I am doing my Masters thesis on a human-factors issue which is playing a role in spatial awareness in aircraft.
The little triangle which shows the bank angle in an ADI is the so called skypointer. There are three types
of skypointers in western aircraft today: General aviation, commercial and military. The issue with commercial
ADIs is, that the skypointer is opposite to the turn direction: In a right turn, the pointer goes to the left.
General aviation ADIs are different, the pointer is fixed to the up position, while the roll scale moves. This
way the pointer is left in a left turn. This principle is called control-display-compatibility, as the position
of the pointer fits better into the mental model of the pilot. Same goes for military horizons, but there the
skypointer points downward as an earthpointer.
This stuff is measured by the rate of roll-reversal errors, meaning the initial direction of an input in order
to roll level is in the wrong direction. Research has consistently shown that roll reversals in western horizons (opposite
to the russian horizons) are much more likely - about 8% compared to 2% with experienced pilots. One
study of experienced pilots found the same, varying just the skypointers. However, the reaction to the
input may be overlearned by their daily jobs (working with western horizons) and research suggests trat
effects are even stronger with novice pilots.
So what I am checking now is the influence of skypointer positions on novice pilots. I expect to have the
results by August, so stay tuned!
