Rotary-wing vs. Fixed-wing: A Comparative Study of Pilot Performance in eVTOL Simulators

This paper examines the effect of automation on learning for two different types of pilots, rotary-wing and fixed-wing, on flight maneuvers including hovering, vertical takeoff, en route navigation, and approach and landing. Building on existing research, the performance of 11 rotary-wing pilots and 28 fixed-wing pilots was examined during the final repetition of a flight profile to evaluate the level of proficiency gained in approximately 2 hours of training. Our findings suggest that although rotary-wing pilots benefit from their previous hover and take off experience, automation still improved their performance for these maneuvers. Additionally, fixed-wing pilots benefited from higher automation for hovering, en route navigation, and approach and landing maneuvers. These results are discussed in detail in the following sections, along with recommendations for training programs, curricula designers, and manufacturers in the evolving eVTOL landscape.