Analysis of En Route Air Traffic Controller Team Communication and Controller Resource Management (CRM)

This analysis of en route air traffic controller communication was part of a larger Federal Aviation Administration effort to redesign the training program for en route air traffic control. This presentation concentrates on the analysis and results of the team communications as they relate to Controller Resource Management (CRM). The team controller communication takes place between the radar controller and the radar associate controller as they perform their related tasks in the management of the sector air traffic. This study used an inductive approach to look at communication frequencies across different types of controller teams. The controller teams were manipulated by using different combinations of expert, intermediate, and novice controllers, and these teams were compared under moderate and heavier workloads while managing simulated air traffic. The team communications were coded and analyzed at the speech turn level. Observations, situational inquiry, and answers supplying information combined to make up over half of the speech turns used by the controllers in team communication. A more detailed analysis by controller position and performance identified communication frequencies for the better performing sessions. These results are interpreted in relation to a recent mental model of the en route air traffic controller and are further explained based on results of a study of live traffic team communication. The discussion explores the roles of the team members in maintaining effective CRM.