Determination of Stress and Strain at Real Work Places: Methods and Results of Field Studies with Air Traffic Control Officers

Situation awareness is a fundamental requirement for effective air traffic control forming the basis for controller decision making and performance. To develop a better understanding of the role of situation awareness in air traffic control, an analysis was performed to determine the specific situation awareness requirements for air traffic control. This was conducted as a goal-direct task analysis in which the major goals, subgoals, decisions and associated situation awareness requirements for En Route Air Traffic Control (ATC) were delineated based on elicitation from eight experienced Air Traffic Control Specialists. This effort was supported by available task analyses and video-tapes of simulated air traffic control tasks. A determination of the major situation awareness requirements for En Route ATC was developed from this analysis, providing a foundation for future system development which seeks to enhance controller situation awareness and provides a basis for the development of situation awareness measures for air traffic control.

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Determination of loading of computer complex of air traffic control system

Proceedings of National Aviation University ◽

10.18372/2306-1472.7.11277 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 7 (3-4) ◽

Author(s):

I. А. Жуков ◽

В. I. Дрововозов ◽

Ю. П. Карпушин

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Computer Complex ◽

Traffic Control System

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Equipment failures in ATC: Finding an appropriate safety target

The Aeronautical Journal ◽

10.1017/s0001924000000737 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 109 (1096) ◽

pp. 277-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. Subotic ◽

W. Ochieng ◽

A. Majumdar

Keyword(s):

Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic Control ◽

System Approach ◽

Past Research ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Integrated System ◽

Equipment Failures ◽

Specific Phase ◽

Current Practices

Abstract The aviation community is currently faced with various approaches for the determination of Target Levels of Safety (TLS). The targets are usually derived for a specific airspace region, for a specific type of operation or a specific phase of flight. Therefore, current practices support the determination of TLS for specific aviation components in isolation. This paper argues that the setting of a new safety target for aviation has to be driven by an integrated system approach. Relevant past research on TLS is reviewed and augmented with the results from operational reports from two countries. A possible safety target for the year 2020 is suggested and scoped down to estimate the safety budget for air traffic control (ATC) equipment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and recommends useful practices to achieve the proposed integrated safety approach.

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Workload Perception of Air Traffic Control Officers and Pilots During Continuous Descent Operations Approach Procedures

Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors ◽

10.1027/2192-0923/a000154 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 2-11

Author(s):

Marina Efthymiou ◽

Frank Fichert ◽

Olaf Lantzsch

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic Control ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Reduce Fuel Consumption ◽

Total Load ◽

Open Path

Abstract. The paper examines the workload perceived by air traffic control officers (ATCOs) and pilots during continuous descent operations (CDOs), applying closed- and open-path procedures. CDOs reduce fuel consumption and noise emissions. Therefore, they are supported by airports as well as airlines. However, their use often depends on pilots asking for CDOs and controllers giving approval and directions. An adapted NASA Total Load Index (TLX) was used to measure the workload perception of ATCOs and pilots when applying CDOs at selected European airports. The main finding is that ATCOs’ workload increased when giving both closed- and open-path CDOs, which may have a negative impact on their willingness to apply CDOs. The main problem reported by pilots was insufficient distance-to-go information provided by ATCOs. The workload change is important when considering the use of CDOs.

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How to Evaluate Remote Tower Metrics in Connection With Weather Observations

Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors ◽

10.1027/2192-0923/a000142 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 100-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maik Friedrich ◽

Christoph Möhlenbrink

Keyword(s):

Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic Control ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Weather Event ◽

Evaluation Of Performance ◽

Weather Events ◽

Weather Observations ◽

Validation Experiment ◽

Remote Controller

Abstract. Owing to the different approaches for remote tower operation, a standardized set of indicators is needed to evaluate the technical implementations at a task performance level. One of the most influential factors for air traffic control is weather. This article describes the influence of weather metrics on remote tower operations and how to validate them against each other. Weather metrics are essential to the evaluation of different remote controller working positions. Therefore, weather metrics were identified as part of a validation at the Erfurt-Weimar Airport. Air traffic control officers observed weather events at the tower control working position and the remote control working position. The eight participating air traffic control officers answered time-synchronized questionnaires at both workplaces. The questionnaires addressed operationally relevant weather events in the aerodrome. The validation experiment targeted the air traffic control officer’s ability to categorize and judge the same weather event at different workplaces. The results show the potential of standardized indicators for the evaluation of performance and the importance of weather metrics in relation to other evaluation metrics.

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