AFRL engineers conduct pilot feedback study Published June 3, 2008 By Holly Jordan Air Vehicles Directorate WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Air Force Research Laboratory engineers conducted a feedback study aimed at improving flight comfort levels for pilots flying ejection seat aircraft. The goal of the effort is to determine whether advanced seat cushion options can effectively reduce discomfort and improve mission effectiveness for pilots who conduct long flights. The team is investigating several prototypes, one of which is an air bladder seat cushion. To collect feedback regarding the seat cushions, the engineers used AFRL's Infinity Cube Simulators, which enabled the pilots to fly representative missions seated in a large-field-of-view cockpit mirroring that of an actual aircraft. During the simulations, 11 different pilots carried out 4 separate instrument-system landings for each seat cushion concept. In this manner, the pilots tested and evaluated every seat cushion for each simulated mission. The engineers collected flight performance data, while the pilots completed questionnaires assessing each seat cushion prototype after each mission flown. Both the pilot feedback and the measurable data acquired from these tests will aid determinations concerning which seat cushion provides pilots the greatest benefit for long flights and also meets ejection seat aircraft requirements.