Experiments on aim point estimation at various rates of closure
Everett A. Palmer · NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA) · 1968
points on t h e ground appear t o t h e p i l o t t o expand r a d i a l l y out from a s t a t i o n a r y point on t h e ground toward which t h e a i r c r a f t is aiming.expansion, he knows precisely t h e point on t h e ground toward which h i s air- c r a f t is a i m i n g .Ekperimental evidence i s presented as t o how precisely a p i l o t can actually d e t e c t t h i s aim point.f i e l d of view always moves r a d i a l l y out from t h e aim point, it i s necessary t o know only t h e magnitude of t h e v e l o c i t y a t any point t o specify t h e p a t t e r n of motion seen by t h e p i l o t .This w a s done by p l o t t i n g contours of equal angular rate.The hypothesis w a s then made that the expected e r r o r i n detecting t h e a i m point would be a l i n e a r function of the angular distance from t h e aim point t o some threshold angular rate.mental study i n which subjects viewed a pattern of dots t h a t simulated the apparent expansion pattern of t h e ground tend t o confirm t h i s hypothesis. If the p i l o t can d e t e c t t h i s point of zero ISince any point i n t h e p i l o t ' s I n i t i a l r e s u l t s of an experi-