PFD cosmetics

[Hardy Heinlin]

Not quite complete, work in progress ...




Has anyone ever seen the 10-second-box around the amber no-autoland words as shown on my test drawings below? A simple rectangle would collide with the ILS data (until the Morse is decoded).




Cheers,

|-|ardy

[donahuep]

Hardy,

All I have ever seen is: LAND 2; LAND3 or NO AUTOLAND. Why would you need a ten second box? This should either stay or never appear. Also, what is that circular indicator just to the right of the no autoland in your pics?

Pat Donahue
still at ERAU!

[John H Watson]

The box is to highlight a mode change, whether it be FD, CMD, TEST, NO AUTOLAND, etc.

It's mentioned in the manuals (AOM and Maintenance Manuals)

The circular indicator is an option for the Radio Altimeter display. British Airways has this option.

Rgds
JHW

[Hardy Heinlin]

Hi Pat!

Glad to see you :-)

That round RA dial can be enabled by the user, it's one of the pin programmable options in the Rockwell-Collins display software.

Here's a screenshot taken while some modes are changing (click on pic to enlarge to 1920 x 1200):





Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Pierre Theillere]

Hi Hardy!

Hey, you're definitely teasing us! Anyway, that shows quite some good progress for Alpha 54... I don't know the answer for the autoland stuff mode change (is there a chance that it could be the same as on B738?), but I like the little "6 corners" Aztec pyramid design!

[Hardy Heinlin]

Another possibility might be a normal 4 corner box whose outline is interrupted and open where the NO word is.

[Hardy Heinlin]

A question on the PFD aircraft symbol, I mean the filled black area with the white outline. This black aircraft symbol has a shape that depends on the F/D type in use. It may also depend on whether CRT or LCD displays are installed.

My question is only about the V-bar type F/D.

On the 777, the black aircraft symbol is a triangle which is cut out on the south side by another triangle so that the entire pitch scale is visible.

On the CRT type 744, the black aircraft symbol is a triangle which is not cut out by another triangle so that the pitch scale from 0° down to 5° is covered by this black filled triangle.

Does anybody know if the LCD type 744 has the same V-bar design as the 777?

Obviously a question for NWA related people :-)


Cheers,

|-|ardy


Edit: Do NWA and inheritors have the Rising Runway? It's partially hidden behind  the black triangle airplane shortly before touchdown, and the triangle airplane also doesn't provide  clear lateral marks to check runway alignment. The crossbar type airplane has two vertical columns which align with the green runway edges, whereas the triangle only has two peaks pointing left/right, not down. Left/right pointers are no good helpers when aligning a rising object. -- Well, there's a green centerline in the rising runway, and a short white centerline in the triangle airplane. That helps a bit.

[Hardy Heinlin]

Another problem is the triangle airplane covering much of the FPV "working room". I think I saw a photo of the FPV really behind the the black airplane. On the cross bar type this not a big problem as the bars are pretty thin, but this triangle here covers a lot of the AI. For my taste, it's generally a bit uncomfortable if so much of the pitch scale is hidden. As I said above, on 777 the triangle is cut out, giving much more free sight to the AI background. On the CRT 744 it's not cut out.

[Phil Bunch]

Aesthetically, the screen images are so appealing that all I can think of is "they are good enough to eat!"  Gives new meaning to the phrase "eye candy"!  

I have tried to analyze what makes these screenshots so aesthetically appealing to me but can't make too much explicit progress.  I suspect it's due to the quality of the surfaces, the apparent illumination, the various color parameters, etc, being so unusually well-crafted.  To me, this is much the same question I have as to why I love paintings by certain artists, and even more so, certain specific paintings.   It's an interesting and increasingly discussed topic in the context of the attention Steve Jobs brought to such things with respect to Apple's products and their design.  I recently read that he personally called a lead designer about the tint of a few pixels in one of their logos as displayed on a new igadget, and insisted that it be adjusted to meet his unusually refined aesthetic sensibilities.

"The marriage of liberal arts and technology" is one of the phrases used about Apple's attempts to make products that both function to perfection and have exceptional aesthetic appeal in so many senses...

In any event, it's so enjoyable to see some screen copies from this work in progress.

[John H Watson]

Is the airplane symbol filled on the CRT type?

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Airlines/Boeing-747-451/0469211/L/

Another problem is the triangle airplane covering much of the FPV "working room".

