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AFHRLTR-71-20

EVALUATION OF AN AIRBORNE AUDIO-VIDEO RECORDING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

EQUIPPED WITH HEAD-UP DISPLAY

Joe A. Fitzgerald, Major, USAF

AFPS SA AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMAND

BROOKS AIR FORCE BASE. TEXAS

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NOTICL

When I'S Ciovcriuiiciit drawings, spccificalions, or other data are used tor any purpose other than a delmilely related Government piocurement operation, the Government thereby incurs no responsibility nor any obligation whatsoever, and the fact that the Government may have (brmulated, furnished, or in any way supplied the said drawings, specifications, or other data is not to be regarded by implication or otherwise, as in any manner licensing the holder or any other person or corporation, or conveying any rights or permission to manufacture, use, or sell any patented invention that may in any way be related thereto.

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II SUPl'LIMINTAHYNOTIS t. ^PONbO WING MIL I I ft(

Air Force Human Resources Laboratory Flying Training Division Williams Air Force Base, Arizona K5224

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Recent innovations in Hying training, most notably the ieclinii|iic of audio-video recording, suggest .1 very promising approach to the training of fighter pilots. The objective of ibis project was to provide a low-cost, reliable audio-video recording system (AVRS) for aircraft equipped with Head-Up Display {HUD) thai would be capable of recording both the external real world cues through the aircialVs forward windscreen as well as the symbology ol ibe IIUD projected on the aircraft's combining glass. The ullimale objective is a lesearch program to assess audio-video recording in IIUD-ei|iiipped aircraft as both a iecbnii|iie for improvement of training and as a tool for pilot proficiency assessment. Two A-7D aircraft were fitted with an AVRS constructed from low-cost, commercial ei|uipment with a good record of reliability. Tbc equipment was modified to make it compatible with the auciall and ils llighl environment. The system proved capable of recording the symbology on the lll'D, as well as resolving ground targets at normal altitudes and slant ranges encountered in the training environment. Although the equipment is quite acceptable for the purpose intended, it was not concluded on the basis of this study thai ibis parliculai engineeling design would 1. i:..r _., r.... in....• ..,:.!.. ...r:. Iv.r:.,: :,... 1I...1 ..... i..t..M.. I',.. .. ..........It .^.l .■1...11. •.milii r»...**.» ..m»..*l.ii.vli

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satisfactory for Heel-wide retrofit. Deficiencies that arc acceptable foi a research program imghi ptove completely unacceptable for an operational system.

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AFHRLTR 71-20 May 1971

EVALUATION OF AN AIRBORNE AUDIO-VIDEO RECORDING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED WITH HEAD-UP DISPLAY

By

Joe A. Flugerald, Major, USAF

Approved lor public release; distribution unlimited.

FLYING TRAINING DIVISION AIR FORCE HUMAN RESOURCES LABORATORY

AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMAND Williams Air Force Base, Arizona

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This work was coiuluclcil mulci 1'iujcci I I2.v I Ivinf; Tramiii}; Duvcluprneiit. I ask 112301. Dcvclopmcnl of I'crtbnnaiKi.' MeaMtreineni Tcclinitnics lor An loac llyitiji Training. Dr. William V. Ilagin was Projt'cl Scifutisl. Mi Millon I WOod was I ask Sciomisl. and Maj Joe A. Fil/gcrakl was the Tcchiiical Mnnilor.

The video engineerinj; inoditk'aiions. iiisiallaiion. and ei|inpniciii data were provided by CondiiLl ron Corpoiatioii, St. Charles. Missoim. tmdei {'ontiau F4160tJ-70-('-üü35. Mr. G. !•'. Mussiiianii was the I'lojecl liigmeei lot C'oiidiielton.

l-'lying test and engineeiing evalualion of the airborne audio-video teeutding system were carried out by the USAI-' Taelical I'ighter Weapons Cenicr (I'SAl- TfWC) in eonjnnction with the 57ili l-'ighier Weapons Wing. Dctachinenl I. 1 like Air [;oiee Huse. Arizona. The lest manager lui USAI- TIAVC was Maj l.oien I), haslbmn. The test pit)|ccl pilot for Detachment I was ('apt l.ennis L. lliggins. The test was can led out undei the authority ol'TAC Test Order 70A-1 I21-. dated 17 Septemhei ll)7(J.

