Dr. Petrus (Peter) Zaal, Metis Chief Engineer on the Aerospace Research Technology and Simulation (ARTS) program, has been awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal, “for exceptional public service through the sustained contributions to the improvement of flight safety through flight simulation and pilot training.”
Dr. Zaal’s research focuses on human factors, visual and motion perception, simulator cueing, manual control cybernetics, and flight simulation. Over the course of his career, he has been a pivotal contributor to collaborations between NASA and the Federal Aviation Administrator, leading efforts to establish and refine test criteria for flight simulators used in pilot training worldwide. These criteria, adopted into current regulations, are now shaping operational safety across the aviation industry.
Among his many contributions, Dr. Zaal helped develop advanced motion-cuing algorithms, self-recovery training simulators, and stabilized approach criteria for commercial transport aircraft. These innovations, informed by input from airlines and regulators, are improving practices and enhancing aviation safety on a global scale.
Dr. Zaal is widely recognized as a leading authority on simulation fidelity and its role in improving operational safety. His expertise has been sought in projects ranging from astronaut training for NASA’s Human Landing System to more than 30-human subject studies involving fixed-base and motion-based simulators. To date, he has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal papers, conference papers, a book chapter, and has received multiple best paper awards.
Neil Otto, the Metis ARTS Program Manager, highlighted the impact of Dr. Zaal’s work, stating: “Receiving the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal exemplifies how impactful Peter’s contributions have been to improving flight safety and pilot training throughout the aeronautics community, as well as the advancements he has made through innovative modeling and simulation research here at NASA Ames. We are so fortunate to have him as a member of our Metis team and, of course, very proud of him.”
In addition to his technical achievements, Dr. Zaal has served in leadership roles within the professional community, including Committee Chair for the AIAA SciTech Forum’s Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee, Program Chair for the IFAC Human-Machine Systems Conference, and as a member for NASA’s Human Research Institutional Review Board. He also mentors graduate students and actively supports examination committees.
Dr. Zaal’s award reflects his dedication to advancing the field of aerospace safety and his lasting impact on aviation and aeronautics.