Abstract
Most current display systems in general aviation (GA) environments employ, at best, relatively simple audio displays that do not fully exploit a pilot's auditory processing capabilities. Spatial audio displays, however, take advantage of the spatial processing capabilities of the auditory system and have the ability to provide, in an intuitive manner, comprehensive information about the status of an aircraft to the pilot. This paper describes a study conducted in order to assess the utility of spatial audio as (1) a navigation aid, and (2) an attitude indicator in an actual flight environment. Performance was measured in tasks requiring pilots to fly in the direction of a spatial audio “navigation beacon” and use an auditory artificial horizon display to detect changes in attitude and maintain straight and level flight when no visual cues were available. The results indicate that spatial audio displays can effectively be used by pilots for both navigation and attitude monitoring, and thus may be a valuable tool in supporting pilot situation awareness and improving overall safety in GA environments.
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