead to a deterioration in the pilot's performance. This paper deals with the design of an airborne terminal navigation aid suitable for GA aircraft. It represents a new approach to cockpit presentation of terminal area plates. The system presents the appropriately selected terminal navigation plate, with the aircraft's position being continuously displayed. This represents a new and efficient method for consulting terminal navigation charts which contributes to a significant reduction of workload for pilots flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) by relieving them from the pressure of having to struggle to find the required plates among the large number they at present carry, while at the same time having to perform other safety critical tasks of monitoring and control. The design of the proposed terminal navigation charts display system is described, together with a proposed implementation for a typical GA cockpit.