Bio-Dynamics' Phase I SBIR Contract (Nas2-12056) was the initial phase of a concentrated research project aimed at the design and implementation of a predictive methodology which relates the human pilot to proposed military helicopter systems (LHX) in advance of commitment to hardware development. Recent advances in avionics and aviation technologies can provide more capabilities, systems, and displays than the pilot(s) or other crew members can possible exploit. Thus, a need exists for methodologies to enable the design and instrumentation of hardware systems that meet system mission requirements and exhibit a sensitivity to the information processing limitations and capabilities of the human operator. The objective of Phase I was to assess the feasibility of an empirically-based, computer-driven system evaluation process that yields joint optimization of the hardware and human subsystems constituting the helicopter as a total operating system. Recommended is a seven step approach to the analysis and resolution of the LHX pilot workload problem. This study will perform the requisite tasks to prepare for and conduct full-mission, part task and laboratory simulations which are experimentally based to determine mission performance differences for single and dual pilot versions of the LHX.
