Multi-view synthetic vision display system for general aviation

General aviation (GA) as a means of transportation, whether it is for business or pleasure, can be safe and efficient given favorable conditions. However, when instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevail, the pilot must rely on his or her ability to navigate and safely land the aircraft. Gauges and dials are used to determine the spatial orientation of the aircraft rather than the intuitive "out of the window view" used during visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) continues to be one of the leading causes of accidents in GA due to spatial disorientation experienced by the pilot. Aircraft instrumentation has undergone little change in the past fifty years. Recent developments in the field of GPS receivers and inertial sensors and the development of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) has made precise attitude determination relatively inexpensive for GA applications. The latest in navigation and display technologies has led to the development of the multi-view synthetic vision display system at Ohio University. This system provides a GA pilot with a virtual view of the outside world helping to mitigate the effects of spatial disorientation. This paper discusses the architecture of the system as well as flight tests which document the performance and viability of a multi-view head down system. The flight tests have provided valuable information regarding the performance of the multi-view system as well as its applications.