Development of a Navigation/Situation Display to Improve Aerial Fire Fighting Safety and Efficiency

Abstract

Aerial fire fighting is a high-risk, high-cost aviation environment. Normal aviation risks are magnified, sometimes significantly, by a number of factors. Over the years a number of accidents (mid-air collisions and controlled flight into terrain), near mid-air collisions, and other serious incidents involving fire fighting aircraft have occurred. The causes of these accidents or incidents have been primarily attributed to loss of situational awareness in the relatively unstructured aerial environment surrounding wildland fires. In an effort to improve safety and efficiency researchers at NASA Ames Research Center are working with aerial fire fighters to develop a standard phraseology, air space structure, and a navigation/situation display. This paper will focus on the results of an initial communication analysis, and will present a prototype airspace structure, and the preliminary design and evaluation of the navigation/situation display.

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