The author wishes to acknowledge the valuable conlrihiitions to ilns leseaich provided by Maj i-astbiirn and C'apt lliggins.

This report has been icviewed and is approved.

(id .gc K. Patterson. Colonel. USAI- Commander

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ABSTRACT

Recent Imiovalions in flying Irainirig, IIIDSI noiaiily the leclinique nf audiovidci) recoriiiiig, suggest a very promising approach lo llie Iraining of fighlcr pilots. The objective of this project was to provide a low-cost, reliable audio-video recording sysiem (AVRS) lor aircraft equipped with llead-Up Display (MUD) thai would be capable of recording both the external real world cues through the aircraft's forward windscreen as well as the symbology of the HUD projected on the aircraft's coin!, nr; glass. The ultmiale objective is a research program to assess audio-video recording in IIUD-ec|iiipped aircraft as both a technique for improvement of training and as a tool for pilot proficiency assessment. Two A-7D aircraft were fitted with an AVRS constructed from low-cost, commercial equipment with a good record of reliability. The equipment was modified to make it compatible with the aircraft and its flight environment. The system proved capable of recording the symbology on the HUD, as well as resolving ground targets at normal altitudes and slant ranges encountered in the training environment. Although the equipment is quite acceptable for the purpose intended, it was not concluded on the basis of this study that this particular engineering design would be satisfactory for fleet-wide retrofit. Deficiencies that are acceptable for a research program might prove completely unacceptable for an operational system.

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Problem

llli! piupusc ill tills |)|ci|Ci.l «.is In iicvi|i)(). iiislall. and pciltiiin ciii'iiicciilip i.\alual|iiii dl a luvk insl. rcUabk' uuditi-vidco ict'ordtng sssicm Im llic A-7|) aucfatl lhal wnuld he tapablc id rccorditi}; llo.iill p Display symbolony as well as luilvide KMI vvmld cues Hie etjuipinenl had l" be capable nl lesnlviiii; ^iciiinil larjieis al aliilinles and slaiil lances eiKimiUeied m the liamiti}! envinmiiieiil

Approach

Hie pitijecl was etmducted in luui phases Durin)! lire lust phase ihe luiiiracim designed an .iiuliu-viileu rceordinj! system Im the A-71). The design requiieinciils specified use ul eummeKial ull-ihe-sheir eijuipnu'ni. StiJi cquipmeni had in be lnvs in .nst and lu^ii in (ehabihiy Tile second phase pmvided lii pmcuieineni and nuidit'icalinn ul the eqiiipmeni as necessary lu cuntorm ID Ihe engineemie design. Ne\l. the AVKS was installed in tvvu A-7D auciali Ihe linal phase pruvideil Im cuinpleiitin nl tlighi lest and enginecr'ng evahiatuins

Results

Allhiiugh jiiilially plagued with dilTiciillies. both sysiems ulliinaieK provided acceptable video tapes ( ost was kept within progiamnied linnts, and et|uipnieni reliubihty and peilonnance met desired siandaids.

Conclusions

With siigiu nioditications. low-cost, coiiimeicial audio-video ei|uipineiit can be made to opeiate reliably and dTectively ill the stiingenl llight enviioiimcnt ol a ligliler ancralt

lliis summary was prepared by Jue A. lit/geiald. Combat Crew- Training Hianch, Flying Training Division. Air Force Human Resources Laboratory.

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Previous Research

Thih prujeel is ilic third elTurt ot (lie Air l-orcc riiiiinin Resources Laboralory in llie development of low-cost audio-video recording systems (AVRS) for use in Hying traininj! research, in the initial etToit conducted lietwcen Septenihei 1%7 and July 1969 under an Air l-orce contract.1 an AVRS for the T-37 aircraft was designed, installed, and checked out. Suhsequently training lesearch was peilormed utilizing the equipinent. The work was conducted at Vance Air lorce Base, with Under- graduate Pilot Training students as the test subjects.

