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FalconView

Military pilots can prepare their flight charts faster and with greater accuracy, thanks to a laptop computer-based system developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) beginning in 1992.

Photo by Stanley Leary Military personnel test a laptop computer system called FalconView on a U.S. Air Force C-130. FalconView, developed at GTRI, helps pilots prepare flight plans faster and with greater accuracy. (300-dpi JPEG version - 733k)

FalconView — developed for the U.S. Air Force by GTRI, the U.S. Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard — replaces hand-drawn mission maps with high-resolution graphics displayed on a laptop computer screen carried onboard an aircraft. The system displays data, such as the locations of no-fly zones, buildings and other structures. Its maps also note objects that produce electronic emissions within certain bands, including friendly aircraft and ships.

Connected to a modem or network, FalconView can receive the latest information concerning troop movements, weather and detailed threat information. The system takes into account topography, flight elevation and the range of a threat's radar system to let pilots know whether their planes are detectable.

In addition, pilots can set up maps and give different symbols to various features. Each symbol can be clicked on for more information in the form of a text document, sound file, photograph or even a Web page — each related and geo-referenced to sites on the map.

Originally designed for use in fighter airplanes, FalconView has been customized for a range of military aircraft, such as helicopters and cargo transports.

FalconView was one of five finalists in the Sixth Annual Windows World Open Competition, which recognizes developers for creating breakthrough problem-solving, custom Microsoft Windows applications.

An estimated 13,000 air crew members worldwide use FalconView. Among them are members of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., which provides executive support missions for the president, vice president and other high-ranking U.S. government officials.

Principal researchers for FalconView included John Pyles, Vinnie Sollicito, Rob Gue and Jim Rhodes.

For more information, contact Terry N. Hilderbrand, Information Technology and Telecommunications Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-0832. (Telephone: 404-894-3523) (E-mail: falconview@gtri.gatech.edu)

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Last updated: October 25, 1999