display, or HUD, on the flight deck to point pilots toward the runway even when the airplane is still miles from the airport. Information from a navigation database and airplane sensor data are used to project what Fleiger-Holmes calls a “virtual runway” on the HUD. It adds to information from the glideslope, which guides pilots to the correct altitude as they fly down the approach path. “Instead of showing you where you are, this shows you where you need to go for landing,” said Mark Henderson, a systems engineer with Commercial Airplanes’ Flight Crew Operations Integration. “It can be all cloudy outside, and this still gives you a line that points to the runway.” Ed Wilson, chief test pilot for the 737 program, said Perspective Runway is a real help when visibility outside the airplane is diminished. But as more technology is introduced into the flight deck, the trick is to aid pilots without distracting them. Wilson said he and others helped the software’s designers make changes toward that goal while it was still in the development stage. “My team and I worked closely with the engineers to make the display look as close to actual runway markings as possible,” he said. “This makes the new symbology blend easily with the real world as you approach the runway.” As a result, the Perspective Runway indicators are relatively simple, developed to closely resemble a pilot’s natural cues under visual flight rules, or VFR, conditions, Fleiger-Holmes said. Perspective Runway underwent extensive testing in the highly realistic “e-cab,” or engineering cab laboratory, which was developed for the 737 MAX program to provide simulated flight conditions for engineers, test pilots and airline pilots. Additionally, pilots flight-tested the software on Boeing’s 787 ecoDemonstrator airplane in late 2014. Fleiger-Holmes said those tests proved it helped pilots find runway lights and markers in low-visibility conditions. As the software is operated on more and more commercial flights, Boeing will be able to Photos: (Clockwise from top right) In the e-cab, test pilot Ed Wilson, left, and Ashley Evans, Aero-Stability & Control engineer, demonstrate how the head-up display and other technology can assist pilots; on a computer, Perspective Runway shows an airplane icon at center and, below that, an arrow pointing the way to a distant runway; Chris Branham, left, Integration engineer, and Mark Henderson, Flight Deck Crew Operations engineer, monitor the simulator’s systems. BOB FERGUSON | BOEING use that real-world data to assess whether the system can yield further benefits, he added. Part of a package of Runway Situational Awareness Tools offered on Boeing’s 737 family, Perspective Runway now is certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for use on the Next-Generation 737, and Boeing offers it as an option for that model and the 737 MAX, said Brian Gilbert, a systems engineer with Flight Deck Crew Operations. Other tools include overrun warning and speed-brake warning functions. Gilbert said that in addition to new software and technology on the flight deck, flight-crew procedure updates and training aids have been provided to help reduce runway excursions. It’s all aimed at making rare runway incidents even less common. “Boeing continues to investigate additional capabilities,” Gilbert said, that are intended to “help pilots make timely, informed decisions that support safe approaches and landings.” • ERIC.C.FETTERS-WALP@BOEING.COM 14 | BOEING FRONTIERS
Frontiers December 2016 Issue
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