The AVRS lor thai projeci incorporated off- the-shelf components, bin major engineerng modifications were required IU adapt the system foi aitborne operation in the To? aircraft. The audio-video recorder unit recorded on I 2-inch I mil tape, giving a total recording time from the 4-1/2-iiidi reel of approximately 22 minutes. Two vidicon cameras were used in the aircraft; one camera was mounted to view selected portions of the instrument panel and the othei provided a forward view ihrough the windscieen. as closely as possible approximating the pilot's eye view. The audio-video recorder, a Sony Model L)VK2400. operated on battery power. This model was selected because it was the only off-the-shelf portable recorder which would fit the installation space available in the aircraft. The resolution of the recorder was approximately 2()U lines. Studies utili/ing the equipinent demonsliated improved achievement levels and apparently faster learning rates for students trained with the AVRS (Schumacher. Rudov.& Valverde, ll)7ü).

Because of the encouraging results of the work at Vance Air Force Base on the T-37. the studies of airborne AVRS were continued.3 After some

Work sponsored by the Trjimru! Kt'St'arch Division ol the Air Fore«.' Human tU'suurevs Liboraiory londikictl under Contract F.VV.l S-Off-C KMR In Anivriian Insti tiitu.s for Research. Pitishurpli. tVimsUvania. and Coiulnrtron Corporalion. St. Chatk's, Missouri,

"Work sponsored by llie Traininj; Researeli Division ol the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory conducted under Contract F33f)lS fi'lCMKlf) wuli Condiiciton (Corporalion. St. Cliarles. Missouri

nnHiitlcutioii. eijuipment used m the Vance pmieci was insialled in an 1-41 at Nelhs Au I nue Base The purpose ol ihis lalei lest was to establish (tie feasibility, quality, and utility ol audio-video tape recordings as a fightei flight training and docu- mentation technique (Klamm. Jacobs. cV Clark.

1('70).

I he two television camera ,A stein-- allowed siimillaneous recording h\ splitting the TV displa\ of the scene viewed through the gunsight and the indications of the principal lligln instiuments Audio-video tapes were obtained ol atr-lo-grotind weapon deliver), dart attack, an combat inaiieu- venng, simulated nucleai weapons delivers, and close an support missions.

A number of problems were enounteted which caused this project to be somewhat less successful than the Vance work. One of the major prohlemr, was related to the fact thai battery power was utili/ed rather than aircraft powei. In some instances, the batteries were not full) recharged, had corroded leads, or were impropeih installed. However, this problem was corrected dtiting the test by convening the system to aircraft power. Anothei major source of problems was the fragiii. structure of the base housing the videocordei The base did not provide adequate protection foi the electronic components, and dents in the case otten restricted tape movement so that usable recordings were not obtained. Still anothei ptoblein area was the reflections from instrument glass covers which frequently impeded reading of the instruments. Rnally. video tape playback resolution was below that level required for detailed mission assessment. Because of these problems and others, die lesults were not as delinilive as had been expected. However, tin project did prove that reasonabh good video tapes could be obtained undet the high vibration and g-load conditions of a fighter-type aircraft using low-cost, cumineictal equipment. The experience gained from both the Vance and the Nellis projects paved the wa\ lor Ihe develop mentor the A-7DAVRS.

Comparison of Audio-Video and Motion Pictua' Recording

Audio-video recording (AVR) offers main advantages ovei motion picture lecording (Ml'Rl

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RIIIIIIIHU Iinic. The running time for AVK is a t'uiK'tion of the kind ol et]uipnieiu selected but is imieii longer than dial o! the Idmm cameras now m use lor example, the Sony AV.>40Ü video iccordor used tor the A-71) AV'RS has approxi- maieK a JU-ininute tape capacity. The N-1) gun camera used in the F-I0Ü aircraft has U minutes of film capacity at 32 frames per second. The experimental Milliken camera (HUM-ZA) for the A-71) has six minutes of film capacity at 16 frames pet second.

I.iiihl Level Adapiation. TV cameras are cap- able of adapting automatically to a wide range of light levels. A typical range is 50 to 10,000 foot candles, the automatic sensitivity range of the Sony Model AVJ400 video camera. Motion picture cameras in use today in fighter aircraft must be preset on the ground f. r the light level range expected in the target area. If the actual light level differs from that expectation, tile qualm of the film will suffer. On the oilier hand, the vidicon unit o] the video camera can be damaged by excessive direct exposure to the sun's rays, although the vidicon unit will heal itself if the damage IN not too great. Permanent damage can result in loss of vidicon sensitivity and retention ofburned-in images.