The FPV may be on the same graphics layer as the airplane symbol, so may not appear behind the airplane symbol.

Rgds
JHW

[Hardy Heinlin]

To me, this is much the same question I have as to why I love paintings by certain artists, and even more so, certain specific paintings.

I've been having the same question since I was kid. For example, in my childhood certain scientific books (for kids) were extremely attractive. One reason for this was that they were illustrated by paintings, not by photos. The paintings were photorealistic, but they weren't photos. Still, the question remains. Another point is that they were painted in Italian style (in fact they were from Italy). Cinema posters in the 1950s and 1960s were often painted in Italian style. And still, the question remains, why were they so attractive? One significant style element was the lighting: Objects always had a bright silhouette from a light source behind the object (mostly a bright sun) while their foregrounds were mostly illuminated from the side; this combination added a lot of "3D" (Dali used this method also). This spatial sensation may be important for human aesthetics. In the past years I also came to the conclusion that the combination of far and close is extremely important. And this has also something to do with that spatial sensation. And with those old books and the Italian style. Those paintings showed a view with a short focal length, i.e. a wide angle impression. Objects near the picture frame were not only large, they were very large. And those in the far distance were very far. In one keyword: Depth!

Good topic :-)

Is the airplane symbol filled on the CRT type?

I guess it's not filled on that photo. If it were filled, it may be also more difficult to align the magenta V with the white airplane outline.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[John H Watson]

I found no clues regarding Rising Runways and FDs on Airliners.net

Airlines which seem to have the V bar type Flight Director are:

Northwest
UPS
Delta
Air China

Does anyone on the forum work for these airlines?

[Hardy Heinlin]

Is the magenta V cut in the middle? Does it consist of two separate halves with a gap of ca. 5 mm in between?

If so, how can you keep your pitch correct while your bank is off the commanded bank? If there is no magenta pitch point, the only way to align the pitch is using the magenta wings, but if these bank away, there is no magenta reference at all that could be aligned to the commanded pitch.

[John H Watson]

This Delta sim video shows an unfilled airplane symbol also

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTIH3nQyKJk

The ILS has not been tuned, so we still don't know if Delta has a rising runway

Rgds
JHW

[Hardy Heinlin]

Wow, how could you see that? Is there a higher video resolution than 360p?

Do you mean unfilled airplane (no black fill, just white lines) or unfilled magenta V?


|-|


This is a 767 v-bar, I think:

http://www.gadling.com/2008/07/11/plane-answers-767-winglets-flight-directors-and-oceanic-flying/

[John H Watson]

Do you mean unfilled airplane (no black fill, just white lines)

Yes, as far as I can see. When the airplane banks with one wing in the blue area, the airplane background in the sky does not look black. Are you clicking on the FULL SCREEN button?

The FD is switched off.

Is the magenta V cut in the middle? Does it consist of two separate halves with a gap of ca. 5 mm in between?

The V Bar is in two parts. See pic below

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Airlines/Boeing-747-451/0469211/L

[Hardy Heinlin]

Here's my latest theory:



Inside the magenta wings are "winglets", they are small triangles pointing horizontally to the AI center. These small triangles point exactly at the bottom line of the aircraft symbol when the pitch error is zero.

The FD is switched off.

Ha! Right. I already started to wonder if the magenta wings sit directly in the middle of the airplane, and not on top.

[John H Watson]

Here's a shot of the 777 LCD version:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Lauda-Air/Boeing-777-2Z9-ER/0104927/L

Comparing it with other pics of the 777 FD, the FD V bar looks like it has a white or magenta fill, except for the triangles at the end, which are transparent.

[Will]

Hi Hardy,

From my time in jet cockpits, I've certainly seen the "gap" in the V-bars before.  I haven't been in a 744, but in my old airplane, that's exactly how it looked.  Then again, they were analog V-bars that came in from either side of the indicator on little metal pegs.  So if the PFD simulates the analog device, there would be a tiny gap.  From a user experience perspective, it's not ambiguous about where the commanded pitch is; the eye easily finds the point that the bars are aiming for.

I've been waiting for a screenie of yours with the FD displayed, so thanks!  I appreciate the progress so far.  FWIW, I may be your only customer who insists on flying with the V-bars (and not the dual cue), so I really appreciate your efforts to get it right.

Cheers,

Will

[Hardy Heinlin]

... and there the magenta stuff is behind the airplane.