An aircraft attitude display format which maintains the horizon reference line always in view and which presents the pilot with multiple indications of aircraft attitude differing from level flight. The multiple indications include attitude registration along an angular scale and shape change of the horizon reference line. The display format has the appearance of a fish-eye lens derived optical image and is preferably placed in this form by electronic image processing--which is exemplified by an included mathematical discussion and computer code listing software. Provisions for other data display are also disclosed. Use of the display format in a panel instrument or CRT-based system including the HUD configuration are contemplated.

An integrated attitude director indicator and horizontal situation indicator is disclosed that utilizes stereopsis to combine information that normally requires two display surfaces onto a single electronic display. One embodiment of the display comprises left and right eye versions alternately presented on the display in synchronism with alternate eye shuttered lenses worn by the viewer. The viewer has an instantaneous sense of the real world direction from his aircraft as apparently suspended within a spherical grid. The integrated display provides a presentation somewhat similar to existing flat screen separate instruments with an aircraft symbol lying at the center of the sphere with roll, pitch and heading scales displayed on this sphere. The sphere itself has one color such as blue above the horizon line and a different color such as brown below the horizon line. An additional feature comprises situational awareness cues, such as aircraft symbols, in the form of boxes on the spherical grid at a relative polar coordinate angle from the aircraft containing the instruments. These aircraft symbols may be color coded to represent threats, friendlies or unknowns. These situational cues allow the pilot to monitor and take evasive action with respect to such nearby aircraft.

Apparatus for projecting an elongated light bar representing an artificial horizon on an interior surface of an aircraft cockpit in front of a pilot of the aircraft with respect to a reference datum line on the interior surface of the cockpit. A vertical reference means, located in the cockpit or remotely therefrom maintains a vertical reference axis for all attitudes of the aircraft. A light beam source, which may be a laser beam, is aligned with a movable optical system having mirrors or lenses to convert the light beam to a plane of light. A mechanical linkage or a servomotor coupled between the vertical reference means and the optical system controls the optical system, so that the datum line appears stationary and the light bar seems to turn angularly and move vertically when the aircraft rolls and pitches.

A gyroscopically stabilized artificial horizon instrument used in light aircraft mounts an earth magnetic field sensitive flux sensor on its gyroscope housing to produce a signal indicative of the direction of flight. The signal is processed and produced as a digital display of direction on the face of the instrument such that the planes relation to the artificial horizon and its direction can be observed by the pilot at the same instrument location. Provision is also made for generating signals indicative of airspeed and altitude and displaying in digital form both airspeed and altitude at the same location on the artificial horizon instrument at which direction is displayed.

An orientation measuring device with a plurality of precision tooled grooves, indentations or the like. Two precision tooled adaptor bodies, preferably of cylindrical shape, are removably mountable in the indentations, where appropriate, for a given measuring task. The adaptor bodies are held in place by, e.g., magnets. The device is capable of determining the spatial orientation of rolls, bars, hollow or solid cylinders, ranging from small to large diameters by appropriately selecting in which of the grooves or indentations the adaptor bodies are mounted.