Cockpit Design - Driver

Wing Commander Steve Hunt

 

The cockpit of Jetblack will be an extremely high-pressure, hi-tempo workplace. Physical space will be at a premium and it will be a big challenge for us to create a perfectly designed system of seating, life support, controls and instrument displays. The dimensions and architecture of each cockpit component must be precisely designed and located to fit naturally and comfortably, and to perform its task in the most efficient way.  Each run of the vehicle will be less than a minute long and during that short time I will require, and will be presented with, a vast amount of information. Some of that information will be sensory; what I see out the window and what I feel through the seat, controls and vehicle structure. Other information will be provided through cockpit displays; gauges, dials, screens and lights. The challenge to the cockpit design team will be to create a well-proportioned environment where I can easily access the right piece of information at exactly the right time during the run while having all tactile controls and switches readily available.

Through each Jetblack run I will use physical sensory information to keep the vehicle straight and performance information to understand how each part of the whole vehicle system relevant to me is operating. Examples of performance information I will need to know are; speed, Mach number, engine and rocket data, systems status, balance and weight of the vehicle, distance to go, emergency, warning and braking systems. To allow me to operate Jetblack at supersonic speeds, I will need to observe, decide and act on many things I see and feel within fractions of a second. To allow this, the vehicle and I must fit together perfectly.

The scientific term for creating the best integrated cockpit environment is Human Machine Interface (HMI). This is where the person fits with the machine; they exchange information and allow the driver or pilot to be provided with the right information at the right time to make the right decisions, inputs and judgements in an easy and efficient way. The design of HMI requires specialists in physiology, psychology, ergonomics and other human factors. Constructing the cockpit using these principles will ultimately make it easier and safer for me to drive Jetblack.

Dr Robert Wellington and his team at AUT have already begun the investigation into the best design for the many components of the Jetblack cockpit system. Together we will create a driver’s cockpit that allows me to feel and control the vehicle with precision, and in which I can quickly access the right information in an easily understood way exactly when I need it.  Throughout our cockpit development programme we will be testing out results in the simulator - specially designed for Jetblack.