An improved system and method are disclosed for facilitating target aiming and aircraft control by flight crews using electronic displays. For example, an aircraft display system is disclosed that includes a database for storing target location and boundary data, a processing unit, a position and direction determination unit for use in determining the position of an aiming symbol on a display, a graphics display generator, and a visual display. The processing unit determines whether or not a selected target to be displayed is obscured or covered by the aiming symbol to be displayed. If any portion of the target is obscured or covered by the aiming symbol, then the processing unit directs the graphics display generator to generate graphic control signals for the visual display, which increase the transparency of the portions of the aiming symbol that obscure or cover the target. Notably, the transparency of any symbol (or portion of a symbol) can be increased if that symbol obscures or covers a target being displayed or viewed. Thus, the visibility of targets viewed using onboard visual displays is significantly enhanced, whereby the targets are obscured by the symbols used to aim and control the aircraft. Advantageously, target aiming and aircraft control are facilitated, which reduces pilot workload and navigation errors, and thus results in increased aircraft safety.
