Visual perception in high-speed low-altitude flight.

An ongoing exploratory development program on visual perception and control in high-speed low-altitude flight is being conducted by the Human Engineering Division of the Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. This paper begins with a discussion of the necessity of vision for low-altitude flight; proceeds to an analysis of objectives, strategies, and issues in designing a comprehensive research program; presents an overview of several experiments in support of the effort; and ends with a discussion of perceptual information. One of the simulator experiments involves the use of a non-mimetic task, flying at a zero altitude in the presence of strong gusts, in an effort to maximize adaptation to the low-altitude environment. Implications for simulator use are discussed.