Originally published at: FAA Updates Cockpit-Control Guidance for Touchscreens, Voice Commands
Draft guidance addresses human-factors concerns as cockpit controls move beyond switches and knobs.
After using touchscreens in simulators a lot, there should be a requirement that all critical controls have physical knobs/swtiches/levers as approriate in addition or in lieu of touchscreen control. There should also be a requirement for minimum touchscreen control size.
While not an aircraft, full flight simulators simulate turbulence and the like very well.
I would like to see any touchscreen, FAA certified, demonstrated by a flight crewmember in moderate turbulence in the clouds. In the crew environment, the nonflying pilot would have their hands full. I can’t imagine how that would work as a single pilot flying in the clouds without a working autopilot!
In an industry meeting of RTCA type, I held up my hand in a seemingly interminable debate over number of button pushes that were acceptable to get to the display of a function. (One maker of navigation system had too few buttons, though hierarchy of how they reached modes was often a question for systems like FMS.)
‘Think broadly’ I said, we (my employer) have an interface option using a joystick. It is intended to mark target on radar display so aircraft can orbit around it.
That gives easy readout of position to radio to rescuers, and facilitates dropping supplies from own aircraft,
The interface is great for such purpose, but not for many others.
(Our joystick mode was pilot selectable through our navigator, cursor on flight display of radar image.)
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