Tactile signaling systems for aircraft

Claim 1

A pilot alerting system for aircraft with foot actuated rudder control comprising means for sensing an uncoordinated flight condition of the aircraft which can be corrected by the application of rudder control, said flight condition sensing means comprising a ball bank instrument having a ball moveable in a curved transparent tube, said ball occupying a central region of said tube when the aircraft is in a coordinated flight condition and being moveable away from said central region when the aircraft is in an uncoordinated flight condition, and photoelectric means for detecting movement of said ball away from the central region of said tube, and means controlled by said photoelectric means for indicating to the pilot the direction of application of rudder control to correct the uncoordinated flight condition, said indicating means comprising a pair of tactile sensation generators located, respectively, in close proximity to the legs of the pilot, each generator, when energized, giving the pilot a tactile indication of the foot to be moved to coordinate the flight condition of the aircraft.