Dual Pilot Operation Concept for a Tandem Cockpit Fly-By-Wire Trainer Aircraft

This paper presents a revised concept for dual pilot operations in trainer aircraft with a tandem cockpit configuration. In contrast to existing concepts, like the tandem version of the F-16D, both pilots shall have an equivalent level of authority, and state transients following mode switches shall be avoided. The pilot command source selection and switching concept, which also includes a robust backup control law with virtual trim functionalities, is complemented by a Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) concept. It consists of the related control input items and the pilot feedback items that ensure situational awareness. A safety analysis is performed in the form of a fault tree analysis to verify that no single failure can lead to a loss of control of the aircraft. The overall concept is validated through mission task elements (MTEs) conducted in a prototype simulator. Preliminary handling quality (HQ) evaluations that are also conducted based on the MTE method resulted in an assigned HQ rating of level 2.