Reinventing the past: Avionics systems that didn't make it

In the context of NextGen and SESAR, the pilot- vehicle interface is being addressed in relation to 4-D trajectory capabilities. Other recent developments have focused on data presentation to improve integrated awareness of hazards. In this paper, it is illustrated that the concepts underlying many of today's proposed display formats have been around for over fifty years. However, many of these haven't made it into the flightdeck yet. For the past 30 years, several Avionics systems on board aircraft have been criticized for not being optimal from a human factors point of view. It will be illustrated how already over forty years ago, both cognitive and perceptual capabilities and limitations were considered during the design of the pilot-vehicle interfaces that form the basis of today's advanced display concepts. As part of an answer to the question why it took so long, the difference in availability of the required technology (in terms of capabilities and performance) to demonstrate a concept and the availability of the required technology meeting cost, size, weight and power consumption requirements for implementation in the aircraft will be discussed. An important milestone in the development of advanced Avionics display formats was the revolution in the area of PC graphics. The availability of the required computing and graphics capabilities at the PC-level proved to be an important enabler for the research community. This paper provides examples of how these enablers were used during the Nineties to realize and flighttest prototypes of pathway-in-the-sky and synthetic vision displays both in the U.S. and Europe. After this, it is discussed how the results were used in the context of several research programs that stood as the basis of today's synthetic vision systems. Also, the concepts that didn't make it (yet) are discussed.