Aihlio Rfamling. Recent video recorders such as the Son\ AV.1400 provide good quality audio recording Such audio information can piove quite usetul as an adjunct to the video iiilormation. t-'ur example, during a gunnery pass a student pilot can describe how he perceives the situation and what coneclions he is attempting lo make. This information can be very useful to the student and his insiiucior in diagmismu the source of errors.

Kcsi'luuiii I he leMilution of light wetglit AV'R has been improving steadily ovei the years. How- ever, ii does not yel ei, uil the icsolution of high quality MI'K Wbetbei or not the resolution is satisfaclon depends on the intended use. The 200 line levolution of the T-37 AV'KS designed foi the Nance study was satisfactory lor recording landing patterns, but the same icsolution was not com- pletely satisfactory in the Nellis study because it could not propeily resolve the dart target I'm air- tu-aii ininnery. an mipoitani nvissioii ol the 1-41.. Ibc .'»(H) line system '>t the .\-7l) AVKS can revolve quite satisfactorily the lleail-l'p Display till D) symbology. griniiul targets, tun-in lines, .uul bomb .iitlo-. II can also ic'soKe the dart

target, although this was not a requirement since air-to-air is not a mission of the aircraft.

Time Delay fruni Mission Complt'tiim to Re- view. AVR tapes can be played immediately upon mission completion since no processing is required. This is an important characteristic because a student's recollection of mission details tends to diminish rapidly with lime. Processing time for gun camera film can vary from about 15 minutes lo iiours, or even several days, depending on the kind of processing equipment available and the workload.

Complexity ami Bulk. AVR equipment is more complex than MPR equipment and, therefore, is subject to more problems. AVR requires a recorder that, altliough relatively small, is much larger than a film cartridge, it also requires a control unit, a camera, and the associated wiring. Uy comparison, a Idinm gun camera is a relatively simple, self-contained unit. However, the bulkier items of AVR equipment such as recorder and control box can be remote from the cockpit, leaving only a small vidicon unit with its associated mirror and light baffle in the cockpit. With proper design of AVR equipment, then, restriction to forward visibility need not exceed that presented by a 16mm gun camera.

Color. Lightweight, low-cost, color AVR did not exist at the time this project was undertaken, but the present trend seems to indicate that such equipment will not be long in coming. Color could prove to be an important factor in future designs. On the other hand, high-quality Idmin color for gun camera systems is a present reality.

II. I'RUCRAM I'LAN

The program lor the present study consisted of four phases: design, development, installation and support, and evaluation.

Desiim Duiin(! the design phase measurements were obtained ol the representative A-71) aircraft at Luke Air lorce Base In addition, installation ilata were obtained from l.ing-Temco-Vouglit (LTV) Aerospace Corporation and from the A-7D simulator presently under construction by Conductron Corporation. Mechanical layout and detailed design weie completed based on the data

Oeveliipnieni During the developmeni phase the Sony equipment was modified in accordance with the system design, and the explosion proof qualification was compleied. It was not deemed

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necessary lo do further experiinental testing because test data available on similar Sony equip- ment could be extrapolated to include the newer equipment.

Inslallalion and Support. Two AVR systems were installed in the selected A-7D aircraft, and two weeks of field support were provided. This effort included instruction of Air Force personnel in the operation and maintenance of the AVRS.

Flight Test and Evaluation. Flight tests were performed to insure that engineering criteria were met and, further, to obtain reliability and maintainability information.

in. SYSTIMDiscRirnoN

The A-7D AVRS was designed to use only low- cost commercial equipment. This was a reasonably low-risk undertaking because experience gained on a similar design for the F-41: could be directly applied.

An important requirement was thai the camera and optics should be as unobtrusive as possible. In compliance with this requirement, the feasibility of using fibre optics to remote the camera was investigated. Unfortunately, video transmitted through the fibre optics bundle tested was not of sufficient quality to justify its use.

