Experimental Evaluation of the AIRWOLF Weather Advisory Tool for En Route Air Traffic Controllers

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Ahlstrom
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Data Link ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Potential Benefits

The objective of this study was to examine the potential benefits for air traffic controllers from the use of automated weather advisories. In a part-task simulation, we used a weather support tool called Automatic Identification of Risky Weather Objects in Line of Flight (AIRWOLF) that (a) detects conflicts between aircraft and hazardous weather, (b) alerts the controller, and (c) generates automatic weather advisories. During the simulation, air traffic control (ATC) subject matter experts responded to AIRWOLF alerts and either provided weather advisories to pilots via radio in two main conditions or provided data link communication in a third control condition. Automated advisories (a) eliminate the need for a manual production of weather advisories; (b) reduce the production time, voice duration, and overall advisory duration; and (c) reduce the cognitive workload associated with the dissemination of weather advisories. The results showed that the AIRWOLF tool could support air traffic controller weather avoidance actions and provide accurate and timely weather advisories to pilots. The weather advisory tool could support en route controllers for the safe, efficient, and strategic efforts required to handle adverse weather conditions in the en route environment.

Assessing a Retention Policy for Air Traffic Controllers

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 777-781
Author(s):  
Linda G. Pierce ◽  
Elaine M. Pfleiderer
Keyword(s):  
Success Rate ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Retention Policy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Expensive Process ◽  
New Facility

Training a developmental (air traffic controller in training) to certification is a lengthy and expensive process. To limit losses due to poor performance in training, the FAA has implemented a policy to reassign some developmentals to less complex air traffic control (ATC) facilities following voluntary or involuntary removal from training at more complex facilities. The National Employee Service Team (NEST) is implementing the policy. We reviewed the NEST processes and assessed effectiveness based on the extent to which the NEST recommendations are accepted and the likelihood that developmentals reassigned in accordance with NEST recommendations succeed in training at the new facility. We found that NEST recommendations to retain or terminate developmentals and type and level facility for reassignment are accepted by the FAA at a high level. Furthermore, the success rate of developmentals at a new facility is greater than 90%.

Capturing Air Traffic Controller Expertise for Incorporation in Automated Air Traffic Control Systems

1988 ◽  
Vol 32 (16) ◽  
pp. 1031-1035
Author(s):  
Howard L. Bregman ◽  
Warren L. McCabe ◽  
William G. Sutcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Flight Safety ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers

Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsorship, MITRE's Human Performance Assessment Group is contributing to the design of an expert system to support air traffic control. We are working closely with a team of expert, full-performance-level air traffic controllers to capture the formal and informal rules they use in maintaining flight safety and efficiency. This paper documents our approach to working with these experts, the results of using that approach, and a distillation of lessons learned.

Application of Controller Pilot Data Link Communication in the Training for Air Traffic Controller

2012 ◽  
Vol 616-618 ◽  
pp. 2162-2165
Author(s):  
Zheng Xiang ◽  
Wei Jun Pan ◽  
Yu Tang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Data Link ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Voice Communication ◽  
Pilot Data ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Communication Method ◽  
Communication Errors

The application of Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) in the training for air traffic controller is investigated. CPDLC is a data link application that allows for the direct exchange of text-based messages between a controller and a pilot. It greatly improves communication capabilities compared to traditional voice communication, in terms of reducing communication errors and pilot workload, improving the efficiency of airspace management and providing economic benefits. As traffic volume in the airspace becomes saturated, it is necessary to adopt CPDLC as the primary communication method and air traffic controllers should be trained accordingly. In the presented work, the features of CPDLC are introduced as well as the structure of CPDLC system is illustrated, and a novel framework for training air traffic controller with CPDLC system is proposed. It is seen that air traffic controller can be trained with lower workload, fewer mistakes and more flexibility using CPDLC system.

scholarly journals Communication System Improvement for Air Traffic Service to Provide a Continuous Surveillance over the Oceanic Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 564 ◽  
pp. 604-607
Author(s):  
Aziz Abdul Faieza ◽  
S.N. Rashid ◽  
N. Zulkifli
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Communication System ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Data Link ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Pilot Data ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Oceanic Area ◽  
System Improvement

Air traffic service is an extra-ventricular service which regulates and assists aircraft in real time to ensure their safe operations. The importance of the air traffic service is to prevent collision between aircraft and to expedite and maintain an orderly flow of the air traffic. The objective of this project is to assess the effectiveness of the installed system in assisting the air traffic controller in providing the air traffic service. In order to achieve this objective, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance and Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (ADS/CPDLC) system has been installed and its functionality to provide continuous surveillance and communication has been evaluated. A survey of 35 air traffic controllers had participated to assess the effectiveness of the system to the air traffic controller. The results showed that over 80% of the air traffic controllers agree that the system is able to provide a continuous surveillance and continuous communication over the oceanic area. Apart from that, 60% of the air traffic controllers agree the reduced separation minima can be applies over the oceanic area by using the application of the system. Base on this result, reduced separation minima over the oceanic area can be applied in order to expedite and maintain an orderly flow of air traffic over the oceanic area.

scholarly journals Visual Search and Conflict Mitigation Strategies Used by Expert en Route Air Traffic Controllers

Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Ricardo Palma Fraga ◽  
Ziho Kang ◽  
Jerry M. Crutchfield ◽  
Saptarshi Mandal
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Search Patterns ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Conflict Mitigation

