The History of the Head-up Display Dates Back to World War II

In conclusion, the head-up display has evolved from simple iron rings used in World War II for gun sights to a modern miniature instrument panel that displays essential flight information (Ellis, 2000, p. 1). The evolution of the head-up display shows how technological processes, economics, and safety can all interact with each other effectively to create a safer approach to flying (Hawkins, 2000, p. 252). The head-up display brings many advantages and shortfalls to the crewmembers and to the aircraft. The primary objective of using the head-up display is to provide an improved situational awareness on instrument approach transitions from head-down flying to head-up flying during lower visibility flights (Hawkins, 2000, P. 252). But the head-up display has also proven to have safety advantages if used during "take-off, climb, cruise, good visibility approaches, automatic landing monitoring, roll-out guidance and wind shear protection" (Hawkins, 2000, p. 253). Both the ALPA and the Airline industry have pursued the development of the head-up display because of the advantages it offers, but the pursuit by each is for different reasons (Hawkins, 2000, p. 254). Shortfalls such as cost, size, attentional tunneling, expectation, data clutter, disrupted visibility, and crewmember acceptance have been identified related to using the head-up display. …