Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Results Discussion
A modern Air Force needs modern support. The Geographic Service of the Czech
Army provides high quality aeronautical charts for the Czech Air Force aircraft
both in paper and digital form. A survey among the CZAF pilots on the experience
with digital maps and their attitudes to new technologies revealed several short-
comings and opportunities. The survey also opened the question of whether elec-
tronic data can completely replace paper maps and paper documentation.
There is an obvious lack of cooperation between pilots and geographers in the
Czech Army. Pilots
knowledge of the aeronautical charts issued by the Czech
Army Geographic Service is poor. Only 26 % of the questioned pilots recalled
having had at least one aeronautical charts training session in the last 2 years. Most
of them (75 %) are interested in such training and the strongest believe (42 %) is
that it should be once a year or more often.
Most of the pilots (70 %) believe that the digital map cannot fully replace paper.
Most of them (84 %) also claim a combination of paper and digital maps best for
their job in the cockpit. This suggests that there is reluctance to abandon what is
known and that the quality of available digital data and related equipment is not at a
satisfactory level yet. Pilots consider the paper map as a necessary backup. On the
other hand, many pilots consider the digital maps necessary for the performance of
certain tasks, such as tactical missions (42 %) and instrument flights (30 %). Only
56 % of the respondents claim the satisfaction with the quality level of digital data
on their aircraft. Pilots report problems with updates, data availability, or simply the
system geographer—pilot (41 %), hardware and software problems with the
displaying devices (31 %). Most of the pilots (approx. 59 %) have no experience
with the system of digital data updates. This is most likely due to the reliance on
technical staff, 14 % reported an insufficient frequency of updates and 23 % believe
that there is a need to unify and centralize the system. We believe this represents an
important opportunity for further research.
The CZAF fleet still contains a number of aircraft without a device capable of
displaying digital geographic data or the equipment does not meet the needs of
pilots. One option is the adoption of a portable EFB. An EFB would also serve as a
useful complement to existing systems. An EFB can carry a lot of charts, informa-
tion, and manuals in a small package and thus save space and weight. 77 % of the
pilots would appreciate a portable EFB device on the aircraft flown.
The concept of a smart legend is generally well accepted. A smart legend allows
a user to control what features are displayed on the map. 84 % of pilots believe it
would be a helpful tool. Most requested features include aerodrome information
and schemes (56 %), ability to display obstacles and terrain relief (53 %), and
displaying published airspaces, air zones, and significant and radio navigation
points, airways, and corridors (50 %). The concept of smart legend is evidently
promising and further research in this area will be valuable.
This research identified several shortcomings in the geographic support of the
Czech Air Force that should be dealt with. Some are serious, some less so. However
we cannot always blame the geographic service or the army system. In some cases,
'