The role of the en route air traffic control specialist (ATCS) is vital to maintaining safety and efficiency within the National Airspace System (NAS). ATCSs must vigilantly scan the airspace under their control and adjacent airspaces using an En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) radar display. The intent of this research is to provide an understanding of the expert controller visual search and aircraft conflict mitigation strategies that could be used as scaffolding methods during ATCS training. Interviews and experiments were conducted to elicit visual scanning and conflict mitigation strategies from the retired controllers who were employed as air traffic control instructors. The interview results were characterized and classified using various heuristics. In particular, representative visual scanpaths were identified, which accord with the interview results of the visual search strategies. The highlights of our findings include: (1) participants used systematic search patterns, such as circular, spiral, linear or quadrant-based, to extract operation-relevant information; (2) participants applied an information hierarchy when aircraft information was cognitively processed (altitude -> direction -> speed); (3) altitude or direction changes were generally preferred over speed changes when imminent potential conflicts were mitigated. Potential applications exist in the implementation of the findings into the training curriculum of candidates.

Stress Management and Air Traffic Control Trainees: Development and Evaluation of a New Training Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1155-1159
Author(s):  
Jamie D. Barrett ◽  
Brett Torrence ◽  
Michelle Bryant ◽  
Linda Pierce ◽  
Julia Buck
Keyword(s):  
Stress Management ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Medical Institute ◽  
Stress Management Training ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Aerospace Medical ◽  
And Performance

The primary mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is to maintain the safety of the National Airspace System (NAS). As part of this mission, the FAA is tasked with ensuring that future air traffic controllers are adequately trained to perform the high-risk job of directing air traffic. The FAA Academy curriculum for newly hired controllers involves 3-4 months of intensive lessons and performance assessments. It has been suggested that this training program is quite stressful, and successful trainees tend to be those who can better manage stress. To support ATC trainees, researchers at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) have conducted operational research to develop and evaluate a stress management training to help trainees manage their stress during training at the FAA Academy.

scholarly journals Advanced Flight Planning and the Benefit of In-Flight Aircraft Trajectory Optimization

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1383
Author(s):  
Judith Rosenow ◽  
Martin Lindner ◽  
Joachim Scheiderer
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Trajectory Optimization ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Aircraft Trajectory

The implementation of Trajectory-Based Operations, invented by the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program SESAR, enables airlines to fly along optimized waypoint-less trajectories and accordingly to significantly increase the sustainability of the air transport system in a business with increasing environmental awareness. However, unsteady weather conditions and uncertain weather forecasts might induce the necessity to re-optimize the trajectory during the flight. By considering a re-optimization of the trajectory during the flight they further support air traffic control towards achieving precise air traffic flow management and, in consequence, an increase in airspace and airport capacity. However, the re-optimization leads to an increase in the operator and controller’s task loads which must be balanced with the benefit of the re-optimization. From this follows that operators need a decision support under which circumstances and how often a trajectory re-optimization should be carried out. Local numerical weather service providers issue hourly weather forecasts for the coming hour. Such weather data sets covering three months were used to re-optimize a daily A320 flight from Seattle to New York every hour and to calculate the effects of this re-optimization on fuel consumption and deviation from the filed path. Therefore, a simulation-based trajectory optimization tool was used. Fuel savings between 0.5% and 7% per flight were achieved despite minor differences in wind speed between two consecutive weather forecasts in the order of 0.5 m s−1. The calculated lateral deviations from the filed path within 1 nautical mile were always very small. Thus, the method could be easily implemented in current flight operations. The developed performance indicators could help operators to evaluate the re-optimization and to initiate its activation as a new flight plan accordingly.

scholarly journals Coding ATC Incident Data Using HFACS: Intercoder Consensus

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Wang ◽  
Yaohua Wang ◽  
Xiaoqiang Yang ◽  
Kai Cheng ◽  
Haishan Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
The Other ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Factors Analysis ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
High Hazard ◽  
Incident Reports ◽  
Comparability Of Results

Reliability studies for coding contributing factors of incident reports in high hazard industries are rarely conducted and reported. Although the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) appears to have a larger number of such studies completed than most other systems doubt exists as the accuracy and comparability of results between studies due to aspects of methodology and reporting. This paper reports on a trial conducted on HFACS to determine its reliability in the context of military air traffic control (ATC). Two groups participated in the trial: one group comprised of specialists in the field of human factors, and the other group comprised air traffic controllers. All participants were given standardized training via a self-paced workbook and then read 14 incident reports and coded the associated findings. The results show similarly low consensus for both groups of participants. Several reasons for the results are proposed associated with the HFACS model, the context within which incident reporting occurs in real organizations and the conduct of the studies.

Expertise in Air Traffic Control (ATC): What is it, and how Can we Train for It?

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (17) ◽  
pp. 1326-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Redding ◽  
John R. Cannon ◽  
Thomas L. Seamster
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Cognitive Task Analysis ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Curriculum Redesign ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Training Efficiency

The Federal Aviation Administration has embarked on a major curriculum redesign effort to improve the training efficiency of en route air traffic controllers. Included in this effort was a comprehensive cognitive task analysis conducted in several phases, spanning several years. Eight different types of data collection and analysis procedures were used, resulting in an integrated model of controller expertise. This paper provides a description of controller expertise, and describes the training program under development. This is one of the first examples of cognitive task analysis being applied to study expertise in complex cognitive tasks performed in time-constrained, multi-tasking environments.

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