Flight Testing of Predictive Energy Management Displays for Light Aircraft

Loss of control at low altitude in the traffic pattern is one of the main causes of fatal accidents in general aviation. A large number of loss-of-control accidents can be attributed to the pilot loosing awareness of the energy state of the aircraft. An intuitive and accessible display for energy state and specific excess power can potentially remedy these types of accidents. As general aviation aircraft are not equipped to measure a large number of dynamic parameters, such a predictive energy display must be based on an algorithm running on a reduced set of parameters readily available from the current generation of light aircraft avionics. This paper discusses the challenges associated with designing a predictive projection-based or screen-based display for light aircraft and presents prototype solutions. Furthermore, the paper presents a number of energy state prediction algorithms and reports the flight test results producing the underlying aircraft performance database. The work presented has great potential of resulting in low-cost, easy-to-use, energy state prediction, warning and guidance displays based on available aircraft parameters.