Abstract
The Malcolm Horizon, a Peripheral Vision Display (PVD), was installed in the NT-33A variable stability research aircraft to provide the evaluation pilot with a gyro-stabilized horizon line of red laser light. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the PVD on pilot workload. Workload was inferred from performance on a secondary task, in this case the Sternberg task, generated by the Workload Assessment Device (WAD). The primary task required the pilot to maintain airspeed, altitude, and angle of bank during instrument flight conditions. Nine NT-33A flights were flown by two evaluation pilots. Presence of the PVD reduced the WAD reaction times of one of the pilots; the reaction times of the other pilot showed mixed results. Recommendations for future research are presented.
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