Synthetic Vision could make air travel safer
A new technology called Synthetic Vision may aid pilots unable to see because of poor lighting or inclement weather. Its cockpit display, based on satellite and GPS data, models the landscape below a plane in true-to-life detail.
JB: On March 29, 2001, just after sunset, a small passenger plane approached the airport in Aspen, Colorado. Snow and low clouds hid the runway, and the landscape below was a confusing patchwork of valleys filled with inky black shadow and snowy mountains lit by faint twilight. Just as the plane’s landing lights appeared to air traffic controllers in the Aspen tower, the plane banked sharply and crashed into a low mountain, killing all 18 people on board.
DB: Air accidents caused by poor visibility and pilot disorientation occur regularly around the world. But, a new technology could make them a thing of the past. It’s called Synthetic Vision. A screen in the cockpit displays a detailed computer–generated image of the landscape below the plane. It’s based on satellite images and keyed to precise positional data from GPS satellites. The image flows just like the view outside the cockpit window. But unlike the window, Synthetic Vision always shows the landscape as though it were a clear, sunny day.
JB: NASA developed Synthetic Vision and tested it. Now several companies are developing Synthetic Vision systems with the goal of increasing air travel safety.
DB: We have more information about Synthetic Vision on our website – earthsky.org. Our thanks today to NASA Aeronauutics Research Mission. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth & Sky
Description of the 2001 crash in Colorado from the National Transportation Safety Board Accident Brief – accident number DCA01MA034.
Synthetic Vision would give pilots clear skies all the time from NASA.
Synthetic Vision Information Systems from Rockwell Collins.
Bad visibility not a problem with synthetic vision system from Honeywell.
Synthetic Vision in the Cockpit: 3–D Systems for General Aviation from MetaVR Synthetic Vision.
NASA Team Brings Synthetic Vision Closer to Maturity from Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Synthetic Vision from Wikipedia.
Our thanks to:
Randy Bailey
NASA Langley Research Center
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