Abstract: A panoramic display system for an aircraft comprising a display screen and line generation means for generating a line image on the display screen. The position of the line image on the display screen corresponds to the position of a projection of an artifact external to the aircraft onto an imaginary window to an eye point within the aircraft. The eye point is positioned on the opposite side of the window from the artifact. The line image may be generated by determining the position of a great circle on a sphere having its center at the eye point, such that the position of the great circle corresponds to the artifact projected onto the sphere to the eye point. The position of the line image on the display screen corresponds to the position of the great circle on the sphere. The display system may comprise a plurality of display screens positioned adjacent to one another such that each can be viewed from a single viewing point.

Abstract: An aircraft performance margin indicator including a display (21) that, during takeoff and landing, informs the pilot of the ability of the aircraft to either stop safely or achieve a safe flying speed before reaching the end of the runway is disclosed. A plurality of dedicated microprocessors (41, 43, 45, and 47), each of which receives pertinent data about the aircraft, the runway and the existing environmental conditions, produce one or more symbol control signals. The symbol control signals control the position of symbols that form part of the display (21). The display scale is a normalized runway and the display includes an airplane symbol (23) that shows the location of the aircraft as the aircraft moves down the runway. The microprocessor controlled symbols include GO and STOP bugs (25 and 31) and a ROTATE bar (27). The ROTATE bar indicates the last point at which the aircraft can be safely rotated under present FFA regulations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the time remaining for maximum control action to be taken in order to achieve a desired objective (i.e., the chronodrasic interval) is disclosed. The method and apparatus continuously determines the amount of a parameter (e.g., runway distance) required to achieve a desired objective (e.g., stopping an aircraft before reaching the end of a runway on landing or accelerating an aircraft so that it reaches rotation speed before reaching the end of a runway on takeoff) if maximum control action is applied. The method and apparatus also continuously determines the total amount of the parameter remaining. The chronodrasic interval is then determined by deducting the amount of the parameter required to achieve the desired objective if maximum control action is taken from the total amount of the parameter remaining; and, dividing the result by a preselected (e.g., present or maximum) rate of change of the parameter.

Abstract: A pourable roofing composition composed of chopped discrete small chunks or pieces of closed cell plastics material, such as polystyrene, polyurethane, and the like; inexpensive granular or powder particles of fly ash or the like inert particulate material which will hold down the light cellular plastic pieces; and an emulsion caulking or sealing type binder or adhesive capable of setting under atmospheric conditions to seal the composition into an all weather resisting waterproof layer. Suitable binders or adhesives are liquid based emulsions of acetates, acrylic resins, epoxy adhesives, and the like. The composition is flowable, can be premixed remote from the building or use site, can be transported to the site in a concrete mixer type truck, and can thereafter be spread over a roof base and screed to the desired contour and level. After an initial set, an overcoat of a sealer such as an acrylic resin-type sealer can be applied.