Jet lets fingers do the flying

Posted on: Jan. 23rd, 2006 || Source: home.hamptonroads.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

VIRGINIA BEACH - Five dozen men, many of them former pilots who have helped shape naval aviation for the past 50 years, were spellbound as they looked into the simulated cockpit of the Navy’s next-generation fighter jet.

Two 8-by-20-inch touch screen displays dominated the dashboard.

Tapping the screen changes radio channels. Touching it elsewhere selects a weapon to use: missile, bomb, cannon.

Pointing to a landing spot on the map display tells the computer to fly the plane there – nearly hands off.

A visual system built into the pilot’s helmet projects an image onto the visor, giving real-time navigation and targeting information. No matter which way the pilot’s head turns, the data are always in view.

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