The A-7D AVRS includes equipment installed in the aircraft and stationed on the ground An illustration and several diagrams are included in the appendix to show the system components, their locations, und their interrelationships. Total weight of each aircrufl-inslalled system including cables, brackets, and optics is 31 pounds, II ounces. Additionally, the system accommodates installation in either pre-D-27 or D-27 and subsequent A-7 aircraft. The airborne and ground based components of the system are briefly described.

Airborne Equipmcnl

Video Tape Kcconlcr. The video tape rccurdet is a modified Sony AV-340U video recorder. The modifications included installation of a 12 M)( power supply to replace the balicnes. modificution of the recorder switching and mode control circuits to permit remote operation In the pilot, modification of the audio circuitry for compatibility with the A-7 inlcrcom, removal "I existing Sony connectors and icplacemenl »Uli military-type connector», and iiHHlificaliun i»( outei case and covci to facitilalc imiallalinn ■>! the unil in the A-7 electioniCN equipment h.i> Ihc

unit is approximately (> inches in height. 10-1/2 inches in width, and 1 1-1/2 inches in depth.

Camera Conirnl Unit. The camera control unit is a modified Sony AVC-34Ü0 video camera. The modifications included removal of the vidicon assembly, deflection yoke, and locus coils, removal of the audio microphone ami associated electronics, modification ol switching and remote control circuitry, disablement of the firsi tluee stages of video amplification, removal ol the existing Sony umbilical cable and replacement with military-type connectors, and modification ol the outer cover to facilitate installation of the unil in the A-7 aircraft. The control unit is 21/2 inches in width, 8-1/2 inches in length, and 5 inches in height. The weighl is 4 pounds. I ounce.

I'idieoii Unit. The vidicon unil consists ol the vidicon. the deflection yoke and focus coils removed from the control unit assembly, a three- stage video preamplifier board, a system lemote contiol switch, and system operating mode indicatois. All parts were enclosed in a 2 by 2 by 5-inch section of aluminum tubing with a mililary-type signal connectoi mounted on one end and camera lens C'-mouni adaptei on the other, lour mounting studs were brought out the botlom lo facilitate installation of the unil in the A-7 cockpit. Weight of the vidicon unit i\ 2 pounds.'' ounces including its mounting biackets.

System Optics. The optics include a 2Mimi. Fl.(' to 1-22. 2 feel ihruugli infiiuu. (-mouni Cosmicai I-ens (model 25 I'M- a l/4-incli ihivk. 2.2-inch wide, and .1.5-inch high combining glass and mouni, and a l/S-mdi thick.,ippioMinalels 2 by .Much combining glass light bailie The weight of these assemblies is 12 ounces

System Cables The sysicin cabling KIIIMSIS ol one standard ncojuene-cuveied powci cable, one lecoidei lo conliol unil cable willi audio adapiei lot gaining access to the auciall niictcom system one conliol unit lo vidicon unil cable, „nd one conttol unil lo alignment muniloi i.iMe All tables weie lenninalcd with inililarvi>pc conneciois Wire bundles weie covered lust witli nylun tape, then with a double thickness ol I mJi braided conductive shielding tape, and IIIMIK MMII .in appiopnaie si/e clear vinyl flemhU' luHing. lJie> weie uleniilied vMth chicken bands .ii appiopriaic places Total weight o( .iidrali msiallcd cables is' pounds. 14 ounces

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AC upcialed, cuinmcrcial yrado Iclcvision receiver. Tlie modifications included removal ol llie external earphone audio circuitry and use of the lack to provide a switching connection to disable llie normal broadcast video sitinal and permit injection ol the AVRS video when the monitor is used on llie flight line lor system boresighting and alignment. When not in use for AVRS alignment, the monitor can be operated as a conventional broadcast TV receiver.

I'lavlmk Unit. The playback unit is an un- modified Sony AV-.^()üü videocorder which is compatible with the video tape recordings produced by the airborne video tape recorder. The mill operates on I 15V hü-11/ power, it is self- contained, and in conjunction with the IH-inch ground monitor of the .Much alignment monitor, it provides the ground base equipment necessary to play back and evaluate the in-llight video recordings.

