Flying in the Dark? NAMRU-D’s Night Vision Simulation Lab to Benefit Aviators | WPN World People News

We sometimes take our five senses for granted, especially our vision. As our most utilized sense, vision gives us accurate information about our environment, where we are within it, and how it changes as we move. Most don’t give this sense a second thought, until our vision is degraded.

Imagine driving a familiar route in the daylight hours, under a clear blue sky. Now picture that same drive under the cover of darkness with a heavy fog or snow shower. Your dashboard, or “cockpit”, hasn’t changed, other than being lit up. The road ahead no longer looks familiar. Landmarks may be invisible. Attempting to navigate your car via GPS and your console alone seems unthinkable. This is what our aviators do every night!

Although aviators are aided by the most sophisticated night vision technology in the world, there are significant hazards to flying at night, specifically with what we can and cannot see. For example, on dark nights pilots may find themselves descending towards a runway over water or surrounded by darkness. Without other lights or cues from the earth or sky to give them visual cues, they may mistakenly change to an unsafe descent, potentially leading to a mishap. To combat this, Naval Aviation rigorously trains aircrew in both the instrument flight of their aircraft (literally, flying by “dashboard” alone) and in the pitfalls of overreaching our visual capabilities at night.

Now, the Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, offers a brand new capability in their new Night Vision Simulation Laboratory to combat degraded vision environments by addressing and expanding on this second aspect of training.

Scientists at NAMRU-D use a simulator that is compatible with night vision technology, to investigate illusions and visual problems unique to the night environment.

The goal is to develop training and scenarios for the next generation of training devices. We know by providing high quality training to aviators in extreme environments, their ability to fly missions effectively and safely improve. That is a win for NAMRU-D, Naval Aviation and the aircrew we strive to protect!

Source: U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science