Quickening and damping a feedback display

Abstract

Difficulty in controlling an all-weather interceptor under emergency conditions was explained as the result of negative quickening of the indicator display inadvertently introduced by the use of a standard instrument in an aircraft with a sloping instrument panel. To determine the combination of quickening and damping in the indicator display that would optimize performance, 4 angles of tilt of the gyro (to accomplish positive quickening) and 4 damping levels were tested. A combination of 5° tilt and 500% was optimum and demonstrated superiority over the standard turn indicator, showing a smaller decrement of performance upon attitude indicator failure than did the control instrument. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)