I'lavlmk Mnniinr The playback monitor is an unmodified Sony ("VM IXO/U, 18-inch. AC operated television receiver and video tape tnonitoi The monitor is capable of playing back audio and video signals either directly from the airborne recorder with a special cable or directly from the AV-3600 playback recorder with the cable provided. Additionally, when not in use for AVRS purposes, the monitor can be operated as a coiiveiilional broadcast TV receiver.

IV. KISl LIS AND DISCUSSION

(he objective of the projecl W'as to obtain a low-cost, reasonably reliable AVRS thai, when installed in the A-71). would provide video of Mill'kient ie\o|iition to record all lll'l) symbology as well .IN the outside world cues of piiniary mteiesl I'lus was the first phase of a twn-pltase efforl Hie second phase is lo evaluate the e(|uip- menl as a method for improving t|iialii\ of training and I'm possible use in pilot proficiency assess- ment VVnIi .i few reseivalions it can he faiily slated thai the objective of the pioject was met. A nuinhei ol deficiencies were encounieied. and some ol these were corrected during llie test. Aliliougli othei dellcieiKies still remain un- resolved, it is not lelt thai dies will ptevenl the sjiislaclon conclusion ol ihc evalualum phase A Jisciission •>! these problem areas follows liisnui all iiiclusise Inn covets (he more signihcanl llolKU'IU ies

Ihrn'sight. It proved to be quite difficult to obtain a boresight which could capture all HUD symbology. The symbology in the upper right quadrant was not recorded with the aircraft combining glass in the forward position. A slightly larger mirror improved but did not eliminate the problem. However, the loss can be reduced to an acceptable level by careful boresight.

liilican liurninii. Hired exposure to the sun will cause burned-in images to the vidicon. Although they cannot be prevented, they can be reduced by keeping a lens cover on the lens when the camera is not in use. These burns did not prove to be a serious problem since they were found to heal within a very short time.

I.iiihi l.cwl Adaptatum. It was found that the vidicon automatic gain control could not sufficiently compensate for high light levels. When the system was exposed to quite high light levels, the HUD symbology became very indistinct, and ground contrast was degraded. The video became washed out. The use of a medium green photo- graphic ftltei improved video quality to an acceptable degree.

(i-l:fj'vit. The video began to distort with the application of } g's and was unusable at 4 g's and above. Although experience has indicated that this problem can be eliminated by mounting the recorder in the vertical position, space limitations in the A-71) prevented such an installation. Since aircraft maneuvering can be completed with no more than .1 g's for those areas of primary interest, il is not a significant problem. In air-lo-ground gunnery, for instance, the area of primary interest is the turn to final and the final itself when few g's are induced. The pullout or recovery when more than 3 g's are usually applied is of secondary interest.

I.iglil liu/Jh: The glare shield did not cause video difllculties when it was properly aligned. Because it used only a single mounting screw. how- ever. H tended to become misaligned. This problem was easily corrected by simply installing anoihei screw. A moie serious problem was dis- liaclion to the pilot Although experienced pilots probably can cope with such dislraclion. it may he unwise to allow new student pilots lo lly llie lesl aircraft. Use of a polaii/ed lens in conjunclioii wlih a polarized AVRS combining glass in:i> alleviate llie problem, and this technique is being investigated. If it is successful, need foi the hghi baflle will be elimlnaled.

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Klamm, R.L., Jacobs, D.. & Clark, H.J. Tmin'mg /Kifi'iitial of htfliglil mtäiif/viütial rctunJini; aitiipiiiciil for ilw F-4t: uinruji. AIIIR1.-TR- 70-25. Writ-hi-l'iillcrson AFB. Ohio: Advanced Systems Divisions. Air l-'urce llurnun Resources Lahoralory, December 1470.

Schumacher. S.P.. Rudov. M.H.. & Valvertle. H.H. IwaliutlKiii o] (i law (fml in-Jlifilil (iihliii,'i'i(li'o rctonlinx svsivin jar pilni trainins;. AillKI- TR-ftl>-3l. Wnglii-I'ailersoii AI1J. Oliiu: Train- ing Researcii Division. Air l-orce llimian Resources l.ahoralory. January ll'7().

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I

l/VV \/)/V II LUSTRATION AND DIAGRAMS OF AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDING SYSTEM

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