Synthetic vision system

Pilots acquire instantaneous understanding of the current as well as the future state of the aircraft with respect to the terrain, towers, buildings and other environment features.

Called 'Contact Analog', this technology allowed the A-6 to be flown at night, in all weather conditions, at low altitude, and through rugged or mountainous terrain without the need for any visual references.

[1][failed verification] Synthetic vision was developed by NASA and the U.S. Air Force in the late 1970s[2] and 1980s in support of advanced cockpit research, and in 1990s as part of the Aviation Safety Program.

The realism of this RPV pilot training display was enhanced by allowing the user to adjust the simulated control system delays and other parameters.

In 1995-1996, North Carolina State University flew a 17.5% scale F-18 RPV using Microsoft Flight Simulator to create the three-dimensional projected terrain environment.

[7] In 2005 a synthetic vision system was installed on a Gulfstream V test aircraft as part of NASA's "Turning Goals Into Reality" program.

Lower-cost, non-certified avionics offer synthetic vision like apps available for Android or iPad tablet computers from ForeFlight,[12] Garmin,[13] Air Navigation Pro,[14] or Hilton Software[15]