NTL Record

Title Identification and Comprehension of Symbolic Exit Signs for Small Transport-Category Airplanes
Record ID 51647
Personal Name
Creator
Weed, David B.; Paskoff, Lawrence N.; Ruppel, David J.; Corbett, Cynthia L.; McLean, Garnet A.
Corporate Creator United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Publisher United States. Office of Aerospace Medicine
Publication Date 20140200
Language English
Abstract Global growth in travel has resulted in the need to standardize safety information and guidance systems for communication of significant information to the widest audience possible. Through uniform design and common visual components, persons in all countries can betterrecognize and follow directional information for safe passage, particularly in emergency situations. In order to communicate guidance information efficiently across language barriers, graphical signs and symbolic markings have come to incorporate a range of fairly standard visual components, such as exit signs that include arrows and the international running man symbol. A symbolic emergency exit sign has been approved for placement on a single, large transport-category airplane type in place of the signs currently required by 14 CFR 25.811 and 25.812. Use of a similar symbolic exit sign has been proposed for deployment on a small transport airplane. This sign would be smaller and use variations of the approved symbols. This study evaluated the smaller symbolic exit sign, comparing it with the approved sign in combination with variations of individual sign elements. Overall, there was little difference in the identification of either the approved or proposed running man element, although participants were better able to identify the type of arrow element currently approved for the larger transport airplanes. The main recommendations from this study are that future symbolic exit signs on transport-category airplanes be standardized and spaced within the cabin to provide the visual size needed for proper identification and comprehension.
Rosap ID dot:27201
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/27201
TRT Terms Airplanes; Small aircraft; Language; Symbols; Signs; Emergency exits; Comprehension; International travel
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Report Number DOT/FAA/AM-14/3
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/51000/51600/51647/201403.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository