Tim Etherington


Contact Information

Tim Etherington
RSES
Crew Systems and Aviation Operations Branch (D318)

NASA Langley Research Center
24 West Taylor St.
Mail Stop 152
Hampton, VA 23681
Email: timothy.j.etherington@nasa.gov

Bio

Tim Etherington is a Research Fellow supporting the Crew Systems and Aviation Operations Branch onsite at NASA Langley Research Center. He is a recognized international expert in electronic flight instrument systems design and pilot contribution to aviation safety. He has conducted extensive research and flight testing in synthetic and enhanced vision systems for AFRL and NASA. He has served as principal investigator in experiments in enhanced vision, synthetic vision, single and reduced crew pilot operations, and investigations into attitude and energy state awareness. Tim has participated in significant industry standards activities with SAE S-7, SAE G-10 and RTCA including co-chair of RTCA SC-213 Enhanced Flight Vision System/Synthetic Vision System.

Mr. Etherington retired from Collins Aerospace after thirty years of service with extensive experience in military and commercial flight deck design and applied human factors. He helped design the flight decks for the Canadair Regional Jet and other business and regional primary flight display systems. He led the perspective, synthetic and enhanced flight deck research at Rockwell Collins including the flight-testing completed with NASA Langley and Air Force Research labs. He holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with a Citation Type Rating and holds fixed wing and rotorcraft ratings. Tim graduated from North Dakota State University with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Selected Publications

  1. “Assessing Dual Sensor Enhanced Flight Vision Systems to Enable Equivalent Visual Operations” in  Journal of Aerospace Information Systems
  2. “Improved Flight Technical Performance in Flight Decks Equipped with Synthetic Vision Information Display” The International Journal of Aviation Psychology
  3. “Information Design for Air Transport, Computer Graphics in the Cockpit” Information Design Journal, “Integration of Information in Synthetic Vision Displays”
  4. “Synthetic Vision: A Prototype Display Concept for Commercial Aircraft” IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems
  5. “Upset Recovery in a Flight Test with a Multi-Sensory Spatial Orientation Enhancement System” Journal of Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Aerospace Medical Association
  6. “Trade-Offs in Synthetic Vision System Display Resolution Field of Regard, Terrain Data Density, Texture, and Shading during Off Path” International Journal of Aviation Psychology
  7. “Improved Flight Technical Performance in Flight Decks Equipped with Synthetic Vision Information System Displays” International Journal of Aviation Psychology,
  8. “Synthetic Vision: Application Areas, Rationale, Implementation and results” International Journal of Aviation Psychology

Patents

Compressed Circle Flight Display

  • Altitude and Integral Vertical Speed Indicator
  • Method of Integrating Speed Deviation Cues in a Vehicle
  • Method and System for Providing Depth Cues by Attenuating Distant Displayed Terrain
  • Systems of Methods for Displaying Partial Images and Non-Overlapping, Shaped Partial Images Acquired from Vision Systems
  • System Supporting Flight Operations under Instrument Meteorological Conditions using Precision Course Guidance
  • Modulation of Aircraft Guidance Lights
  • Image Data Combining Systems and Methods of Multiple Vision Systems
  • Flight Control Panel
  • Simplified Auto-flight Systems Coupled with a Touchscreen Flight Control Pane

Awards/Honors

Recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal

Featured in Discovery Channel Modern Marvels “Night” segment

2020 – NASA Group Achievement Awards

2016 – NASA Group Achievement Awards

2015 – NASA Group Achievement Awards

2014 – Winner of Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate in Information Technology/Electronics category

2014 – Prometheus Award for Innovator of the Year presented by the Technology Association of Iowa

2013 – Nominated for Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate in Information Technology/Electronics category

2013 – RTCA Outstanding Leader Award

2013 – American Technology for Innovation Award

2013 – Edison Award

2012 – RTCA Outstanding Leader Award

2011 – Wall Street Journal Innovation Awards runner-up in the Transport category

2009 – RTCA Outstanding Leader Award

2006 – Prometheus Award for Innovator of the Year presented by the Technology Association of Iowa

2005 – Nominated for Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate in Information Technology/Electronics category

2005 – Rockwell Collins Engineering and Technology Engineer of the Year

2005 – NASA Turning Goals into Reality Award

2004 – NASA Turning Goals into Reality Award

2003 – Finalist Flight International Aerospace Industry Award

2002 – Finalist Flight International Aerospace Industry Award

2001 – NASA Turning Goals into Reality Award

1996 – First in the Nation in Education award

1996 – NASA AGATE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Flight Systems

1994 – Collins Commercial Avionics Engineer of the Year