Command cue for a flight director instrument

Claim 1

An indicator in a flight director instrument for use in rotary wing aircraft having a collective pitch control stick which is normally disposed for generally vertical control motions with respect to said aircraft for controlling collective pitch by generally vertical manual movement of said stick, said indicator comprising an elongated bar shaped cue generally resembling the shape of said collective pitch control stick, said cue being mounted in said flight director instrument which when in use in said aircraft is part of a flight director system having means for moving said cue in accordance with a collective pitch command, said cue being mounted in said flight director instrument normally horizontally disposed with respect to said aircraft for generally vertical motion with respect thereto, and two pointing symbols disposed one above the other and associated with said cue to define a central position therefor, the upper of said two symbols pointing downwardly and the lower of said two symbols pointing upwardly, the region between said two symbols defining said central position for said cue, said symbols pointing in the respective directions to move said collective pitch control stick so as to center said cue at said central position when said cue in deviating from said central position becomes associated with one of said symbols, thereby satisfying said collective pitch command, said cue exhibiting vertical deviations above and below said central position in accordance with said collective pitch command, said control stick shaped cue, said vertical deviations thereof and said pointing symbols tending to engender an instinctive reaction associating said cue with said control stick and said deviations and pointing symbols with the direction to move said control stick to satisfy said collective pitch command, thereby engendering an instinctive reaction to position said control stick in the proper direction to satisfy said collective pitch command.